The city with a 1.5-meter statue shaped like a gyoza outside its JR station is Utsunomiya.
Utsunomiya is the capital of Tochigi Prefecture in Japan’s northern Kantō region. The city is nationally known for gyoza and has developed a strong restaurant and tourism culture around the dumplings. The statue, often described as the “Gyoza Statue” or “Venus of Gyoza,” was created as a symbol of that local specialty.
The statue is made from Ōya stone, a distinctive local material, and depicts a Venus figure wrapped in the shape of a dumpling. It was originally installed near the station’s east exit and is now associated with the west-exit pedestrian deck after station-area redevelopment.
A common mix-up is assuming the statue is in Tokyo or Osaka simply because those cities are better-known tourist destinations. Utsunomiya is the specific city celebrated for its gyoza identity, including specialty restaurants and an annual gyoza festival.