Igisu (seaweed jelly)Wi
Central region
Igisu is a dish made from igisu seaweed, also called egonori. It is said to date back to the Asuka and Nara periods...
TOTTORI
Tottori Prefecture
The surveyed city is Tottori. Of all 394 items in the household survey, Tottori Prefecture stands out most for Crab — 7.8× the national average (Tottori 2,760 g / national 355 g). It is Japan’s top producer of Sandfish (hatahata), Snow crab (Ministry of Agriculture data). Across the 52 surveyed cities, Tottori ranks No.1 for Crab, Flounder, Japanese pears and 9 more — 12 items in all.
7.8×Biggest standout
Crab
per household / year
Crab
per household / year
12Items ranked #1 nationally
27Regional dishes
RANK
Furthest above the national average
All figures are annual spending/quantity per household (not per person). 2023–2025 average, showing Tottori’s value as a multiple of the national average.
| Item | vs. average | Tottori | National | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crab#1Seafood | 7.77× | 2,760g | 355g | #1 |
| Flounder#1Seafood | 4.62× | 2,474g | 536g | #1 |
| Japanese pears#1Fruit | 4.02× | 7,465JPY | 1,858JPY | #1 |
| Sardines#1Seafood | 3.05× | 1,246g | 409g | #1 |
| Manju buns#1Confectionery | 2.41× | 2,241JPY | 930JPY | #1 |
| Freshwater clams (shijimi)Seafood | 2.39× | 478g | 200g | #4 |
| Pickled Chinese cabbageDried Foods, Seaweed & Soy Products | 2.09× | 1,292JPY | 617JPY | #2 |
| Squid#1Seafood | 2.08× | 1,710g | 824g | #1 |
| Fish cake tube (chikuwa)#1Seafood | 1.81× | 3,668JPY | 2,028JPY | #1 |
| MackerelSeafood | 1.75× | 1,082g | 617g | #3 |
| Other salted/dried seafoodSeafood | 1.69× | 5,247g | 3,102g | #2 |
| School lunchDining Out | 1.65× | 12,794JPY | 7,756JPY | #7 |
MADE
What Tottori produces most in Japan
From Ministry of Agriculture statistics (2024): items where Tottori 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: Red snow crab (#2), Sardines (#3)
Source: MAFF Crop Statistics Survey and Marine Fishery Production Statistics (e-Stat, 2024 final figures).
#1
Where this prefecture ranks #1
Items where Tottori ranked #1 among the 52 surveyed cities.
- Squid
- Sardines
- Crab
- Flounder
- Fish cake tube (chikuwa)
- Manju buns
- Instant noodles
- Eggs
- Japanese pears
- Sugar
- Fresh fish
- Mayonnaise & mayo-style dressing
Q&A
Tottori food: common questions
What is Tottori famous for producing?
By Ministry of Agriculture statistics (2024), Tottori is Japan’s top producer of Sandfish (hatahata), Snow crab.
What food is Tottori No.1 in Japan for?
In Japan’s household spending survey (2023–2025 average), Tottori ranked No.1 of 52 cities for Crab, Flounder, Japanese pears and 9 more. This ranks what households buy, not what the prefecture produces.
What to eat in Tottori?
Households here buy far more than the national average of Crab, Flounder, Japanese pears, Sardines, Manju buns.
What are the local dishes of Tottori?
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture records 27 regional dishes from Tottori, including Igisu (seaweed jelly), Itadaki (stuffed fried tofu), Azuki bean zoni (New Year's soup), Daisen okowa (glutinous rice).
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.
Daisen okowa (glutinous rice)
Main ingredients: Glutinous rice, noyaki chikuwa (grilled fish cake), chicken, carrots, burdock, dried shiitake mushrooms
→ Fish cake tube (chikuwa) is 1.8× the national average in Tottori (3,668 JPY, #1 nationally)
Dondoroke-meshi (tofu rice)
Main ingredients: Rice, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, shirataki noodles, burdock, carrots, triangular fried tofu
→ Tofu is 1.1× the national average in Tottori (5,822 JPY, #9 nationally)
Ita-wakame (dried sheet wakame)
Main ingredients: Wakame seaweed
→ Wakame seaweed is 1.1× the national average in Tottori (771 g, #16 nationally)
Itadaki (stuffed fried tofu)
Main ingredients: Rice, triangular fried tofu, burdock, carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms
→ Fresh shiitake mushrooms is 1.1× the national average in Tottori (1,512 g, #24 nationally)
DISHES
27 regional dishes from Tottori 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.
Itadaki (stuffed fried tofu)
Western region, Yumigahama Peninsula
A long-standing local dish of raw rice and vegetables stuffed into a large piece of fried tofu and slowly simmered in dashi broth...
Azuki bean zoni (New Year's soup)
Eastern region, Central region
New Year's zoni soup varies widely by region across Japan, and Tottori...
Daisen okowa (glutinous rice)
Western region
Daisen okowa is soy-sauce-flavored glutinous rice made with ingredients from the foothills of Mt. Daisen, a local dish of the western region...
Kaki-no-ha-zushi (persimmon leaf sushi)AuWi
Chizu Town
This local dish, long passed down in Chizu, Tottori, was served for hospitality at Obon and festivals...
Dondoroke-meshi (tofu rice)Wi
Eastern region, Central region
A rice dish cooked with tofu and local vegetables, known from eastern to central Tottori...
Pickled rakkyoAu
Fukube (Tottori City), Hokuei Town
Rakkyo cultivation in Tottori dates back to the Edo period, said to have arrived from the Koishikawa medicinal herb garden during the daimyo's alternate attendance in Edo...
Tofu chikuwa
Central region, Eastern region
Chikuwa fish cakes are usually made mainly from fish, but "tofu chikuwa" is a specialty found almost nowhere else but central and eastern Tottori...
Imobota (sweet potato botamochi)AuWi
Yumihama Peninsula
Imobota is a botamochi rice cake made with sweet potato, long passed down on the Yumihama Peninsula...
Komo-dofu (straw-wrapped tofu)
Around Kurayoshi City
Komo-dofu is a simple tofu dish wrapped in komo, a coarsely woven straw mat...
Tochi mochi (horse chestnut mochi)Wi
Yazu District, Kawahara (Tottori City), Misasa Town
The horse chestnuts used in tochi mochi carry strong bitterness, so eaten raw they are harshly bitter and numb the tongue...
Oyagani miso soup (female crab soup)Wi
Tottori City
A simple miso soup made with oyagani (female snow crab) and daikon radish...
Akagarei no komaburi (flounder sashimi with roe)Wi
Around Amijiro, Iwami Town
Flounder sashimi coated with roe from egg-bearing flathead flounder...
Ago chikuwa (flying fish fish cake)
Throughout Tottori Prefecture
Ordinary chikuwa is usually made from walleye pollock, shark, or Atka mackerel, but "ago chikuwa"...
Igai-meshi (mussel rice)
Aoya, Tottori City
Igai is a triangular, blackish-brown mussel that attaches to reefs, related to other shellfish in the same family...
Surume no koji-zuke (koji-pickled dried squid)Wi
Throughout Tottori Prefecture
Facing the Sea of Japan, Tottori sees heavy winter snowfall from cold northern air, so in the mountain areas...
Ita-wakame (dried sheet wakame)
Throughout Tottori's coastal areas
Ita-wakame is simply harvested fresh wakame seaweed arranged and dried into flat sheets...
Iwashi dango (sardine dumplings)Sp
Central region, Yumigahama Peninsula
Tottori's coastline runs about 130km, much of it sandy beach. From the Edo to Meiji periods...
Oiri (leftover rice confection)Sp
Eastern region
Oiri is a home-made confection created to avoid wasting leftover rice...
Gancha-jiru (river crab soup)SuAuWi
Throughout Tottori Prefecture
Gancha-jiru uses river crabs caught in Tottori's clear rivers. In Tottori, mitten crabs...
Jabu (chicken hot pot)Wi
Central region, Eastern region
In an era when meat wasn't as easy to come by as today, this was a special feast made with home-raised chicken...
Soramame no konafuki (powdered fava beans)
Central region, Eastern region
A fava bean dish centered on eastern and central Tottori. The beans are dense, heavy, and sweet; once fully ripened...
Hatahata-zushi / Shirohata-zushi (sandfish sushi)
Karo district
In Tottori's Karo district, home to a port where sandfish are landed, Karo Shrine sits on a hill overlooking the Sea of Japan...
Mosaebi sashimi (deep-sea shrimp sashimi)Sp
Tottori's coastal areas
The shrimp called "mosaebi" in Tottori is officially known as kurozako shrimp. At seawater temperatures around 5°C...
Simmered grilled mackerelSpAuWi
Eastern region
A dish long loved as everyday fare in the eastern region. Large catches of mackerel are landed from the Sea of Japan...
Goae / Nasu no zunda-ae (soybean-dressed vegetables)
Western region (Nichinan Town)
Goae is a dish in which vegetables and mushrooms are dressed with "go," a paste of mashed boiled soybeans...
Wakasa no oyaki (grilled dumpling)
Wakasa Town
The Wakasa Shrine Grand Festival, held every year in early May, has about 400 years of history, and once every two years in May...
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Other prefectures in Chugoku & Shikoku
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