5 Instagram-Worthy Gourmet Spots and Souvenirs from Kagawa

Kagawa has far more to offer than just Sanuki udon! The prefecture is packed with photogenic food experiences — from colorful sweets to visually stunning street eats. Here are five spots you will definitely want to post on social media.

① Honetsuki-Dori (Bone-In Roasted Chicken) | Ikkaku

Spicy in aroma and roasted to a golden-brown, bone-in roasted chicken is Kagawa's signature B-class gourmet dish. Enthroned on a black plate, the look is bold and rugged — a kind of cool, understated Instagram-worthy appeal.

Photography tip Take advantage of the warm interior lighting and shoot from a slight diagonal overhead angle. Capturing the scattered spices in the shot will produce an image that almost conveys the aroma. Evening visits are ideal for the ambience.

📍 Multiple locations in Takamatsu City / within walking distance of JR Takamatsu Station

② Wasanbon Sweets | Mitani Seito Hane Sanuki Honpo

Sweets made with "wasanbon-to" (traditional fine sugar) — Kagawa's prized confection — feature a delicate pastel color palette that instantly catches the eye. The intricate mold-pressed designs look like miniature works of art.

Photography tip Arrange them on a white or wood-grain table and shoot from directly above in natural light by a window. Lining up multiple colors at once instantly makes the scene more vibrant! Soft morning light is the top pick.

📍 156-8 Umayado, Higashikagawa City, Kagawa Prefecture (the shop of Mitani Seito Hane Sanuki Honpo, a wasanbon maker founded 200 years ago and now run by the eighth-generation owner. Tel 0879-33-2224)

③ Kagawa Souvenir Shopping | Michi-no-Eki Kotohiki

A roadside rest stop located within the scenic site Kotohiki Park. The gift shop carries Ibuki iriko (dried sardines), Sanuki udon, Kagawa confections, and more, and on weekends a direct-from-farm market is held. Arrange your purchases and you'll have an image that perfectly captures the spirit of the trip.

Photography tip The shop shelves tend to have other customers in the shot, so take photos after purchasing — outdoors or inside your vehicle. If you want to shoot inside the store, always ask a staff member first.

📍 3-37 Ariake-cho, Kanonji City, Kagawa / About 6 minutes by taxi from JR Kanonji Station (approx. 1.8 km). Open 9:00–17:00, closed year-end/New Year.

④ Sanuki Udon and the "Ibuki Iriko" Dashi Stock

The backbone of Kagawa's udon is "iriko" — dried sardines (katakuchi-iwashi) from the Seto Inland Sea. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' "Local Cuisine of Japan" resource, the waters around Ibukijima Island (Ibuki-jima) in the Seisan region on the western side of the prefecture are one of the leading production areas for iriko. The freshly caught sardines are transported to the island in about 30 minutes and immediately boiled, and the system in which the same operator handles everything from catch to processing results in high-quality iriko. The fish raised in the calm Seto Inland Sea yield a rich, deeply flavorful stock, used not only in Sanuki udon but across everyday home cooking. The Seisan region also has a local dish called "iriko meshi," a rice cooked with iriko and root vegetables.

Photography tip Clear amber-colored stock, white noodles, green onion, and ginger. With so few colors in the bowl, bring the lens in close without including the rim of the vessel to highlight the sheen of the noodles. Steam disappears in a matter of seconds, so in backlighting near a window, choose your position where "the steam glows in the light" before placing the bowl. For a shot of noodles lifted with chopsticks, use burst mode to prevent blur.

⑤ Anmochi Zoni — A White Bowl Served Only at New Year

A soup made with white miso broth, round rice cakes filled with sweet red bean paste, and slices of daikon radish and kintoki carrot — added with the wish for family harmony. This is Kagawa's distinctively local New Year soup. In the Edo period, sugarcane cultivation was encouraged in sunny, low-rainfall Kagawa, and Sanuki white sugar became a prized local product known as one of the "Sanuki Sanpaku" (Three Whites of Sanuki), alongside cotton and salt. Even so, sugar was a luxury that could not be enjoyed on ordinary days, and it is said that from around the Meiji era, people began incorporating it into the special New Year's soup — once a year, as a celebratory treat. The white miso used in the soup is said to have been brought to Sanuki by people traveling from Kyoto to visit Emperor Sutoku, who had been exiled to Sanuki after his defeat in the Hogen Rebellion. It is still passed down in households as a standard New Year dish today, and also appears on restaurant menus in winter.

Photography tip White soup, red and white daikon and kintoki carrot, and a final sprinkle of green aonori. With many pale colors, choosing a dark-colored vessel or lacquerware creates strong contrast. Either shoot straight down from above to show the circular slices arranged neatly, or aim for a cross-section shot where the red bean filling peeks out after splitting the mochi with chopsticks. For the cross-section, work quickly while steam is still rising.

⑥ Shoyu Mame — Amber-Glazed Beans in a Small Dish

A representative Kagawa preserved food: dried fava beans are dry-roasted, then while still hot, soaked in a seasoning liquid of soy sauce, sugar, and chili pepper. Unlike simmered beans, roasting before soaking produces a distinctive texture that crumbles pleasantly in the mouth. It is thought that this dish began to be made in Sanuki during the Edo period; one theory points to Shodoshima, where soy sauce brewing began during the Bunroku era, as its birthplace, while another legend says that fava beans being roasted for the benefit of Ohenro (Shikoku pilgrimage) travelers happened to fall into a nearby soy sauce jar. Enjoyed year-round as a snack with sake or as a preserved dish, and used in some households in place of black beans in osechi (New Year's feast). It is also available as vacuum-packed souvenir products at airports and tourist spots.

Photography tip The rich, glossy amber color easily overexposes when too much light hits it. Applying angled side-light from a window and keeping small highlights on each individual bean makes for a beautiful shot. Pile the beans high in a small dish and leave generous space around the vessel for a composed, tranquil Japanese aesthetic.

Kagawa's food is guaranteed to satisfy whether you're eating it or photographing it! Please share your best shots on social media.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Opening hours / closing days: Roadside Station Kotohiki is open 9:00-17:00 (the World Coin Museum 9:00-16:30), closed over the New Year period (the World Coin Museum and the Ohira Masayoshi Memorial Hall from December 29 to January 1, and the Kanonji City General Community Center from December 29 to January 3). The shop at Mitani Seito Hane Sanuki Honpo is open 9:00-17:30 and closed every Tuesday (the following day when Tuesday is a public holiday) and from January 1 to 3. The honetsuki-dori (bone-in chicken) restaurants have different opening days, so check in advance.
• Budget and price guide: The gift shop at Roadside Station Kotohiki deals mainly in souvenirs such as Ibuki iriko dried sardines, Sanuki udon and local confectionery. Honetsuki-dori is normally ordered by the portion.
• Access: Roadside Station Kotohiki is at 3-37 Ariake-cho, Kanonji City, Kagawa Prefecture, about 6 minutes by taxi from JR Kanonji Station (about 1.8 km). The honetsuki-dori restaurants are around JR Takamatsu Station. Mitani Seito Hane Sanuki Honpo is at 156-8 Umayado, Higashikagawa City (the official site gives Aioi as the nearest station; by car from the Takamatsu direction the nearest expressway exit is "Hiketa," and the yellow signboard on Route 11 is the landmark).
• Parking: Roadside Station Kotohiki has parking. Restaurants in central Takamatsu often have no parking of their own, so using a coin parking lot nearby is the norm. At Mitani Seito Hane Sanuki Honpo the parking entrance is directly opposite the shop.
• Photography rules: In the sales areas of product halls and roadside stations, merchandise, fixtures and other customers easily end up in the frame, so always check with the staff before photographing inside. In restaurants, photograph only what is on your own table and avoid pointing the lens at other tables or the kitchen. Tripods and selfie sticks block the aisles, so use them sparingly.
• Points to note: Kotohiki Park is a designated Place of Scenic Beauty. Refrain from using fire in the park or entering areas that are not open to visitors.

* Opening hours and the products on sale are subject to change. Check the official information for each facility before visiting.

(Sources: Kanonji City Tourism Association, "Roadside Station Kotohiki" https://kanonji-kanko.jp/road-station-kotohiki/ ; Kagawa Bussankan Ritsurin-an official website https://store.ritsurinan.jp/ ; Mitani Seito Hane Sanuki Honpo official website https://wasanbon.com/about )