JAPAN TIMES



 

TAKAMATSU, KAGAWA PREF. - When it comes to this country and noodles, non-Japanese people probably think first of ramen. But Kagawa Prefecture prides itself on serving the best udon, and now has a hotel that doubles as a cookery school dedicated to the local delicacy.

The Udon House opened last October in the city of Mitoyo, in a traditional-style 80-year-old home.

“We hope to promote the local region through the culture of sanuki udon,” said the hotel’s manager, Kanako Harada, referring to Kagawa’s famous thick and chewy noodles.

Guests take half-day classes taught by udon masters, learning the tricks necessary to turn wheat flour into the local soul food. To cater to the rising number of foreign visitors, the hotel has staff who can speak English, Chinese and Korean.

Still, the bulk of guests are Japanese. Kaori Yamada, a 44-year-old university lecturer visiting from Kyoto in late December, said the udon-making lesson was very detailed and she was impressed with how the teachers took account of participants’ individual needs.

Harada, the manager, hails from Tokyo and had worked in Rakuten Inc.’s travel department until spring 2017.

She moved to Mitoyo last June after being involved in the launch of Setouchi Udon Co., a local trading company fully funded by the city.
Drawing on her global travel experiences as a student and later work in the tourism industry, Harada said, “I came to realize that travelers desire to learn about the local culture of where they are visiting.”

So far, foreign visitors account for some 20 percent of guests, but Harada said interest from overseas picked up after the hotel was featured on CNN’s travel website in January.

“I want to show that a local community in Shikoku is capable of being directly connected to the world,” she said.

The hotel offers two dormitory-type rooms and one Japanese-style room. The standard plan, which includes an udon class and a visit to a local farm, in addition to dinner and breakfast, is priced at ¥29,800 per person, excluding tax.

Kagawa, which promotes itself as Japan’s “Udon Prefecture,” is situated on the Seto Inland Sea and is a famed location on the 88-temple Shikoku Henro pilgrimage route.

The nearby island of Naoshima is famous as a contemporary art hub, while the olive-producing island of Shodoshima boasts of its picturesque “Angel Road” sand bar that only appears during low tide.