Foreigners assume that Japan is a homogeneous country, but the Japanese themselves recognise how different they are from their counterparts in the other 46 prefectures. I love watching this show to learn about the idiosyncratic dishes, customs and habits that make up the distinctive charm of each prefecture. So much that I put in the work into translating what I watched into the following cultural nuggets:
- Saga high schoolers ride colourful bikes to school.
- After you finish your chat with someone and put down your phone, Osaka people will ask “Who called you?” without hesitation whereas Tokyo people will refrain from asking such questions, for fear of infringing your privacy.
- Osaka people also have stock phrases to ensure the smooth flow of communication during drinking parties at izakayas. As unrefined as this may sound, they bluntly ask someone who has been away from his seat for a long time whether “he went to defecate”. Even ladies use this stock phrase to acknowledge their friend’s presence and bring them back into the conversation.
- Osaka is endowed with a merchant’s background, so its people are more money-conscious than their counterparts in other prefectures. Osaka people reportedly spend the least on children’s clothing because they get preloved clothes from friends and relatives and let their children wear hand-me-downs.
- You can travel to anywhere in Kyoto City by bus. The bus network is super well-developed, with 7 bus companies managing 200 routes.
- Chatty Osaka people, who love striking up a conversation with people around them, will find Tokyo people too cold for them.
- Osaka people get introduced to takoyaki culture from a young g age. Auntie takoyaki stallholders may contribute a lot to the maintenance of this culture because they sell five takoyakis at a price that can go as low as 100 yen!
- Kobe people in Hyogo consider nikuman (steamed pork buns) their soul food. That’s why the nikuman there are bigger than the norm.
- Hamamatsu people in Shizuoka love their gyozas, which are typically made up of 80% vegetables. They recommend pairing their cabbage gyozas with beansproutsz
- Aomori people has the earliest wake-up time among all the Japanese. They wake up at 6.17am on average.
- Kobe is a steeply sloping city. Just how steep? Imagine slopes with inclination of 20% to even 50%!
- There are 21 mentaiko (spicy cod roe) manufacturers in Fukuoka. The locals have found that iwashi (referring to the family comprising sardines, anchovies, round herrings) blends magnificently with mentaiko, so they eat iwashi mentaiko as a delicacy.
- Osaka people love their crabs - to the extent that they willingly travel for 3 hours on day trips to Kinosaki, Hyogo during winter. Such gourmet tours include crab sashimi, yakikani (grilled crabs) and crabs inside a hot pot. Kinosaki is a popular onsen town, so there’s nothing better than soaking in a rejuvenating dip after the feast.
- Kagawa may be Japan’s smallest prefecture, but it allegedly has more udon shops than 7 Eleven convenience stores. No wonder it is known as the Udon Prefecture. Kagawa people also have the habit of pairing their udon with oden.
- You won’t expect Hokkaido people to have any similarities with Okinawa people. However, the former enjoy their Genghis Khan, a lamb (羊) dish made in a special pot whereas the latter enjoy eating goat meat (山羊).
- Miyazaki people spend the most money on gyozas among all Japanese. They love buying gyozas from an established store called Gyoza no Maruoka and grilling them at home. The divine combination of pork, leeks and green onions sure packs a punch!
- Hiroshima is well known for okonomiyaki, but did you know that the locals like to eat grilled コウネ (brisket plate), which is a fatty and flavourful part located under the brisket near the chest area of cattle? It seems that only Hiroshima natives eat this part of the beef. Also, they like to grill the legs as well as ears of pigs, so they certainly have some unusual food choices!
- Chiba is the least mountainous prefecture among all 47 prefectures. For perspective, their highest mountain is not even as high as Tokyo Skytree. But it doesn’t seem to affect Chiba locals because they love how their hometown boasts seas and oceans. Also, they get to enjoy an unobstructed view of Mount Fuji from many places in their prefecture, including elementary schools!
- If you know how to read hiragana, you may realise that はんなり (hannari) is used to describe just about everything in Kyoto. Its actual meaning pertained to bright, colourful and exquisite kimonos, but it has since evolved to describe the refined atmosphere exuded in Kyoto.
- Gunma faces strong winds called Karakkaze in winter. It’s so strong that people cycling across bridges have to get down from their bikes and walk to the other end. Otherwise, they may end up toppling over! Gunma natives thus pay attention to the likelihood of these strong winds. If they observe that the apex of a mountain called Akagiyama is covered with snow, they will infer that a windy day is about to come. They also erect a living wall composed of trees and plants in front of their houses to block off the wind.
- Tokushima is Japan’s top producer of a green citrus fruit called sudachi. Integrating sudachi into their diet is second nature for Tokushima people. They sprinkle it in everything they eat, including sashimi, miso soup and even rice!