The Ibaraki Prefectural Government is facing a marketing impasse in promoting Hitachi Wagyu, a local specialty, after a survey revealed that a large percentage of young Japanese people cannot read the kanji in the prefecture's name.
Japan boasts a number of premium Wagyu beef varieties, the most famous being Kobe beef from Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan. The name Hitachi Wagyu refers to Hitachi Province, which was the name of Ibaraki Prefecture before 1875.
The meat we use is Japanese Kuroge breeds raised for 30 months in a prefecture just north of Tokyo.
However, a nationwide online survey conducted in December among 300 participants revealed that approximately 57% of people in their 20s and 43% of people in their 30s were unable to correctly recognize the kanji for “Hitachi.''
The photo is taken on March 29, 2024 of a fillet of meat being sold at Niku no Iijima in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture. The words “Hitachi Wagyu Beef'' are posted on the curtain above the counter. (Joint)
Older respondents fared better, with only 33 percent of those in their 40s, 35 percent of those in their 50s, and 22 percent of those in their 60s giving the wrong answer.
Mitsuru Iijima, president of Niku no Iijima, a meat sales company based in Mito, the prefectural capital, said, “I was acutely aware that customers were not reading the names properly.''
“When I think about distribution outside the prefecture, I get worried if people don't remember my name,'' he said.
The area was known as Hitachikuni or Hitachikuni under the ancient national system until 1875, when a prefecture was established.
Although its flat topography and proximity to Tokyo make it one of the leading agricultural prefectures, it is not very attractive to Japanese people. In fact, in an annual opinion poll conducted by the Brand Research Institute last year, it was ranked as the least attractive of Japan's 47 prefectures, and it has maintained this ranking many times.
In addition to the problem of the prefecture's image, it is necessary to overcome confusion over branded beef due to the fact that the kanji for “Hitachi'' is different in municipalities within Ibaraki Prefecture. Hitachinaka City also abolished kanji and wrote the city name in hiragana.
A prefectural official said, “If you were born and raised in the local area, you are familiar with (the kanji for branded beef). I never thought about how well known it would be outside the prefecture.''
According to the prefectural government, there is currently no way to increase awareness of the correct pronunciation of the brand name within Japan, but foreign tourists are aware that this beef is written as “hitachi” in the Latin alphabet. It has become very popular.
The person in charge said, “By doing our best to promote the product and having people actually try it, the correct way to read it will spread.''
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