Dumplings are enjoyed the world over, but they are particularly loved in Japan. Here, they are honored not only with their own capital — Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture — but also by an iconic dumpling statue that stands proudly in front of that city's main station. In Utsunomiya, where the per-head consumption of gyōza (steamed pork dumplings) is the highest in Japan, people gather once a year at its gyōza festival, to taste various local specialties served with soy-based tare dipping sauce, rice vinegar and rāyu (Chinese chili oil).