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IBARAKI

Ibaraki Prefecture

The surveyed city is Mito. Of all 394 items in the household survey, Ibaraki Prefecture stands out most for Melon — 4.1× the national average (Mito 3,823 JPY / national 927 JPY). It is Japan’s top producer of Chestnuts, Sardines, Napa cabbage and more (Ministry of Agriculture data). Across the 52 surveyed cities, Mito ranks No.1 for Melon, Rice crackers, Yogurt — 3 items in all.

4.1×Biggest standout
Melon
per household / year
3Items ranked #1 nationally
30Regional dishes

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RANK

Furthest above the national average

All figures are annual spending/quantity per household (not per person). 2023–2025 average, showing Mito’s value as a multiple of the national average.

Annual spending/quantity per household vs. national average (Mito, highest multiple first)
Itemvs. averageMitoNationalRank
Melon#1Fruit4.12×3,823JPY927JPY#1
Freshwater clams (shijimi)Seafood3.61×722g200g#3
BonitoSeafood1.80×3,023JPY1,682JPY#2
Sweet bean jelly (yokan)Confectionery1.58×1,176JPY745JPY#4
Pacific saurySeafood1.56×665g425g#3
Baby formulaDairy & Eggs1.56×1,463JPY938JPY#7
Dried baby sardinesSeafood1.51×567g376g#7
Meal-kit ingredientsPrepared Foods1.50×5,778JPY3,859JPY#8
StrawberriesFruit1.49×2,978g1,994g#2
Dried horse mackerelSeafood1.44×533g370g#9
Salted salmonSeafood1.43×1,740g1,213g#9
Western food (dining out)Dining Out1.43×19,167JPY13,378JPY#6

MADE

What Ibaraki produces most in Japan

From Ministry of Agriculture statistics (2024): items where Ibaraki ranks No.1 nationally by harvest or catch. This is about what the prefecture produces; the #1 list below is about what households buy.

Also No.2–3: Japanese pears (#2), Sweet potatoes (#2), Konjac (#2), Lettuce (#2), Burdock root (#2), Buckwheat (soba) (#3), Sweet corn (#3), Garlic chives (#3), Mitsuba (#3), Fava beans (#3)

Source: MAFF Crop Statistics Survey and Marine Fishery Production Statistics (e-Stat, 2024 final figures).

#1

Where this prefecture ranks #1

Items where Mito ranked #1 among the 52 surveyed cities.

Q&A

Ibaraki food: common questions

What is Ibaraki famous for producing?

By Ministry of Agriculture statistics (2024), Ibaraki is Japan’s top producer of Chestnuts, Sardines, Napa cabbage, Green onions, Melons, Green peppers and more.

What food is Ibaraki No.1 in Japan for?

In Japan’s household spending survey (2023–2025 average), Mito ranked No.1 of 52 cities for Melon, Rice crackers, Yogurt. This ranks what households buy, not what the prefecture produces.

What to eat in Ibaraki?

Households here buy far more than the national average of Melon, Freshwater clams, Bonito, Sweet bean jelly, Pacific saury.

What are the local dishes of Ibaraki?

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture records 30 regional dishes from Ibaraki, including Shimotsukare (simmered salmon head, beans, and root vegetables), Pickled smelt and lotus root, Garigari namasu (crunchy vinegared radish and fish), Tsuke-kenchin (kenchin dipping soba).

LINK

Where regional dishes meet the statistics

Ingredients used in regional dishes here that also show up as standout spending in the household survey — cross-referencing MAFF's regional-dish database with Japan's Statistics Bureau data.

Soboro natto (natto with dried daikon)

Main ingredients: Natto, sliced dried daikon, soy sauce, mirin, sake

→ Natto is 1.4× the national average in Mito (6,797 JPY, #4 nationally)

Tagane mochi (mixed rice mochi)

Main ingredients: Glutinous rice, non-glutinous rice

→ Rice cakes (mochi) is 1.3× the national average in Mito (2,706 g, #4 nationally)

Shimotsukare (simmered salmon head, beans, and root vegetables)

Main ingredients: Salmon, soybeans, daikon radish, fried tofu, carrots, sake lees

→ Salmon is 1.1× the national average in Mito (2,285 g, #9 nationally)

Garigari namasu (crunchy vinegared radish and fish)

Main ingredients: Daikon radish, vinegar-pickled fish

→ Daikon radish is 1.1× the national average in Mito (11,146 g, #15 nationally)

DISHES

30 regional dishes from Ibaraki Prefecture

From Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) “Regional Dishes to Pass on to the Next Generation.” Each dish name links to the MAFF page.

Pickled smelt and lotus rootSuAuWi

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

Pickled smelt and lotus root is a specialty of Lake Kasumigaura, Japan's second-largest lake by surface area...

Tsuke-kenchin (kenchin dipping soba)AuWi

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture has large temperature swings between morning and night and many well-drained slopes, and since the Edo period...

Niai (vinegared vegetable medley)Wi

Central Ibaraki region

Ibaraki Prefecture has some of the largest farmland acreage in Japan, growing lotus root, burdock, green onions, and other vegetables year-round...

Tagane mochi (mixed rice mochi)Wi

Southern region, Rokko region

Ibaraki Prefecture, still known for its rural landscapes, is one of Japan's leading rice-producing regions...

Hoshi-imo (dried sweet potato)Wi

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

Hoshi-imo, a processed sweet potato product loved by people of all ages, is produced in Ibaraki Prefecture, a leading producer nationwide...

Komo-dofu (straw-wrapped tofu)

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

Ibaraki Prefecture has practiced agriculture since ancient times, drawing on its mild year-round climate and abundant water quality...

Gomoku inari sushi

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

In Ibaraki Prefecture, agriculture has been practiced since ancient times, drawing on its mild year-round climate and abundant water quality...

Hamaguri gohan (clam rice)SpWi

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

The Kashima Sea, stretching from Cape Oarai in Ibaraki to Cape Inubo in Chiba, is where the cold Oyashio and warm Kuroshio currents meet...

Sardines pickled with okara

Northern region

Ibaraki Prefecture is renowned as one of Japan's leading agricultural prefectures, but it also has a side as a fishing prefecture...

Unagi no hobiki-ni (simmered eel)

Tone River, Lake Kasumigaura area

Lake Kasumigaura, Japan's second-largest lake, connects with the sea and is rich in plankton...

Gosai-zuke (pickled saury and daikon)Wi

Rokko region, Kashima and Hokota

The Kashima Sea, stretching from Cape Oarai in Ibaraki to Cape Inubo in Chiba, is a prime fishing ground where the cold Oyashio and warm Kuroshio currents meet...

Deep-fried carp

Southern region, Lake Kasumigaura, Namegata City, Tsuchiura City

In Lake Kasumigaura, Japan's second-largest lake by surface area, carp farming began mainly in Lake Kitaura around 1965...

Kaiso-yose (seaweed jelly)Wi

Kashima City, Namegata City

Kaiso-yose is a local dish eaten along the Kashima coast, from Kashima in Ibaraki to Choshi in Chiba...

Aka-mochi (red sorghum mochi)Au

Kanasago district and elsewhere

Aka-mochi is a red-colored mochi made from red sorghum flour. Around the Kamakura period...

Soboro natto (natto with dried daikon)

Central Ibaraki region

In Mito City during the Edo period, this dish was devised as a tasty way to eat early-harvest small soybeans picked before typhoon season...

Yuzu daikon (yuzu-pickled radish)Wi

Northern region

Ibaraki Prefecture, one of Japan's leading agricultural areas, ranks first nationwide in the harvest of many crops including green peppers, lotus root, and burdock...

Peanut miso

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

Peanuts, also known as "nankin mame," are said to have been introduced to Japan around the Edo period...

Renkon kinpira (stir-fried lotus root)

Throughout Ibaraki Prefecture

Lotus root cultivation thrives around the shores of Lake Kasumigaura, Japan's second-largest lake, accounting for a large share of domestic production...

Handmade sashimi konnyakuAuWi

Northern region

The Okukuji region of Ibaraki Prefecture has long cultivated konnyaku and is said to be its birthplace...

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Other prefectures in Kanto