Being good at making takoyaki is cool! - A look into Japan’s takoyaki culture.

Is takoyaki a main dish? A snack? Being good at making takoyaki could be your key to popularity! Otafuku Sauce Co., Ltd. conducted a survey regarding takoyaki with people in their 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. Let’s take a look at what they were able to find out.

Over 80% of Kansai area residents make takoyaki at home

Everyone has their preferred place to enjoying takoyaki, whether it be from a food stall, at home, or even at a takoyaki restaurant. The results below show the ranking of where people who love takoyaki eat it most often.

1. At home (64.4%)
2. At a takoyaki restaurant (39.4%)
3. At a festival or fair (32.6%)

Results based on region show that Kansai has the most love for eating takoyaki. More than 81% of people living in the region said they make takoyaki at home.

People from Kansai consider takoyaki a main dish; people from Tohoku eat it as a snack

Just how many people consider takoyaki to be a side dish or snack? Let’s take a look at the results below.

1. A snack (46.8%)
   
2. A main dish (31.4%)
3. A side dish (31.4%)

You can see there is a big disparity in the opinions of people from the Kansai and Tohoku regions of Japan. While 61.3% of people from Tohoku said they ate takoyaki as a snack, only 34.9% of people from Kansai considered it as such. When asked if they considered takoyaki a main dish or not, 47.6% of people from Kansai said “yes”, while only 30.6% of people in Tohoku could agree. There seems to be a great difference in how people view takoyaki depending on what region they are from.

Being good at making takoyaki will make you popular!

The following results were taken when people were asked what they think about people who are good at making takoyaki:

1. They must be good at cooking (80.6%)
   
2. They’re cool (60%)
3. They seem like a capable worker (56.2%)

Although this is just a survey based on people’s perceptions, it seems that people regard those who are good at making takoyaki in a positive light. If more people in Japan put effort into getting better at making takoyaki, it might be a great way to make a good impression on someone.

What dish would you consider the “takoyaki” of your country?

< Internet Survey Details >

• Survey period: 11/06 – 11/07/2018
  
• Survey population: 500 workers between the ages of 20 and 49 (Japanese men and women)
• Survey conducted by: Otafuku Sauce Co., Ltd.