Tokyo-based Brand Research Institute released its annual Prefectural and Municipal Brand Rankings last week. The rankings, which are now it their 8th year, are based on a 72-question internet survey conducted with consumers aged 20 to 69 to elicit perceptions on items such as attractiveness, name recognition, access to information and personal desire to visit or live in each location. With a score of 65.3 (+1.4), Hokkaido Prefecture maintained the top position for the fifth year running due in large part to having four cities in the top 10 on the Municipal Brand Rankings: Hakodate (2nd), Sapporo (3rd), Furano (5th) and Otaru (6th). Kyoto Prefecture ranked second with a score of 49.1, bolstered primarily by the brand strength of Kyoto City (1st in the Municipal Brand Rankings). With two high ranking cities (Ishigaki (10th) and Naha (12th), Okinawa placed 3rd in the Prefectural Rankings. In Kyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture jumped three spots from 10th to 7th, while Nagasaki fell to 11th from 9th place. Kagoshima inched up to 14th place from 18th and Kumamoto from 19th to 16th. Miyazaki fell from 17th to 24th, and Oita kept its spot at 31st place. Saga fell one spot to second-to-last place (46th), only edging out the last place finishing Ibaraki Prefecture. Meanwhile, Kyushu had four municipalities in the top 25 on the Municipal Brand Rankings: Yakushima Town (13th), Beppu City (14th), Nagasaki City (16th) and Fukuoka City (20th). Source: Prefectural rankings: http://tiiki.jp/news/05_research/survey2013/1684.html, Municipal rankings: http://tiiki.jp/news/05_research/survey2013/1691.html
