Kagawa

Kagawa Prefecture is in the northeastern area of Shikoku region, facing the Seto Inland Sea. It has the smallest surface area out of all of Japan’s prefectures. It is a warm area that has many sunny days throughout the year, and relatively little rainfall. When talking about its famous product, it has got to be Sanuki Udon (wheat flour noodles with soup)! Known as the Udon Prefecture, it is populated with many udon stores, and it is considered a sightseeing norm to visit these stores when in the area. Other recommended foods are seafood taken directly from the Seto Inland Sea and Honetsukidori (bone-in chicken) from Marugame City. It has tons of charming sightseeing spots, such as Ritsurin Garden (Japan’s largest Japanese garden), the famous Kotohira-gu that has a long flight of stairs as its approach, the nature-blessed Shodoshima, and Naoshima that is well-known as an art island. Kagawa is also the final spot in the Shikoku Pilgrimage, where people travel around the region to visit 88 sacred spots. While take-home Sanuki Udon makes for a good souvenir, why not try some other unique products? For example, bring home some sweets made the traditional way with Wasanbon sugar! Or what about somen (thin wheat flour noodles) or products that use olives from Shodoshima? If you’re looking for crafts, purchase a few Marugame Uchiwa! There are many ways to access Kagawa. Not only can you fly there from any area of Japan, but you can use trains, buses, or ferries to reach Kagawa from the Chugoku region (Okayama, Hiroshima) within 1 – 2 hours or from the Kansai region (Osaka, Kobe) within 3 – 4 hours. If you have plenty of time to spare, it is highly recommended to use Kagawa as a base for sightseeing around the entire Shikoku region!