Shoyumame: Where to Eat, Prices & Opening Hours (Kagawa)

Shoyumame is a Kagawa home style side dish of dried broad beans, roasted and then steeped while hot in a sauce of soy sauce, sugar, and chili. Said to have spread from dishes served to pilgrims, it remains a beloved pantry staple in local homes. It is humble yet deeply flavorful.

Highlights

Roasting makes the bean skins fragrant, and the sweet savory sauce soaks in slowly. The fluffy texture and a faint chili kick keep you reaching for more. It suits a bowl of rice and a glass of sake alike.

Enjoying the Seasons

Because it keeps well, it appears at the table year round, though some households make it fresh when dried broad beans are in season. It also serves as a snack with tea for guests.

Access and Basic Information

Centered on Takamatsu, it is sold at supermarkets, souvenir shops, and roadside stations across the prefecture. You will often meet it as a small dish in set meals at eateries. Vacuum packed and jarred products keep well and make good souvenirs. A small pack starts from a few hundred yen, making it easy and casual to pick up.

Practical Travel Notes

• Many processed versions keep well at room temperature and are light to carry, making it an easy souvenir choice.
• It is easy to find at supermarket deli corners and roadside stations, so you can pick it up while sightseeing.
• The sweet savory seasoning suits rice or sake snacks, so buying a small amount for a late night bite at your lodging or home drinking is a nice idea.
• Some products have a strong chili kick, so if you dislike spice, checking the package label is reassuring.

A Quick Tip

Delicious as is, it is also good chopped fine and mixed into rice. Warming it gently lifts the aroma and makes it even easier to enjoy. If you choose it as a souvenir, a long keeping vacuum pack is convenient to carry home.

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Best season: All year round, as it keeps well. It is eaten throughout the year as a standing side dish or a snack with drinks, and some households use it in their New Year osechi feast in place of black beans.
• The reality behind the ingredients: Kagawa has land well suited to growing broad beans, but almost all of the dried broad beans used for shoyumame today are imported (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries).
• Public facilities where you can buy it: Kagawa Bussankan Ritsurin-an (1-20-16 Ritsurin-cho, Takamatsu, beside the east gate of Ritsurin Garden / TEL 087-812-3155). Open 9:00-17:00 from November to January, 9:30-17:30 in February and October, and 10:00-18:00 from March to September, year-round.
• Buying it in the Tokyo area: The specialty products shop on the first floor of Kagawa-Ehime Setouchi Shunsaikan (2-19-10 Shinbashi, Minato Ward, Tokyo / 10:00-20:00, open year-round except at New Year, a 1-minute walk from the Ginza exit of JR Shimbashi Station) stocks shoyumame as a regular item.

* Opening hours and prices vary from shop to shop.

(Sources: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, "Our Local Cuisine: Shoyumame, Kagawa Prefecture"; Kagawa Bussankan Ritsurin-an official website / Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association "Udon-ken Tabi-net"; Kagawa-Ehime Setouchi Shunsaikan official website)

Information Sources

This article is compiled from tourism information for Kagawa Prefecture together with information published by each shop. Prices, menus and seasons are subject to change, so please check the official information of each shop for details.

Sightseeing Checklist

• Budget guide: Packaged bags start from a few hundred yen, so it is easy on the wallet
• Where to buy or eat it: Souvenir shops and supermarkets across Kagawa Prefecture, and udon restaurants
• Best time of year: Available all year round
• Avoiding the crowds: Easy to pick up as a souvenir
• Enjoy it with: Sanuki udon, Kagawa's local sake, or as a nibble with tea