I've had the real thing in Tokyo. It was frightfully expensive (yeah for someone else's expense acount!). It was good, no doubt about it, but you can also get high quality, well-marbled beef from a good specialty butcher and be hard pressed to tell the difference, in my opinion (admittedly, based on only having had the real Kobe beef a few times).
If you're curious, and your wallet can bear it, you might as well give it a try and satisfy your curiosity. There are both "american-kobe" and imported japanese kobe available in the US again, though for a few years there was a ban on importing japanese beef to the US due to a cattle disease scare.
I'll have to say though, my favorite steak is our "camping tradition." We get a whole high-quality tenderloin from a butcher, cut it into slices several fingers thick, and marinate it in big ziploc bags, and cook it over the campfire. Big, thick slices, seared well on the outside, rare on the inside. It's our saturday night fine dining on camping trips, and at least an annual event with a load of friends since our college days.
One of the restaurant "secrets" is to finish steaks with butter, btw ... amazing what a nice fatty chuck of butter will do for your steak
If you go Waygu, at least you'll know ol' Bessie got a massage every day before she gave it up for your dinner!
