Samの英語チャンネル

How do you say ‘Hakuna Matata’ in Japanese? Maybe people from these prefectures can tell you!

Being in your twenties is a stressful time for any young adult, Japanese adults included. Job searching is tough, and finding a job with a decent salary is even harder. Considering the declining birthrate and ageing population, it’s crucial for sustainability that prefectures are desirable enough to prevent young adults from moving away to larger cities.

In a questionnaire conducted by Brand Research Institute, 16,000 Japanese adults in their 20s were surveyed about what they were concerned about. The most common response was ‘low income’, with 41.6 percent of responses. Compared to the average 35.1 percent from across all ages, young people are clearly worrying more about their money than the older generation.

However, there were some people in the survey who claimed to be free from any worries at all. The respondents who answered “I have no worries” were then ranked by prefecture to determine which area was easiest for those in their 20s to live in. So which prefecture took the top spots in the ‘problem-free’ survey?

3. Tochigi Prefecture

Coming last in the annual prefectural popularity contest clearly didn’t cause its residents any concern, as 31.3 percent of respondents from Tochigi Prefecture (population 1.9 million) claimed to have no worries. There’s certainly no need to worry about any crime; the local wildlife have got you covered there.

2. Yamaguchi Prefecture

Located at the western tip of Japan’s main island of Honshu, Yamaguchi Prefecture (population 1.8 million) might not have the bright lights and hustle and bustle of well-known areas in Japan, but it’s certainly far from boring. 31.3 percent of those responding to the survey said they were worry-free, and with scenery like this, why would you have any worries?

1. Fukuoka Prefecture

In a surprising victory, Fukuoka Prefecture takes the top spot for ‘most worry-free area’, with 40.9 percent – a whopping 9 percent more than the runner up. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of over five million and Fukuoka City is the sixth biggest city in Japan. Whereas Tochigi and Yamaguchi are more rural areas, Fukuoka has the ‘big city’ image, and is also home to Kitakyushu, home to some of the wildest Coming-of-Age ceremonies in the country.

Japanese netizens were surprised at Fukuoka taking the top spot in ‘least stressful place to live for people in their 20s’.

“I thought for sure Okinawa would take the top spot.”
“Why would you have any need to worry when you live in a country like Japan?”
“In places that have Coming-of-Age ceremonies like those, even if you had worries, you’d be hard pushed to say anything.”

But even in the top ranked prefectures, there are still a large number of people that responded with things they are worried about, including low income, education, health, and traffic manners, meaning prefectures have a long way to go to make sure all their young citizens are satisfied with their way of living. Maybe when they’ve figured it out, they can help other prefectures think of ways to keep their married citizens happy!

Source: Yahoo News via Otakomu
Top image: Pakutaso
Images: Pakutaso
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Source: SORA NEWS24