Hokkaidō Keeps Title of “Most Attractive Prefecture” for Fifteenth Year Running
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Hokkaidō cruised past the competition in the 2023 edition of the Local Brand Survey, conducted by the Brand Research Institute, claiming top spot as Japan’s most attractive prefecture for the fifteenth year running, a place it has held since the prefectural version of the survey started in 2009. Japan’s northernmost prefecture also led in categories on tourism and brand recall for regional food products. The ranking saw little change in the top 10, with Kyoto holding firm at second place—also for the fifteenth year running—while Fukuoka moved past Kanagawa into sixth and Nagasaki dropped one position to tenth.
Top 10 Most Attractive Prefectures (2023)
| 2023 Rank (2022) | Prefecture | Attractiveness score in 2023 (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | Hokkaidō | 72.4 (73.3) |
| 2 (2) | Kyoto | 56.6 (57.3) |
| 3 (3) | Okinawa | 52.7 (53.6) |
| 4 (4) | Tokyo | 49.0 (49.3) |
| 5 (5) | Osaka | 43.3 (43.2) |
| 6 (7) | Fukuoka | 40.4 (40.8) |
| 7 (6) | Kanagawa | 39.4 (41.6) |
| 8 (8) | Nara | 37.2 (36.9) |
| 9 (10) | Ishikawa | 33.4 (33.1) |
| 10 (9) | Nagasaki | 32.3 (35.8) |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from the 2023 Local Brand Survey.
At the opposite end of the ranking, Ibaraki tumbled past Saga to reclaim the lowest rung among the 47 prefectures, a spot it has held a total of 12 times. This, despite being the home of the famous Kairakuen garden and popular Hitachi Seaside Park. Tokushima and Yamaguchi tied for forty-second and Gunma and Saitama held steady in slots 44 and 45, respectively.
Bottom Six Prefectures
| 2023 Rank (2022) | Prefecture | Attractiveness score in 2023 (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 42 (41) | Tokushima | 16.6 (17.4) |
| 42 (43) | Yamaguchi | 16.6 (15.4) |
| 44 (44) | Gunma | 16.3 (15.1) |
| 45 (45) | Saitama | 15.8 (14.3) |
| 46 (47) | Saga | 13.8 (13.2) |
| 47 (46) | Ibaraki | 13.7 (13.5) |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from the 2023 Local Brand Survey.
The list of most attractive municipalities saw Sapporo keep the top spot for the third consecutive year. Hakodate ranked third and Otaru eighth, giving Hokkaidō three cities in the top 10.
Most Attractive Municipalities (2023)
| 2023 Rank (2022) | Municipality | Attractiveness score in 2023 (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) | Sapporo | 59.4 (63.9) |
| 2 (2) | Kyoto | 57.8 (59.5) |
| 3 (3) | Hakodate | 56.6 (58.7) |
| 4 (8) | Kanazawa | 53.1 (50.9) |
| 5 (7) | Kamakura | 52.0 (52.1) |
| 6 (6) | Kobe | 51.8 (55.7) |
| 7 (4) | Yokohama | 50.7 (56.1) |
| 8 (4) | Otaru | 50.6 (55.8) |
| 9 (9) | Naha | 46.4 (49.8) |
| 10 (12) | Karuizawa | 46.1 (48.8) |
Created by Nippon.com based on data from the Local Brand Survey 2023. Municipalities in Hokkaidō are highlighted.
The Brand Research Institute has conducted its Local Brand Survey annually since 2006. It tallies and quantifies the responses of around 34,000 people to questions about 1,000 municipalities and all of Japan’s 47 prefectures, gauging respondents’ awareness of places, along with aspects like their desire to visit or reside there and their evaluation of regional resources.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Red kochia bushes at Hitachi Seaside Park are a popular attraction in “least attractive” Ibaraki Prefecture. © Pixta.)