The nationwide survey, released on Tuesday, tracks the amount of money spent on various products such as gyoza and ramen in each city.
Local governments that are trying to revitalize their economies by promoting regional delicacies are deeply interested in the results, and have been vying for the top spots.
Gyoza's three-way showdown
The annual survey by the internal affairs ministry reveals how much households of two or more people spent on more than 500 items of clothing, food, housing and other daily expenditures in prefectural capitals and major cities.
Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture and Utsunomiya City in Tochigi Prefecture have been competing for more than a decade to be first in the total amount of gyoza purchases. In 2021's survey, Miyazaki City emerged to grab the top spot in that category and held onto it for another year, but lost to Hammatsu City in the latest results.
Total 2023 Gyoza Purchases per Household
(excluding frozen food and restaurant meals)
1st Hamamatsu City: 4,041 yen (about 27 dollars)
2nd Miyazaki City: 3,497 yen (about 24 dollars)
3rd Utsunomiya City: 3,200 yen (about 22 dollars)
4th Kyoto City: 2,661 yen (about 18 dollars)
5th Otsu City: 2,489 yen (about 17 dollars)
A couple eating at a gyoza restaurant in Hamamatsu City say they love Hamamatsu gyoza and eat it weekly. They say they were happy to hear that Hamamatsu City regained its top place.
Sudo Toshihide is in charge of tourism and promotion in Hamamatsu City. He says, "I could feel the strength of Hamamatsu citizens' love for our gyoza."
He also expresses praise for gyoza rivals Utsunomiya and Miyazaki, and says that he hopes to cooperate with other cities in the future.
Meanwhile, Miyazaki City representatives served 100 portions of the dumplings free of charge at a local airport on Tuesday, hoping to retake the title in the next survey.
Utsunomiya City took its "loss" in stride, noting that the survey only covers dumplings sold at supermarkets and delicatessens. It does not include frozen gyoza, nor consumption at restaurants specializing in the items.
Yamagata City tops ramen list again
Yamagata City topped the list for the second year in a row in outlays on Chinese noodles, including ramen noodles, at restaurants.
Total 2023 Chinese Noodles (Ramen) Outlays per Household (Restaurant consumption)
1st Yamagata City: 17,593 yen (about 119 dollars)
2nd Niigata City: 15,224 yen (about 103 dollars)
3rd Sendai City: 13,074 yen (about 88 dollars)
4th Utsunomiya City: 12,035 yen (about 81 dollars)
5th Toyama City: 12,017 yen (about 81 dollars)
Yamagata City's household outlays on ramen hit a record high in 2023, according to the survey.
A ramen shop manager in the city says that he was nervous before the results were announced, but he was happy to hear the outcome. He says he is eager to make Yamagata ramen's reputation even stronger.
The mayor of Niigata City, which finished second in the category, says he wants to help his city win first place next time by promoting the deliciousness of Niigata ramen.
Japan household spending falls for first time in 3 years
The survey showed households spent a monthly average of 293,997 yen last year, or about 2,000 dollars. That represents a 2.6 percent decline in yen terms from 2022 when adjusted for inflation.
The decline was the first since the 2020 survey, which reflected the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as people began to refrain from going out to prevent the spread of infection.
Spending on food fell 2.2 percent in 2023, while expenditures on education dropped 9.8 percent. Economists attributed the declines to price inflation which caused families to try to curb their spending.
In December, Japanese household spending dipped 2.5 percent on year in real terms, marking the tenth consecutive month of declines.
One bright spot in 2023 was travel demand, which recovered as the impact of the pandemic waned. Outlays on accommodations at hotels and inns rose by 9.4 percent last year.