Spend any amount of time in Japan and you'll discover even the littlest villages take pride in their local delicacies, which can vary drastically even between neighboring towns. You could spend your whole life eating your way through the country and barely sample a fraction of its gastronomical delights.

But what good is food without good company? In Takamatsu, you can have the best of both with a delicious evening out on the town at a yakitori restaurant. You'll get to grill the skewered chicken over a charcoal grill right at your table and even try the exclusive shukei chicken, dubbed king among chicken for its superior flavor.

And when you get thirsty, you'll have two different types of sake from the local Kawatsuru Brewery to quaff and compare. The sake serves as the perfect accent to highlight the chicken's savoriness. Non-alcoholic substitutions are of course available if you don't drink.

Takamatsu is just a 90-minute flight from Tokyo, or just under three hours by Shinkansen and local trains from Osaka.