TOKYO - The town that consumes the most Natto, a traditional Japanese sticky fermented soybean dish, known for its strong, pungent smell, is not in Ibaraki where most people think, but in fact much further north, as revealed through data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
Which town buys the "most natto" in Japan?
Person in their 20s, "Is it Mito? The image of Mito natto is strong."
Person in their 40s, "I buy a pack a day. My kids like it too. My guess would be Ibaraki, based on my impression."
Indeed, the image of Mito City in Ibaraki Prefecture is strong when it comes to natto, but according to the latest household survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Mito City ranks third in the country in terms of annual natto purchase amount per household.
So, which town has surpassed Mito, the town of natto, to become the top natto buyer in Japan?
Natto, which goes perfectly with rice, has its annual purchase amount ranking per household revealed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The third place is Mito City with 6,450 yen, the second place is Akita City with 6,539 yen, and the first place is Morioka City with 6,810 yen.
Person in their 20s, "It's quite surprising. I had a strong image of Mito."
Person in their 40s, "Unexpected. I want to know the reason."
Morioka City: The "Top Natto Buyer" in Japan
To unravel the mystery of why Morioka City is in first place, the reporting team flew to Morioka City. The destination was a supermarket in Morioka City, where a large variety of natto is displayed on the shelves.
The salesperson informed, "We have 31 types in total. We always have this much variety."
Among them are popular local natto brands from Iwate Prefecture...
The salesperson continued, "We display this much because it becomes difficult to restock if one customer buys two or three packs."
When we asked a customer to show us their basket, it was filled with a large amount of natto, as expected.
Morioka resident, "Some people like wasabi flavor, and for my grandmother, I buy the small ones. We divide them among people like that. I eat it every morning."
"(How many packs did you buy?) Four packs. I eat two packs at a time."
The deep love for natto among Morioka residents is evident. We asked a local natto manufacturer about the reason why Morioka City became the top in the nation.
Taishi Foods Director explained, "Originally, Morioka is a region that eats a lot of soy products like tofu and miso. Maybe that's why it became number one."
In fact, Morioka City ranks second in the nation in tofu purchase amount. Furthermore, when it comes to soy products including natto and tofu, it ranks first in the nation. When we asked Morioka City for more details...
Morioka City, Planning and Coordination Division, Kazune Yoshida, "Many households eat natto for breakfast, so it may be linked to the habit of eating breakfast at home."
Source: ANN
