Okaisan / chagayu (tea-simmered rice porridge)
Throughout the prefecture
In Wakayama, chagayu is affectionately called 'okaisan' or 'okayusan'...
WAKAYAMA
Wakayama Prefecture
The surveyed city is Wakayama. Of all 394 items in the household survey, Wakayama Prefecture stands out most for Crab — 3.7× the national average (Wakayama 1,311 g / national 355 g). It is Japan’s top producer of Mikan (mandarins), Persimmons, Ume plums and more (Ministry of Agriculture data). Across the 52 surveyed cities, Wakayama ranks No.1 for Dried baby sardines, Pickled plums, Mandarin oranges and 1 more — 4 items in all.
3.7×Biggest standout
Crab
per household / year
Crab
per household / year
4Items 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 Wakayama’s value as a multiple of the national average.
| Item | vs. average | Wakayama | National | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrabSeafood | 3.69× | 1,311g | 355g | #2 |
| Dried baby sardines#1Seafood | 2.47× | 928g | 376g | #1 |
| PeachesFruit | 2.38× | 2,503g | 1,050g | #4 |
| Pickled plums (umeboshi)#1Dried Foods, Seaweed & Soy Products | 2.29× | 1,447g | 632g | #1 |
| Mandarin oranges#1Fruit | 1.72× | 13,140g | 7,621g | #1 |
| Dried shiitake mushrooms#1Dried Foods, Seaweed & Soy Products | 1.72× | 67g | 39g | #1 |
| BeefMeat | 1.61× | 34,171JPY | 21,217JPY | #2 |
| Sea breamSeafood | 1.51× | 1,543JPY | 1,024JPY | #13 |
| Horse mackerelSeafood | 1.45× | 921g | 633g | #11 |
| Lactic acid bacteria drinksBeverages | 1.40× | 8,072JPY | 5,757JPY | #3 |
| Grilled eel (unagi)Prepared Foods | 1.40× | 3,566JPY | 2,551JPY | #4 |
| MackerelSeafood | 1.40× | 1,160JPY | 831JPY | #5 |
MADE
What Wakayama produces most in Japan
From Ministry of Agriculture statistics (2024): items where Wakayama 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: Kiwifruit (#2), Spiny lobster (#3)
Source: MAFF Crop Statistics Survey and Marine Fishery Production Statistics (e-Stat, 2024 final figures).
#1
Where this prefecture ranks #1
Items where Wakayama ranked #1 among the 52 surveyed cities.
Q&A
Wakayama food: common questions
What is Wakayama famous for producing?
By Ministry of Agriculture statistics (2024), Wakayama is Japan’s top producer of Mikan (mandarins), Persimmons, Ume plums, Green peas.
What food is Wakayama No.1 in Japan for?
In Japan’s household spending survey (2023–2025 average), Wakayama ranked No.1 of 52 cities for Dried baby sardines, Pickled plums, Mandarin oranges and 1 more. This ranks what households buy, not what the prefecture produces.
What to eat in Wakayama?
Households here buy far more than the national average of Crab, Dried baby sardines, Peaches, Pickled plums, Mandarin oranges.
What are the local dishes of Wakayama?
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture records 27 regional dishes from Wakayama, including Okaisan / chagayu (tea-simmered rice porridge), Mehari-zushi (pickled mustard green rice balls), Kinzanji miso (chunky vegetable miso), Sashimi of ono-mi (whale tail meat).
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.
Mikan mochi (mandarin orange rice cake)
Main ingredients: Glutinous rice, mandarin orange, sugar
→ Mandarin oranges is 1.4× the national average in Wakayama (6,494 JPY, #1 nationally)
Moray eel dishes / tsukudani-style moray eel
Main ingredients: Moray eel, soy sauce, sugar, and others
→ Soy sauce is 1.2× the national average in Wakayama (4,728 mL, #2 nationally)
Kakimade gohan (mixed rice for gatherings)
Main ingredients: Rice, grilled mackerel, carrot, freeze-dried tofu, dried shiitake mushroom, fried tofu, chikuwa fish cake, konnyaku, bamboo shoots
→ Dried shiitake mushrooms is 1.1× the national average in Wakayama (406 JPY, #16 nationally)
Imomochi (sweet potato rice cake)
Main ingredients: Sweet potato, glutinous rice
→ Sweet potatoes is 1.1× the national average in Wakayama (1,417 JPY, #12 nationally)
DISHES
27 regional dishes from Wakayama 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.
Mehari-zushi (pickled mustard green rice balls)SpAuWi
Southern region
A packed lunch food from the fishing- and forestry-heavy southern part of the prefecture, easy to eat during breaks in busy fishing or mountain work...
Kinzanji miso (chunky vegetable miso)Su
Central region
In 1249, the eminent monk Kakushin of Yura is said to have brought the recipe back from Song-dynasty China, where he had trained...
Sashimi of ono-mi (whale tail meat)
Taiji Town
Whales that fatten up feeding in high-latitude waters head to lower latitudes after summer ends to breed...
Sanma-zushi (Pacific saury sushi)AuWi
Southern region
From late October through March, Pacific saury ride the cold current down from off Sanriku to spawn in the Kumano Sea...
Goma-dofu (sesame tofu)
Northern region
Sesame tofu originated at Mount Koya, founded by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) about 1,200 years ago, as sustenance for monks during rigorous ascetic training...
Narezushi (fermented mackerel sushi)Au
Arida region
Long made as a festival food for local celebrations; fish preserved with rice through fermentation...
Simmered igami (parrotfish)Wi
Around Tanabe City
Commonly called 'budai,' igami is a signature rocky-shore fish of the prefecture's southern region, though it can carry a distinctive fishy smell in summer...
Moray eel dishes / tsukudani-style moray eelAuWi
Southern region
Known as the 'gangster of the sea,' the moray eel is aggressive and armed with sharp upper and lower teeth...
Umeboshi (pickled plums)
Minabe Town, Tanabe City
In the Edo period, poor land unsuitable for rice cultivation was exempt from land tax; the Tanabe domain of the Kishu clan...
Kakinoha-zushi (persimmon leaf sushi)Au
Katsuragi Town, Kudoyama Town
The Ito region along the Kinokawa River is a famous persimmon-growing area, with Kudoyama Town known for fuyu persimmons and Katsuragi Town for tanenashi persimmons...
Kakimade gohan (mixed rice for gatherings)
Hidaka region
In the Hidaka region, 'kakimade gohan' has long been served at celebrations, memorial services, the Doll Festival, festivals, and other gatherings...
Kakimaburi (mixed rice with vegetables)
Iwade City, Kinokawa City
The Naga region, in the eastern part of the Kinokawa plain, grows rice alongside persimmons, peaches, and other crops suited to its climate...
Kokera-zushi (flaked fish sushi)SuAu
Northern and southern regions
Grilled, flaked fish along with shiitake mushroom, carrot, and egg are layered over sushi rice...
Shirasu-don (whitebait rice bowl)Sp
Northern and central regions
Whitebait fishing peaks from late March through May; during this season, catches from around Tomogashima off Wakayama City...
Mikan mochi (mandarin orange rice cake)Au
Arida City
Wakayama is one of Japan's leading mandarin orange producers, particularly Arida, the home of Arida mikan...
Inoko mochi (harvest rice cake)Au
Northern and southern regions
The boar has long been worshipped as a god of agriculture, said to visit the fields on the first day of the boar in the second lunar month...
Imomochi (sweet potato rice cake)
Southern region
In the areas along the Kumano Sea, a narrow strip of flat land runs along the coast with mountains rising close behind...
Uzumi (tofu and shiitake clear soup)
Kozagawa Town
A clear soup made with a shiitake and kelp dashi, containing tofu and shiitake mushroom...
Mame gohan (pea rice)Au
Central region
Wakayama is one of Japan's leading producers of peas, grown in Inami, Hidakagawa, Minabe, Gobo, and Mihama towns and cities...
Stir-fried gonbachi (Japanese knotweed)Sp
Southern region
'Gonbachi' is properly known as itadori, a knotweed-family plant that grows wild in the mountains come spring...
Shoga meshi (ginger rice)SuAu
Wakayama City
In the soft sandy soil areas along the Kinokawa River, such as Kasai and Nunobiki in Wakayama City, the mild climate favors ginger cultivation...
Cutlassfish dishes / cutlassfish sushi
Arida City
Cutlassfish is caught throughout Wakayama, especially in the Kii Channel off Minoshima Fishing Port in Arida City...
Hatagonbo-zushi (local burdock sushi)SpAu
Hashimoto City
'Hatagonbo' is a burdock variety grown in the Nishihata district of Hashimoto City, on the slopes of 552-meter Mt. Kunigi...
Bouri (whole simmered taro)Wi
Tanabe City
Named for a legend involving Prince Morinaga, son of Emperor Go-Daigo, also known as Otonomiya...
Wakame-zushi (seaweed sushi)SuWi
Yura Town
The coast from Hi-no-Misaki to Wakayama City faces the Kii Channel, rich in seafood...
Wasabi-zushi (wasabi leaf sushi)SuAu
Aridagawa Town
In the Arida region, this sushi has long been indispensable for seasonal events such as rice planting, Obon, and autumn festivals...
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