Matsuri-zushi / Bara-zushi (scattered sushi)SpAu
Throughout Okayama Prefecture
Matsuri-zushi, also called "Okayama bara-zushi" or "Bizen bara-zushi," is a dish long known in the Bizen-Okayama area...
OKAYAMA
Okayama Prefecture
The surveyed city is Okayama. Of all 394 items in the household survey, Okayama Prefecture stands out most for Peaches — 3.2× the national average (Okayama 3,565 JPY / national 1,103 JPY).
3.2×Biggest standout
Peaches
per household / year
Peaches
per household / year
0Items ranked #1 nationally
28Regional dishes
RANK
Furthest above the national average
All figures are annual spending/quantity per household (not per person). 2023–2025 average, showing Okayama’s value as a multiple of the national average.
| Item | vs. average | Okayama | National | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PeachesFruit | 3.23× | 3,565JPY | 1,103JPY | #2 |
| Manju bunsConfectionery | 1.86× | 1,726JPY | 930JPY | #4 |
| School lunchDining Out | 1.62× | 12,590JPY | 7,756JPY | #8 |
| Ground beef & pork mixMeat | 1.58× | 5,171JPY | 3,280JPY | #2 |
| OystersSeafood | 1.56× | 1,166JPY | 748JPY | #4 |
| GrapesFruit | 1.44× | 2,878g | 1,999g | #2 |
| Grilled meat (yakiniku)Dining Out | 1.44× | 12,124JPY | 8,444JPY | #4 |
| Sea breamSeafood | 1.43× | 594g | 416g | #17 |
| SauceOils & Seasonings | 1.42× | 1,924mL | 1,357mL | #2 |
| YellowtailSeafood | 1.33× | 3,759JPY | 2,818JPY | #15 |
| Chuhai & cocktailsAlcohol | 1.32× | 18,333mL | 13,938mL | #7 |
| Black teaBeverages | 1.29× | 1,135JPY | 878JPY | #8 |
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.
Todomese (simmered vinegared rice)
Main ingredients: Rice, dried shiitake mushrooms, carrots, burdock, kanpyo (dried gourd strips), chikuwa (fish cake), dried shrimp, chicken, taro
→ Shrimp is 1.1× the national average in Okayama (1,420 g, #13 nationally)
Horumon udon (offal udon)
Main ingredients: Beef offal, udon noodles, cabbage, onion, green onion, bean sprouts
→ Bean sprouts is 1.1× the national average in Okayama (1,146 JPY, #15 nationally)
Hiruzen okowa (glutinous rice)
Main ingredients: Glutinous rice, chicken, chestnuts, burdock, carrots, konnyaku, azuki beans
→ Chicken is 1.1× the national average in Okayama (20,412 g, #9 nationally)
Bachi-jiru with hand-pulled somen
Main ingredients: Hand-pulled somen noodles, daikon radish, carrots, fried tofu
→ Carrots is 1.1× the national average in Okayama (7,969 g, #10 nationally)
Demi-katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl)
Main ingredients: Rice, pork, cabbage
→ Cabbage is 1.0× the national average in Okayama (16,563 g, #11 nationally)
DISHES
28 regional dishes from Okayama 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.
Mackerel sushiAu
Maniwa City, Takahashi City
Mountainous northern Okayama has surprisingly many traditional fish dishes. Mackerel sushi is mainly found in...
Pickled sardines in vinegar
Seto Inland Sea coast
This vinegar-pickled dish, widely known as an Okayama specialty, uses "mamakari," a small sardine-like fish from the region...
Hiruzen okowa (glutinous rice)
Maniwa City, Hiruzen area
Hiruzen okowa is glutinous rice packed with ingredients, a style generally known as gomoku okowa. Served at festivals and...
Kenbiki-yaki (grilled flatbread)
Niimi City
After rice planting ends, farming households traditionally rest on June 1 of the old lunar calendar, waiting for the rainy season to end...
Todomese (simmered vinegared rice)
Setouchi City
Todomese is a simmered sushi made by mixing vinegar into cooked rice. Its origins are said to trace back to the medieval Kamakura period...
Kouko-zushi with Spanish mackerel
Bizen City
Hinase, in southeastern Okayama on the border with Hyogo, appears in the long-passed-down Hinase folk song...
Kusagi-na rice bowl
Kibichuo Town
Kusagi-na is the dried young shoots of the wild kusagi shrub found in the mountains. It has a very strong smell...
Yubeshi (citron rice cake)
Takahashi City, Yakage Town
Yubeshi is a mochi confection made with yuzu citron and walnuts, developed as a portable, long-keeping food...
Octopus rice
Kurashiki City
Okayama's octopus catch ranks among the highest in Japan. Shimotsui in Kurashiki City, where the Seto Inland Sea currents run especially fast...
Bachi-jiru with hand-pulled somenWi
Asakuchi City
Kamogata in Asakuchi City, in southwestern Okayama, has long been known for its sunny climate and its fine water, salt, and wheat...
Simmered opossum shrimp and daikon
Seto Inland Sea coast
Opossum shrimp, daikon, and ginger are simmered together in sugar, sake, and soy sauce...
Yellowtail zoni (New Year's soup)Wi
Takahashi City
Zoni, an essential New Year's dish, takes many different forms depending on the region...
Sorghum dumpling soupAu
Soja City, Ibara City, Takahashi City, Niimi City
Takakibi, a type of sorghum brought from the Chinese mainland, is also known as "morokoshi-kibi"...
Kenchin sobaWi
Niimi City
Niimi City's soil is poorly suited to rice farming, so soba has long been widely grown there. This soba...
Deep-fried croaker whitebaitSpSu
Seto Inland Sea coast
Croaker whitebait is a small fish caught in the Seto Inland Sea from spring through summer, called "nebuto" in some areas...
Wild boar hot potWi
Mimasaka region
Mimasaka, a nature-rich area in northern Okayama, has one of the prefecture's largest populations of wild boar and deer...
Simmered baby octopusWi
Kurashiki City
Baby octopus is caught mainly around Shimotsui, in the Kojima area of Kurashiki City in southern Okayama...
Horumon udon (offal udon)
Tsuyama City
Plenty of fresh mixed offal is stir-fried with udon noodles in a miso- or soy-sauce-based sauce...
Demi-katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl)
Okayama City
Okayama's local rice bowl dish of freshly fried pork cutlet topped with hot demi-glace sauce...
Yellow chive ohitashi
Okayama City, Akaiwa City
Yellow chives are an Okayama specialty, accounting for 70% of national production. Around 1872, in Musa, Okayama City...
Simmered shiso seedsSu
Mimasaka City
Shiso seeds are stripped from the stem and mixed into soy sauce for fragrance, used when eating sashimi...
Crucian carp riceWi
Yakage Town, Tamano City, Hachihama
The history of "funa-meshi" goes hand in hand with the reclamation of Kojima Bay. Southern Okayama has long...
Chirashi-zushi with black soybeans
Mimasaka City
Black soybeans from the Shoei region (Mimasaka City, Shoo Town, Nagi Town, Nishiawakura Village) in northeastern Okayama are known nationwide...
Soba-dojo hot potWi
Mimasaka City, Kagamino Town
A hot pot dish of buckwheat dough shaped like loaches. Easy to digest and warming, it has long been eaten in mountain areas...
Tofu rice
Takahashi City
Tofu rice was eaten as a form of shojin (vegetarian temple) cuisine, mainly served at Buddhist memorial meals in merchant households...
Mamakari-zushi
Seto Inland Sea coast
Mamakari-zushi is sushi made with vinegar-pickled mamakari. Balls of vinegared rice are topped with the pickled fish...
Yuzu misoAuWi
Ibara City
Yuzu citron, whose refreshing scent brings a sense of the season to the table, is harvested from around October...
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