Okinawa, a popular Taiwanese travel destination, is ranked by Japanese as the place they are "least likely to visit in their lifetime"

While many Taiwanese travelers are enthusiastic about visiting Japan, cities like Tokyo and Osaka are not the only hotspots—Okinawa is also a major tourist attraction. However, according to statistics from a Japanese website, Japanese netizens have voted on the "top 10 regions they are least likely to visit in their lifetime," and the results were surprising to many Taiwanese: Okinawa took the first place, followed by Saga and Tottori in the top three.

A survey conducted by the Japanese website “Shirabe” polled 1,349 Japanese netizens aged 20 to 60 on the “regions they are least likely to visit in their lifetime.” Among Japan’s 47 prefectures, Okinawa Prefecture surprisingly topped the list with a 9% vote share, particularly among respondents aged 40 and above who were the least inclined to visit. Ibaraki Prefecture, which had been ranked the "most boring city" for several consecutive years, came in only seventh this time, while Hokkaido, once ranked alongside Kyoto as one of the most attractive destinations, also made the list.

The ranking of the top 10 Japanese prefectures that Japanese people are least likely to visit in their lifetime is as follows: Okinawa Prefecture (9.0%), Saga Prefecture (6.4%), Tottori Prefecture (5.6%), Shimane Prefecture (4.9%), Aomori Prefecture (4.7%), Kagoshima Prefecture (4.2%), Ibaraki Prefecture (3.9%), Iwate Prefecture (3.3%), Niigata Prefecture (3.2%), and Hokkaido (3.1%).

The results of the poll surprised many Taiwanese and sparked two-sided discussions on the PTT forum. Some Taiwanese netizens expressed disbelief, saying, “No way,” pointing out that in 2015, Okinawa welcomed over 6 million domestic Japanese tourists. However, others commented, “Similar selling points, Japanese would choose Hawaii instead,” or “Not surprising, just look into the history and you’ll understand.”