Funanko-gui (whole crucian carp simmered in miso)Wi
Kashima City and surrounding areas
The Ariake Sea has a tidal range of about 6 meters, and at low tide mudflats stretch 5 to 7 kilometers offshore. Among its unusual...
SAGA
Saga Prefecture
The surveyed city is Saga. Of all 394 items in the household survey, Saga Prefecture stands out most for Sea bream — 2.9× the national average (Saga 1,219 g / national 416 g).
2.9×Biggest standout
Sea bream
per household / year
Sea bream
per household / year
5Items ranked #1 nationally
25Regional dishes
RANK
Furthest above the national average
All figures are annual spending/quantity per household (not per person). 2023–2025 average, showing Saga’s value as a multiple of the national average.
| Item | vs. average | Saga | National | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea bream#1Seafood | 2.93× | 1,219g | 416g | #1 |
| Horse mackerelSeafood | 2.17× | 1,372g | 633g | #4 |
| Dried nori seaweed#1Dried Foods, Seaweed & Soy Products | 1.73× | 5,653JPY | 3,261JPY | #1 |
| Fried fish cakeSeafood | 1.57× | 3,805JPY | 2,426JPY | #4 |
| Japanese food (dining out)Dining Out | 1.55× | 41,245JPY | 26,615JPY | #2 |
| FlounderSeafood | 1.50× | 1,240JPY | 828JPY | #12 |
| Lotus rootFresh Vegetables | 1.47× | 1,845g | 1,257g | #3 |
| Green teaBeverages | 1.46× | 4,648JPY | 3,187JPY | #4 |
| Sweet bean jelly (yokan)Confectionery | 1.43× | 1,068JPY | 745JPY | #6 |
| Instant noodlesGrains | 1.43× | 3,980g | 2,786g | #3 |
| Manju bunsConfectionery | 1.31× | 1,219JPY | 930JPY | #15 |
| SardinesSeafood | 1.30× | 527JPY | 404JPY | #17 |
#1
Where this prefecture ranks #1
Items where Saga ranked #1 among the 52 surveyed cities.
- Burdock root
- Sea bream
- Snack food
- Dried foods & seaweed
- Dried nori seaweed
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.
Yudedago (boiled wheat-flour dumplings)
Main ingredients: Wheat flour, brown sugar
→ Sugar is 1.2× the national average in Saga (1,382 JPY, #7 nationally)
Nigomi (simmered chicken and vegetables)
Main ingredients: Vegetables, chicken
→ Chicken is 1.1× the national average in Saga (20,651 JPY, #15 nationally)
Noppe-jiru (thick vegetable and tofu soup)
Main ingredients: Fried tofu, vegetables
→ Tofu is 1.0× the national average in Saga (5,285 JPY, #28 nationally)
Tsugani meshi (river crab rice)
Main ingredients: Crab, rice
→ Crab is 0.9× the national average in Saga (1,544 JPY, #23 nationally)
Tsunki dago-jiru (dumpling soup)
Main ingredients: Vegetables, wheat flour
→ Wheat flour is 0.9× the national average in Saga (1,773 g, #38 nationally)
Kuri okowa (chestnut sticky rice)
Main ingredients: Glutinous rice, chestnuts, red beans
→ Rice cakes (mochi) is 0.8× the national average in Saga (1,706 g, #39 nationally)
DISHES
25 regional dishes from Saga 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.
Ika no kakeae (squid and grated daikon salad)Au
Throughout the prefecture
Found throughout Japan under names like 'oroshi-namasu,' 'kakiae,' and 'nutaae,' this dish combines seafood with grated daikon...
Niimoji (simmered taro stems)Su
Throughout the prefecture
Saga Prefecture enjoys a mild climate year-round, but summer brings daily temperatures around 30°C. At times like this...
Dabu (chicken and vegetable soup)
Hamatama, Karatsu City
Dabu, handed down across Saga and Fukuoka prefectures, is made by simmering chicken with seasonal vegetables...
Ochagai / Chagayu (tea-brewed rice porridge)
Saga City, Ogi City, Kanzaki City
Ochagai, or chagayu, is rice porridge cooked in tea. In the late Edo period, the financially struggling Saga domain...
Suko-zushi (layered vegetable sushi)
Shiroishi Town
Shiroishi Town, facing the Ariake Sea, is rich in nature with mountains, plains, sea, and rivers. The Shiroishi Plain in particular, since medieval times...
Noppe-jiru (thick vegetable and tofu soup)Wi
Throughout the prefecture
Noppe-jiru is a soup passed down in Saga households, also known as 'noppei-jiru' or 'nuppei-jiru'...
Nigomi (simmered chicken and vegetables)Au
Throughout the prefecture
Kunchi festivals, passed down in Saga Prefecture and other parts of northern Kyushu, are also called okunchi and offer new-harvest rice to the local guardian deity...
Gameni (simmered chicken and vegetables)AuWi
Throughout the prefecture
Among Saga Prefecture's many local dishes, gameni is a classic staple. Nationally it is better known as 'chikuzen-ni'...
Mutsugoro no kabayaki (grilled mudskipper)
Ariake Sea coastal area
The Ariake Sea off Saga Prefecture has a tidal range of about 6 meters, so vast mudflats appear at low tide...
Yudedago (boiled wheat-flour dumplings)
Throughout the prefecture
Yudedago is a dialect form of 'yude-dango' (boiled dumplings), a sweet made with wheat flour and brown sugar...
Oyogoshi (tofu and vegetable salad)
Throughout the prefecture
About 230 years ago, on February 19, a fire broke out in the Ifuku settlement of Saga Prefecture that burned down most of the village...
Tsunki dago-jiru (dumpling soup)
Throughout the prefecture
Hira dago and dago-jiru, local dishes handed down in Saga Prefecture, both use 'dago' dumplings. 'Dago'...
Gotofu with sesame-soy sauce (kudzu-set soy milk tofu)
Arita Town
Tofu made throughout Japan is set by adding nigari to soy milk, but in and around Arita Town, Saga Prefecture...
Yuki no tsuyu (grated daikon soup)Wi
Arita Town
Arita Town in Saga Prefecture is famously known as a center of porcelain. In the early 17th century, porcelain stone was discovered in Arita...
Kuchizoko no nitsuke (simmered sole)SuAu
Ariake Sea coast
The Ariake Sea, with Japan's greatest tidal range and vast mudflats, is home to mudskippers, mekaja, and...
Kuri okowa (chestnut sticky rice)Au
Throughout the prefecture
Kuri okowa, passed down in Saga Prefecture and also called 'kuri kowai' or 'kowai,' was made for village festivals and family...
Hoshigaki namasu (dried persimmon and daikon salad)Wi
Shobai district, Yamato, Saga City
Persimmons are grown throughout Japan. Saga Prefecture's production and cultivated area are not especially large...
Tsugani meshi (river crab rice)AuWi
Throughout the prefecture
Saga Prefecture, bordered by the Ariake Sea and the Genkai Sea, retains many local dishes shaped by its abundant seafood...
Shappa no nitsuke (simmered mantis shrimp)
Ariake Sea
The mantis shrimp, resembling a prawn, is found throughout Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa...
Warasubo miso soup (eel goby miso soup)
Ariake area
The mudskipper is the Ariake Sea's best-known unusual fish, but ranking alongside it is a species found in Japan only in the Ariake Sea...
Ara no sugatani (whole simmered grouper)Au
Karatsu City
Karatsu Kunchi, whose float procession is part of the UNESCO-listed 'Yama, Hoko, Yatai' intangible cultural heritage...
Futsumochi (mugwort mochi)Sp
Throughout the prefecture
In Saga Prefecture, where rice farming thrives, glutinous rice as well as ordinary rice is widely grown, and nationally...
Okomoji no aburaitame (stir-fried pickled mustard greens)
Throughout the prefecture
Pickles are indispensable at every meal. In Saga Prefecture, spring brings pickled takana, early summer brings pickled plums and shallots...
Hiyashi somen (chilled somen noodles)SuWi
Kanzaki City
Hiyashi somen has long been eaten in Saga Prefecture. Kanzaki City, in the eastern part of the prefecture, is famed for...
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