SEAFOOD
Kombu kelp production by prefecture
Hokkaido grows or catches the most kombu kelp in Japan: 47,886 t, 90.4% of the national total. Next come Iwate Prefecture and Aomori Prefecture. This survey covers the main producing prefectures only; prefectures not listed were not surveyed.
| Rank | Prefecture | Output (t) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Hokkaido | 47,886 | 90.4% |
| #2 | Iwate Prefecture | 3,607 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Aomori Prefecture | 930 | 1.8% |
| #4 | Kanagawa Prefecture | 40 | 0.1% |
| #5 | Nagasaki Prefecture | 16 | 0.0% |
| #6 | Tokushima Prefecture | 11 | 0.0% |
| #7 | Akita Prefecture | 5 | 0.0% |
| #8 | Niigata Prefecture | 3 | 0.0% |
| — | Japan total | 52,993 | 100% |
Source: MAFF, Crop Statistics Survey / Marine Fishery Production Statistics (e-Stat, 2024 final). Aquaculture counts harvested output.
EAT
Who eats the most?
The city that buys the most is Aomori (Aomori Prefecture), at 2.5× the national average per household. The prefecture that grows it most and the one that buys it most are different.
Q&A
Common questions
Which prefecture produces the most kombu kelp in Japan?
Hokkaido, with 47,886 t (90.4% of the national total) in 2024, according to Japan's Ministry of Agriculture.
Where in Japan do people buy the most kombu kelp?
Aomori (Aomori Prefecture) households buy 2.5× the national average (Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2023–2025 average).