Sink Your Teeth into Japanese Culture in Kagawa

Boil up a batch of udon noodles from scratch

Combine your love of Japanese cuisine and cooking with a visit to the Nakano Udon School in Kagawa Prefecture. Located slightly away from the usual tourist route in the small town of Kotohira, there's plenty to do before you tie on your apron. Definitely plan to stop by Kotohira Shrine, home to several Important Cultural Properties of Japan.

Then, once you’re in the kitchen, you'll get a hands-on experience of a tasty part of Japanese culture. Your teacher will instruct you on how to make udon from scratch, starting with kneading the dough, rolling out and slicing the noodles, and then cooking them to tender perfection.

You'll get plenty of photos taken as you work and receive a completion certificate at the end of the class. The course takes between 60 and 90 minutes, and once you’re done, you’ll be faced with a difficult decision: eat your udon fresh then, or take it home to savor the noodles later.

Access: From Shin-Osaka Station, take the Tokaido-San’yo Shinkansen to Okayama Station (about 45 minutes), transfer to the JR Line to Takamatsu Station (about 40 minutes), then transfer to the JR Dosan Line to Kotohira Station (about 15 minutes). Nakanoya is about a 10-minute walk from the station. By air, fly from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Takamatsu Airport (about one hour 20 minutes), then take the airport limousine bus to Kotohira Station (about 54 minutes) and walk 11 minutes.

Nakanoya