- 14 Mar 2002
- 21,057
- 18,914
With over 300 gyoza speciality restaurants, Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture is renowned as Japan's "Gyoza Capital." This culinary fame began after World War II when returning soldiers introduced gyoza recipes from China. The Utsunomiya Gyoza Association, established in 1990, further cemented this status by organizing events like the annual Gyoza Festival. However, in recent years, Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture has surpassed Utsunomiya in per-household gyoza consumption, claiming the top spot for the second consecutive year in 2024.
Photo credit: Yamamoto Tomohiro
Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture claimed the title of Japan's top gyoza consumer for the second consecutive year in 2024, surpassing Miyazaki and Utsunomiya. The results, released on 7 February, showed that households in Hamamatsu spent an average of 4,066 yen ($26.80) on takeout gyoza, with Miyazaki following at 3,517 yen and Utsunomiya at 2,801 yen. The survey excluded frozen gyoza and restaurant meals and accounted for takeout purchases in urban areas.