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The story
A nationwide survey of 2,533 teens aged 13 to 19, conducted by Japan Information Co., has revealed how many young people say they “love” their hometown. The overall average came out to 80.3%, with Hokkaido topping the prefectural rankings at 98.1%, followed by Aichi and Osaka tied for second at 94.3%. On 5ch, the results sparked a lively discussion about why Kanto-area prefectures like Saitama and Ibaraki tend to score lower, and whether strong hometown pride goes hand in hand with being exclusionary — with posters chiming in with their own regional experiences and self-deprecating jokes about their home prefectures.
Japan Information Co. conducted a “Prefecture-by-Prefecture Teen Ranking Survey,” polling 2,533 people aged 13 to 19 nationwide on their attachment to their hometown, their social media habits, and their purchasing behavior.
◼ Hokkaido tops “love my hometown” at 98.1%, followed by Aichi and Osaka
First, 80.3% of respondents overall said they “really love” or “somewhat love” their hometown. By prefecture, Hokkaido came out highest at 98.1%, with Aichi and Osaka tied for second at 94.3%.
Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
I don't want to be boxed into something that small.
Well, even within the same prefecture, feelings probably differ a lot between the cities and everywhere else.
My hometown is EARTH, man.
That's not how it goes on 5ch though — even on Newsflash+ (a 5ch news board) there's plenty of prefecture-bashing.
Sounds like the type of place full of delinquents who, even well into their late 20s/early 30s, still ask 'which middle school were you from?'
But Aomori's dead last though.
Saitama's probably lower just because Tokyo's right there for comparison. Kanagawa can stand on its own, and Chiba seems like the type that genuinely likes its own turf.
Kanagawa probably has a gap between Yokohama and everywhere else. Yokohama folks don't really identify as 'Kanagawa residents' — their identity as 'Yokohama citizens' seems way stronger.
I used to live in Saitama — people there don't really think of themselves as 'Saitama people.' They think of themselves as 'Tokyoites who just happen to live in Saitama.'
Saitama residents actually do have some hometown pride — even though they joke self-deprecatingly about being 'Dasai-tama' (a pun combining 'lame' with 'Saitama').
Saitama residents' hometown pride actually drives a fair chunk of the economy, so you can't really mock it.
Don't mock Ibaraki, the chestnuts are delicious too!
If they'd actually surveyed Tsukuba, the score would come out lower, if anything.
Aomori and Fukushima being near the bottom kind of makes sense since they host nuclear facilities, but Tokushima has none and still lands at #2 from last — so Tokushima's basically the real worst here.
By that logic Saga and Fukui should rank the same way. Aomori and Fukushima aren't low just because of the nuclear plants — it's because they're deeply rural and people there have a strong urge to escape to Tokyo.
Hokkaido, on the other hand, was originally just a gathering of mainland settlers, so it has zero character.
People from Hokkaido are a mix of Jomon people, Ainu, Russians, and Okhotsk people. Mainland settlers aren't 'real' Hokkaido people.
https://www.n-info.co.jp/_core/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/b823c4789ce078a656e13e5bea8fcda8.png
Aichi could also go it alone as an independent prefecture. It's got Nagoya for commerce, Toyota and others for industry, and honestly its agriculture, livestock, and fisheries — led by its two peninsulas — are all top-class in Japan too.
Anjo, Aichi's so-called 'Denmark,' huh. And Mikawa Bay for fishing — you can catch ayu, eel, conger pike, oysters… The only thing missing is entertainment.
If you visit Fukuoka City expecting it to be rural, you'll be shocked.
>The only thing missing is entertainment
That's because it covers the basics — food, clothing, shelter — just fine. Even with only a high school diploma you can work at a major company for decent pay all the way to retirement. You can get married, have two kids, own a house, and have two cars. As for entertainment and culture in Aichi, though — top domestic bands playing live houses, major events every week, overseas orchestra concerts every week — that's… kind of a stretch.
When I asked if Nagoya has any entertainment, people said its museums and art galleries are really solid.
#1: Hokkaido (98.1%)
#2: Aichi (94.3%)
#2: Osaka (94.3%)
#4: Kanagawa (92.6%)
#5: Tokyo (90.7%)
#5: Kyoto (90.7%)
#5: Hyogo (90.7%)
Source
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/48646/157/48646-157-6b60127ec8b676166b72c02803b3725b-1910×819.png
Background and Key Points
This survey was conducted by Japan Information Co. among 2,533 teens aged 13 to 19. The figures confirmed in the source article are an overall average of 80.3% for “love my hometown,” with Hokkaido at 98.1%, Aichi and Osaka at 94.3%, Kanagawa at 92.6%, and Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hyogo at 90.7% — the article’s text doesn’t specify which prefecture ranked last. One thread post claimed Aomori came in last, but that’s just a poster’s guess and isn’t backed up by the source image or link, so it shouldn’t be taken as fact.
Where the thread’s opinions diverged was over what explains the strength of hometown pride. Some argued that Hokkaido, Aichi, and Osaka are economically self-sufficient, which breeds stronger attachment, while others pointed out that Saitama and Ibaraki tend to score relatively lower simply because major metropolises sit nearby. A claim also surfaced that “the stronger the hometown pride, the more exclusionary the place” — but this too is just an unverified impression and shouldn’t be taken at face value.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News+) thread “Teens’ ‘Hometown Pride’ Ranking: Hokkaido Takes First at 98.1%! Osaka and Aichi Tied for Second — Who’s Last?.”
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