Local Industry & Specialties
Tea whisks, ink, socks, goldfish, Miwa sōmen — Nara is full of local industries that lead Japan and the world. This theme gathers traditional-craft, manufacturing-statistics and specialty-product data.
Related articles2
Q.What 'world's-firsts' can you find in Nara?
Nara has a surprising number of world-firsts. The world's largest MUJI (Kashihara) and mont-bell (Nara City), the world's oldest wooden buildings (Hōryū-ji) and star chart (Kitora tomb), and one of the world's largest wooden Buddha halls (Tōdai-ji). Local industry even has a company with the world's top share in precision balls — and the list grows further once you include national firsts.
Q.Why is Yamatokoriyama known as the "Goldfish Town"?
It started in the Edo period as a side job for samurai of the local domain. Goldfish farming is said to have begun in 1724, when Yoshisato Yanagisawa moved to Yamatokoriyama from Kai Province — a history of about 300 years. The city remains one of Japan's leading producers: in 2019 it bred roughly 54 million goldfish, around 40% of the national output. The National Goldfish Scooping Championship, held since 1995, has become a symbol of the town.
Related datasets7
- 特産品農林水産省
Traditional Foods of Japan: Miwa Sōmen (MAFF)
MAFF’s reference on Japan’s traditional foods. It summarizes the origin, method and region of Miwa (Sakurai) hand-stretched sōmen, said to be the birthplace of the noodle. Backs Nara’s food-based local industry with national primary information (quantitative statistics are separate).
Questions this data can answer
Where did Miwa sōmen originate, and how is it made?
HTMLUpdated2026-08-23 - 製造業奈良県
Nara Prefecture Industrial Statistics
The hub of statistical surveys published by Nara Prefecture’s statistics division. Through industrial statistics (the Economic Structure Survey) and the index of industrial production, it tracks the prefecture’s manufacturing output — a starting point for local industries such as socks, ink and food.
Questions this data can answer
How has Nara’s manufacturing shipment value changed over time?
HTMLPDFXLSXUpdated2026-08-23 - 統計奈良県
Nara Prefecture Statistical Yearbook
A comprehensive collection of base statistics on Nara’s population, industry, economy and culture. Figures across fields — including local industries such as manufacturing, commerce and agriculture — are organized by chapter, serving as a starting point for finding primary data on a given topic.
Questions this data can answer
Where can I find Nara’s industry and economy figures in one place?
HTMLXLSXPDFUpdated2026-08-23 - 伝統工芸奈良県
Nara's Nationally Designated Traditional Crafts
Nara Prefecture’s official guide to crafts designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Nara has three: Takayama tea whisks (1975), Nara brushes (1977) and Nara ink (2018), with their regions, history and designation years — primary information on the prefecture’s flagship local crafts.
Questions this data can answer
What are Nara’s nationally designated traditional crafts, and when were they designated?
HTMLUpdated2026-08-23 - 製造業総務省統計局・経済産業省
Economic Census (Manufacturing)
Japan’s census of all businesses. Manufacturing tables by industry and municipality yield establishment counts, employees and shipment values for Nara’s local industries such as socks (textiles), ink and food — quantifying them from primary data.
Questions this data can answer
What is the scale of Nara’s manufacturing by industry and municipality?
XLSXCSVAPIUpdated2026-08-23 - 特産品大和郡山市
Goldfish Industry of Yamatokoriyama
The city of Yamatokoriyama’s official guide to its goldfish farming, a major production hub. It covers the industry from breeding to sales and its roughly 300-year history. A local industry tied to tourism (goldfish scooping, the 'goldfish town'); basic figures are available, though detailed time-series data are limited.
Questions this data can answer
What is the scale and history of Yamatokoriyama’s goldfish industry?
HTMLUpdated2026-08-23 - 大和郡山市大和郡山市
Yamatokōriyama City Recommended Datasets (Tourist Facilities, Cultural Properties, Events etc.)
Open data from the castle town famous for goldfish, in the standard recommended format: tourist facilities, cultural properties, events, public toilets and Wi-Fi access points, each downloadable as CSV and Excel.
Questions this data can answer
What tourist facilities and cultural properties does Yamatokōriyama have?
CSVXLSXUpdated2026-08-23