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Spoiler: the most popular prefecture is also the largest.

Japan has 47 prefectures that boast individual characteristics and lifestyles. Though the default is usually Tokyo, you may or may not be surprised to find that not everyone wants to live there.

Yahoo! Japan recently wrote about the results of a survey conducted in 2019 that asked citizens which of Japan’s 47 prefectures they would like to continue living in the most. About 340 people living in each prefecture were surveyed for a total of close to 16,000 participants.

The nuance of the survey title itself may be what makes all the difference, as it’s not about which prefecture people would like to move to, but rather which prefecture they would like to continue living in. Here are the top 10 results that may or may not shock you.

10. Miyazaki

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*いるかの岬* 素敵過ぎるロケーション アウトからの波が綺麗ですが、乗れる自信ないww #miyazaki#tripstagram#岬#綺麗な海#happy#beautifulview

A post shared by hitomix (@hitomixhachi) on Jan 8, 2020 at 3:45am PST

9. Tokyo (shocking? Maybe not so much for Tokyo-ites.)

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Tokyo Skytree towers 634 meters over peaceful neighborhoods in eastern Tokyo. It's gorgeous at any time, but the clear skies in winter especially are a great way to capture its beauty.     Location: Tokyo, Japan   Photo by @myonlyworldview    MATCHA Official — Photogenic Japan Views Posting stunning photos of Japan daily   ————————————————   Hashtag #matcha_jp to be featured!   ————————————————    #explorejapan #visitjapan  #visitjapanjp #japan_of_insta  #japandailies #loves_united_japan #japanwaits  #japantravelphoto  #tripgramjp #japanpic #japantourism #unlimitedjapan #discoverjapan #team_jp #japan_photo_now #nipponpic  #ptk_japan  #ap_japan_ #japan_visit #super_japan_channel #japan_travel #wu_japan #tokyocameraclub #Tokyo #Tokyotokyo #tokyojapan #晴空塔 #天空 #風景攝影

A post shared by MATCHA-Photogenic Japan Views (@matcha_jp) on Jan 8, 2020 at 4:52am PST

8. Aichi

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Went to Nagoya Castle in the afternoon and saw everything but the castle. Nagoya Castle is currently being refurbished due to preservation choices made in the 1950s and the need to make it more earthquake resistant. There was otherwise plenty to see including the guest house and one of the open towers. #nagoya #nagoyacastle #preservation #goldleaf #castle #japan

A post shared by Paul Haley (@paul.haley.961) on Jan 8, 2020 at 4:34am PST

7. Hyogo

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兵庫県公式インスタグラム『love_hyogo』です。 love_hyogoでは皆さんが#lovehyogo のハッシュタグを付けて投稿していただいた写真から素敵な写真をご紹介させていただきます。 本日のピックアップは @earth_7photo さんのお写真です ハッシュタグをつけての投稿ありがとうございます 写真は神戸市にある摩耶山掬星台からの初日の出の一枚です 仕事も始まりすっかり日常の生活に戻っていますが、もう少しだけお正月感のある投稿をご紹介 神戸の街を明るく照らす、元号が「令和」になってから初めての初日の出です 令和2年が明るく素敵な1年になるような、そんな晴れやかな気分にさせてくれる光景ですね 「日本三大夜景」にも数えられる掬星台ですが、日の出も見ることができるスポットとして知られています 大阪方面から神戸市街のダイナミックな夜景と、心洗われる日の出の景色まで楽しめる掬星台に、みなさま是非訪れてみてくださいね 兵庫にまつわる投稿は#lovehyogo のハッシュタグをお願いします #兵庫県#兵庫#lovehyogo#love_hyogo#photooftheday#followme#hyogo #神戸市 #摩耶山 #摩耶山掬星台 #掬星台 #初日の出 #日の出 #ご来光 #景色 #光景 #綺麗 #日の出スポット

A post shared by 兵庫県公式アカウント『love_hyogo』です! (@love_hyogo) on Jan 6, 2020 at 11:49pm PST

6. Kyoto

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Kyoto Japan 京都のお正月 (^-^) 八坂の塔 _______________________  _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________  _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________  _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________  _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________  _______________________ #八坂の塔 #祇園 #京都 #京都好きな人と繋がりたい #写真好きな人と繋がりたい #写真好き #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #そうだ京都行こう #retrip_kyoto  #jalan_travel #instgramjapan  #kyototrip  #japan  #kyoto #Kyotojapan  #tokyocameraclub  #フォトジェニック #Leicajapan #LeicaNation #tokyocameraclub #LeicaKyoto #肥後虎 #インスタ京都

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A post shared by Yasuaki Wakita (@yasuaki_wakita) on Jan 8, 2020 at 4:49am PST

Now let’s look at the top five in a little more detail…

5. Kanagawa

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Minato Mirai's dazzling cityscape in the evening. Photo: @mari.honunu #myyokohama

A post shared by Find Your Yokohama (@findyouryokohama_japan) on Jan 6, 2020 at 2:48am PST

Kanagawa squeaked its way into the top 5 of the survey, and we’re not really surprised. Its bustling city of Yokohama has consistently ranked as the most desirable city for living in Japan’s Kanto region. The area boasts a bayside view, fashionable stores and eateries, and it’s within commuting distance to the heart of Tokyo with slightly lower living costs. And even though it has a bad rep in terms of crime sometimes, it’s also proving to be a great place for families to live and tourists to visit.

4. Okinawa

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パナリブルー ツアーby @flowfish_ishigaki . . . . 壁掛けカレンダーも在庫がなくなりました。Amazonであと少しだけ販売してます。 . . . . #panari #okinawa #beach #genic_okinawa #divermag #lovers_nippon #photo_shorttrip #best_earthscapes #funtotrip #photo_travelers #visitjapanjp #visitokinawa #retrip_nippon #beach_lovers #ビーチ #沖縄 #やすらぎの沖縄 #沖縄島旅 #team_jp_ #砂紋 #波紋 #新城島#art_of_japan

A post shared by 北島 清隆 OKINAWA (@kiyotaka_kitajima_photo) on Jan 7, 2020 at 3:55pm PST

Why would you ever want to leave paradise? Many Japanese people (and Okinawans themselves) claim that Okinawa and Japan are almost entirely separate nations. At over 700 kilometers from the mainland of Japan, we can’t really blame them for thinking this way. Yet even Okinawans never get tired of the tropical weather, delicious food, and endless island-hopping opportunities. Maybe that’s why they live so long?

3. Osaka

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Japan City Blues ༄日本市憂愁༄ Japanese Backstreets and Yokocho alleys . _______________________________________ Today’s artist: @miyazaki_msd Selected by: @kick_777 Location: #Namba #Osaka Follow: @Japan_City_Blues Tag: #JapanCityBlues _______________________________________ アカウントへのフォローと、雰囲気ある日本の横丁や裏路地のお写真へのタグ付けをお願いします Pls follow us and tag on your Japanese backstreet shots! . The Team: @kick_777 @dfg_mgk @srk_urbanshot . #streetphotography#streetdreamsmag#streetshared#rawurbanshots#streetclassics#discovertokyo#bestcitybreaks#streets_vision#streetgrammers#street_focus_on#StreetMobs#streetleaks#street_ninjas#japan_vacations#indies_gram#way2ill#urbanromantix#urbanandstreet#xplorethestreet#StreetActivity#VisitJapanJp#JapanDailies#Japan_Of_Insta#TokyoCameraClub

A post shared by @ japan_city_blues on Jan 7, 2020 at 3:55pm PST

Many Osakans have great pride in their region, so we’re not too surprised by this one. Osaka boasts a bustling culture and nightlife similar to Tokyo without the steep prices, and their public transportation is pretty extensive as well. Osaka is home to great food like takoyaki and okonomiyaki as well as one of the top 20 buildings in the world, Umeda Sky Building.

2. Fukuoka

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Throwback #FukuokaTrip #Photography #iamtb #visitjapanjp #city_features #discoverfukuoka #visitfukuoka #TravelPhotography #TravelGram #TravelBlogger #InstaThrowback #note9photography #MustToDoList #Fukuokapics #ig_japan #japan_of_insta #福冈 #柳川 #YanagawaBoatTour #Yanagawa #Fukuoka #Japan #BoatTour #River #japanptrip #visitjapan #summer #柳川 #moodygrams #240619 #EarnBIGLiveBIG

A post shared by Vincent Swee (@vinc_swee) on Oct 10, 2019 at 7:38am PDT

Over 80% of respondents from Fukuoka said they’d like to continue living in the region. You may have heard of its up-and-coming downtown area of Fukuoka City, or you might know about how accessible it is to other regions of Asia (perfect for travel!). They have gorgeous nature spots and many delicacies, including some serious strawberries. The best part: it’s totally affordable for both singles and families to live in.

1. Hokkaido

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Rounding off the top of the list is Hokkaido, also known as Japan’s largest and northernmost region. Though it can get pretty darn cold, they have affordable housing, a lot of beautiful nature, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re one of Japan’s main sources of agriculture and dairy (why wouldn’t you love a place that produces cheese?)

Though it’s separated from the main Honshu Island of Japan, there’s an underwater bullet train that can get you there in a jiffy. It seems like that’s not a concern for Hokkaido citizens, though, whose lifestyle is so different that they experience culture shock in their own capital.

And that’s the top 10, folks. Oh, and in case you’re wondering which prefecture was in last place, it was Japan’s northern region of Akita — only 60% of participants said they’d like to continue living there (we’d highly recommend at least a visit, though).

Top image: Flickr/Sendai Blog
Sources: Yahoo! Japan via Otaku.com
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Source: SORA NEWS24