A TV special on Oct. 3 reveals the 2026 prefecture appeal rankings, local “No. 1” facts, and guest-led hometown PR segments.

“The Most Useful School in the World,” airing from 7:56 p.m. on Saturday, October 3, will announce the annual “47 Prefectures Appeal Ranking 2026”! Which prefecture will be chosen as the most attractive this year!? With Mr. Akio Tanaka of the Brand Research Institute as the lecturer, the ranking, created based on a survey of about 32,000 people, will be examined. Unexpected “No. 1 in Japan” achievements that each prefecture is proud of will also be revealed. In Yamanashi Prefecture, the number of a certain type of restaurant per 100,000 people is the highest in Japan. Why are there so many of those restaurants in a prefecture with no sea? The program introduces the surprising food culture rooted in the local area. In Miyazaki Prefecture, something related to television ranks first nationwide. Rina Matsuda, who is from Miyazaki Prefecture, also talks about television circumstances unique to Miyazaki. Furthermore, in Nagano Prefecture, Risa Kunimoto reports on the prefectural citizens’ traffic manners, with the rate of cars stopping temporarily at crosswalks ranking No. 1 in Japan for 10 consecutive years. In Ehime Prefecture, RG Razor Ramon goes to the Uwamae Museum, which boasts the longest corridor in Japan for a wooden school building. Dressed as Shiki Masaoka, RG is fully motivated. He challenges the record in the “Z-1 Grand Prix,” a competition to see who can wipe the floor with a rag the fastest on a 109-meter corridor. What will be the result of this physical challenge...? Yuudai Chiba, from Miyagi Prefecture, expresses his expectations about the local appeal ranking, saying, “I’m thinking it will be No. 1.” Junki Totsuka, from Iwate Prefecture, mentions the topic of Morioka City being featured in The New York Times, and speaks with plenty of hometown love, saying, “People in Morioka have been talking about it forever, as if it happened yesterday.” Fukurap, from Kagawa Prefecture, passionately talks about the appeal of “hone-tsuki-dori” as a local specialty that is not just udon. Sara Shida, from Kanagawa Prefecture, introduces a popular local sweet! Riku and Miihi of NiziU, from Kyoto Prefecture, use a prefecture-by-prefecture survey about savings as a chance to reveal unexpected sides of themselves within the group. From hometown talk, the guests’ true personalities are also glimpsed. Hokkaido, which was No. 1 last year, and Saitama Prefecture, which was last place, are connected by live broadcast to directly promote their local charms! From Hokkaido, the tourism PR character Kyun-chan also appears. Meanwhile, from Saitama Prefecture, Governor Motohiro Ono appears in person. The background behind his decision to participate included unexpected advice from the governor of Ibaraki Prefecture!? The governor talks about the appeal of Saitama’s branded strawberries, but when it comes to predicting this year’s ranking, he makes an unexpected remark... Can Saitama escape last place, as watched over by Shiori Sato, who is from Saitama Prefecture? Will a prefecture emerge to stop Hokkaido’s consecutive victories? And where will this year’s last place be? Pay attention to the ranking of your own hometown or birthplace as well! “The Most Useful School in the World” will air on Saturday, October 3, from 7:56 p.m. “Broadcast information: ‘The Most Useful School in the World’ Broadcast date and time: Saturday, October 3, 7:56 p.m. to 9:54 p.m. (nationwide network) [MC] Masaaki Sakai, Cream Stew [Guests] Sho Ayanokoji, Kayoko Okubo, Kazuko Kurosawa, Shiori Sato, Sara Shida, Time Machine 3, Katsunori Takahashi, Yuudai Chiba, Shuko Tsurusaki (QuizKnock), Junki Totsuka, Nobuko (Party-chan), Hakuryu, Hikorohie, Fukurap (QuizKnock), Marina Matsumoto (Sakurazaka46), MIIHI (NiziU), Hiroyuki Morisaki, RIKU (NiziU) [Special appearance] Motohiro Ono (Governor of Saitama Prefecture) [Lecturer] Mr. Akio Tanaka [VTR appearances] Yoichi Okano, Risa Kunimoto, Razor Ramon RG, Ringochan ■Related link Official website of ‘The Most Useful School in the World’ Broadcast information: ‘The Most Useful School in the World’ Broadcast date and time: Saturday, October 3, 7:56 p.m. to 9:54 p.m. (nationwide network) [MC] Masaaki Sakai, Cream Stew [Guests] Sho Ayanokoji, Kayoko Okubo, Kazuko Kurosawa, Shiori Sato, Sara Shida, Time Machine 3, Katsunori Takahashi, Yuudai Chiba, Shuko Tsurusaki (QuizKnock), Junki Totsuka, Nobuko (Party-chan), Hakuryu, Hikorohie, Fukurap (QuizKnock), Marina Matsumoto (Sakurazaka46), MIIHI (NiziU), Hiroyuki Morisaki, RIKU (NiziU) [Special appearance] Motohiro Ono (Governor of Saitama Prefecture) [Lecturer] Mr. Akio Tanaka [VTR appearances] Yoichi Okano, Risa Kunimoto, Razor Ramon RG, Ringochan ■Related link Official website of ‘The Most Useful School in the World’