Okuzukake (thick vegetable and noodle soup)SpSuAu
Southern region
A meatless dish eaten mainly in southern Miyagi during the spring and autumn equinox and Obon periods...
MIYAGI
Miyagi Prefecture
The surveyed city is Sendai. Of all 394 items in the household survey, Miyagi Prefecture stands out most for Fish cake (kamaboko) — 2.5× the national average (Sendai 8,056 JPY / national 3,214 JPY).
2.5×Biggest standout
Fish cake (kamaboko)
per household / year
Fish cake (kamaboko)
per household / year
2Items ranked #1 nationally
29Regional dishes
RANK
Furthest above the national average
All figures are annual spending/quantity per household (not per person). 2023–2025 average, showing Sendai’s value as a multiple of the national average.
| Item | vs. average | Sendai | National | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish cake (kamaboko)#1Seafood | 2.51× | 8,056JPY | 3,214JPY | #1 |
| PeachesFruit | 2.09× | 2,199g | 1,050g | #5 |
| WhiskyAlcohol | 1.70× | 4,837JPY | 2,838JPY | #2 |
| Black teaBeverages | 1.68× | 322g | 192g | #4 |
| Wakame seaweedDried Foods, Seaweed & Soy Products | 1.68× | 1,186g | 708g | #2 |
| Ramen (chuka soba)Dining Out | 1.62× | 14,207JPY | 8,752JPY | #3 |
| Chuhai & cocktails#1Alcohol | 1.57× | 8,207JPY | 5,242JPY | #1 |
| WineAlcohol | 1.56× | 4,889mL | 3,138mL | #5 |
| Pacific saurySeafood | 1.47× | 625g | 425g | #5 |
| Other mushroomsFresh Vegetables | 1.47× | 3,683g | 2,507g | #4 |
| Other noodles (dining out)Dining Out | 1.43× | 4,355JPY | 3,036JPY | #5 |
| KelpDried Foods, Seaweed & Soy Products | 1.43× | 261g | 183g | #10 |
#1
Where this prefecture ranks #1
Items where Sendai ranked #1 among the 52 surveyed cities.
- Fish cake (kamaboko)
- Chuhai & cocktails
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.
Fried Sasa-Kamaboko with Nori
Main ingredients: Sasa-kamaboko fish cake, green laver (aonori)
→ Fish cake (kamaboko) is 2.5× the national average in Sendai (8,056 JPY, #1 nationally)
Heso Daikon Nishime (simmered dried daikon rings)
Main ingredients: Heso daikon (dried daikon rings), carrot, taro, dried shiitake mushroom, knotted kelp, freeze-dried tofu
→ Kelp is 1.4× the national average in Sendai (261 g, #10 nationally)
Okuzukake (thick vegetable and noodle soup)
Main ingredients: Taro, carrot, burdock root, shiitake mushroom and other vegetables, fried tofu, tofu, unmen noodles (Shiroishi somen), shirataki noodles
→ Burdock root is 1.3× the national average in Sendai (1,612 g, #7 nationally)
Donko-jiru (flathead fish soup)
Main ingredients: Donko (eelpout), daikon radish, tofu, green onion
→ Tofu is 1.2× the national average in Sendai (102.1 blocks, #4 nationally)
Kaki Namasu (persimmon and daikon salad)
Main ingredients: Dried persimmon, daikon radish, carrot
→ Daikon radish is 1.2× the national average in Sendai (12,068 g, #4 nationally)
DISHES
29 regional dishes from Miyagi 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.
Sendai Zoni (New Year mochi soup)Wi
Sendai area and throughout Miyagi
Eaten since the late Edo period, Sendai zoni is famous for grilled goby so large it overflows the bowl, along with salmon roe...
Harako Meshi (salmon and roe rice)Au
Watari Town
Miyagi has many rivers large and small, including the Kitakami, Naruse, and Abukuma, that salmon return to each year...
Zunda Mochi (sweet edamame rice cake)Wi
Throughout Miyagi
Mochi is eaten often in Miyagi, essential at New Year's, weddings, memorial services, and funerals...
Hatto-jiru (wheat dumpling soup)
Northern region (Kurihara, Semboku-Osaki farmland, Kitakami hills, Sanriku coast)
Hatto is a wheat-based dish eaten across northern Miyagi, made by kneading flour with water...
Simmered Nameta FlounderWi
Sendai City
Known elsewhere as babagarei or India flounder, nameta flounder is prized for its slick skin...
Fusube Mochi (loach and rice cake soup)
Kurihara City
In rice-growing Miyagi, mochi has long been essential at New Year's, weddings, memorial services, and funerals...
Vinegared Sea Pineapple (hoya)Su
Miyagi coastal area
Sea pineapple is farmed along the Sanriku coast, mainly the maboya variety, often cultivated on oyster shells...
Ebimochi (shrimp rice cake)Wi
Kurihara City and other northern areas
Miyagi is known for its rich variety of mochi dishes, said to number over fifty...
Fried Sasa-Kamaboko with Nori
Throughout Miyagi
With rich fishing grounds and ports such as Kesennuma, Ishinomaki, Shiogama, and Yuriage, Miyagi has produced fish cakes since the Meiji era...
Donko-jiru (flathead fish soup)AuWi
Throughout Miyagi
Donko, also known as Ezo eelpout or gray eelpout, is in season from autumn to winter...
Myoga Leaf-Wrapped Grilled CakeSu
Northern Miyagi
Myoga ginger is a perennial related to ginger that grows wild from Honshu to Okinawa, its flowers and stems used as an aromatic vegetable...
Azara (fish and pickled cabbage stew)SpWi
Kesennuma City
Kesennuma City in Miyagi is known for fresh fish; menuke rockfish is especially fatty and in season in winter...
Aburafu Don (fried wheat gluten rice bowl)Su
Tome City
Around Obon, tofu shops once worked hard producing fried tofu and tofu for meatless dishes...
Sweet-Simmered Figs
Throughout Miyagi
Figs are a fruit dating back to before the Common Era, said to have reached Japan via China through Nagasaki...
Salt-Grilled Char (iwana)Su
Kurihara City and other areas
Char lives only in the clear headwaters of mountain streams and is difficult to catch...
Kaki Namasu (persimmon and daikon salad)Wi
Southern Miyagi
As the old saying goes, 'when persimmons turn red, doctors turn pale,' reflecting the fruit's vitamin content...
Ganzuki (spiced steamed cake)
Throughout Miyagi
Said to be named for resembling wild goose meat, ganzuki is a snack eaten across Miyagi...
Kishazu-iri (stir-fried tofu lees)
Throughout Miyagi
Also called kirazu-iri, this traditional dish uses 'kirazu,' the pulp left over from making tofu...
Gojiru (ground soybean soup)AuWi
Throughout Miyagi
Soybeans are called 'meat of the field' for their well-balanced essential amino acids and high-quality protein...
Sanma no Kigaki (raw Pacific saury with vegetables)Au
Port towns including Kesennuma
In the Motoyoshi area of Kesennuma, bonito once migrated close to shore and was landed in huge quantities...
Sanma Surimi-jiru (minced Pacific saury soup)Au
Miyagi Prefecture
Pacific saury caught off Kinkasan has long been treasured as a taste of autumn...
Shiso Maki (shiso leaves stuffed with miso)
Miyagi Prefecture
Shiso has been eaten in Japan since ancient times, with seed fossils even found at Jomon-era sites...
Pickled Sendai Napa Cabbage
Miyagi Prefecture
Napa cabbage cultivation began in Japan in the Meiji era; in Miyagi it spread after the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars...
Takenoko Gohan (bamboo shoot rice)Sp
Throughout Miyagi
Bamboo shoots are essential to Japanese cuisine, mentioned as far back as the Kojiki...
Nasu-iri (stir-fried eggplant)SuAu
Miyagi Prefecture
Eggplant is in season from summer to autumn, and the varieties grown differ greatly by region...
Bakke Miso (butterbur sprout miso)Sp
Miyagi Prefecture
In the Edo period, a belief spread that eating tree leaves and roots without miso would bring on their toxicity...
Heso Daikon Nishime (simmered dried daikon rings)SuAuWi
Southern Miyagi
In the harsh cold of the Tohoku region, there has long been a custom of preserving vegetables and fish by exposing them to cold winter wind...
Hokki Meshi (surf clam rice)
Miyagi Prefecture
The hokki clam, formally called the sakhalin surf clam, is a large bivalve prized for its size and flavor...
NEARBY