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Japanese vote Nagoya as least appealing major city, again
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Nagoya Castle is known for the golden statues of the imaginary half-tiger, half-fish creature adorning the roof of the tenshu. (Shutterstock/File)
Japanese residents have found Nagoya the least appealing among Japan’s major cities, according to a recent survey.
The survey tallied responses from 3,344 participants aged between 20 and 64 and who all lived in one of Japan’s major cities for at least five years, reports ANN News via SoraNews24.
According to the survey data, city dwellers found Sapporo as the most appealing place to be in with 22.8 percent of respondents casting their vote for the city. Second on the list was Tokyo with 22.4 percent of the respondents in favor. Kyoto took the third spot with 18.1 percent of respondents voting for Japan’s former capital.
At rank No. 8 and dead last was Nagoya with only 3.5 percent of the respondents casting their votes for the city, which was in the same spot in the previous survey in 2016.
When asked what made Nagoya appealing, the common answer, which came from 33.1 percent of the respondents, was “Nagoya Castle.” However, the second-most common answer given by 28.1 percent of the participants was “I can’t really think of anything,” according to the report.
Nagoya’s low ranking on the list could be attributed to most people not knowing what is good in Japan’s fourth-most populated city.
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The other cities have high-profile attractions like the Tokyo Skytree, Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, and annual Pikachu Outbreak in Yokohama, which immediately catches the eye. Meanwhile, Nagoya appeared to more subdued appeals like its specialty tebasaki chicken wings and the Toyota Museum.
Traveling anime fans could also stay in the city as a base before heading out to the rural prefectures of Gifu and Nagano, where inspiration for hit anime film “Your Name.” can be found. The Studio Ghibli theme park will also open in Nagakute in 2022. Nagoya will be the closest large city to the park.
Tourists can also visit Lego Land Japan, where the largest sakura tree made of Lego bricks, as recognized by the Guinness World Records organization, is found.
Nagoya may still have a chance to go up on the list if more people could be made aware of the city’s good points. Until the next survey, the city government could have some PR planning to do.
This article appeared on the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
