Kagawa

Kagawa. The one thing you have to do here above all else is eat udon. 

I was actually told that Kagawa is the capital of udon a fact which is recognized throughout Japan, to the point that if you wrote udon-ken (it would typically say kagawa-ken, the prefectural name) on a post card, it will be shipped there. 

So udon. You must eat udon. There are a few well known places that are said to be more famous than others with award winning udon (yes, they give out awards for that). 

There was one I went to, that is said to be the most famous udon shop in all of Kagawa and indeed there was a line already forming (and I was somewhere around 30 or 40!) at 10:30 in the morning when the place did not open until 12. That particular place is usually open only two hours a day, from 12 to 2pm, and they do enough business in that time to be closed the rest of the day. Since this day was part of Golden Week, they took us all by surprise and opened an hour early at 11am. They announced that the first 100 bowls of udon would be the freshest with the best noodles, and afterwards the dishes would be just as good but the noodles would not be as pristine. The dish was simple. And simply amazing. It was delicious. They ask you if you want it hot or cold and will give you the noodles in the bowl and then you sit at one of many of the squashed in tables in the two rooms they have and add your own fixings as you please. I remember the meal being somewhere around 160yen. That is about 2USD for those of you in America. In addition they sell their noodles fresh and packaged by the register, which makes for a good omiyage for those back home. 

It is a very fast paced business that gets people in and out in under 10 or 15 minutes. They have your food in front of you practically before you even sit down! 

Other important things to do in Kagawa-ken is to visit Kotohira and the famous Kompirasan. Kompirasan is a shrine. Not just any shrine, but one of the few shrines that most all Japanese people will make a pilgrimage to at some point during their life. A couple of the others include the great Geku and Naiku shrines in Ise as well as Asakusa's shrine and temple. Kompirasan is known for its golden charms bringing luck and prosperity as well as for having a great many steps. It actually measures out to a proud 1,368 steps up the mountain. Practically a mini mountain's worth of climbing. And people were saying the Batu caves 200 steps was a feat worthy only of the strong hearted! Along the way, there are many points at which you can grab one of the many free walking sticks that are provided for travelers on the way up. They are present at the dozens of stalls more toward the base of the mountain, where you can return them on your way down the mountain. 

As with many of the older and more popular shrines, there is an inner and outer shrine. The main hall and area of the shrine is located at a half way point in between the two and is the point at which most people end their journey. The inner shrine is still a ways hike up the mountain a bit for a smaller, quieter, more peaceful forested setting. 

This shrine is also really well known for its dog. It isn't the same as those shrines that are dedicated to certain animals or anything like that, but this one is personal. A true story based on the dog that once lived there at the shrine. You see, since this shrine has so many steps, it makes it very difficult for the elderly, feeble, and sick to make it up to the top to pay homage there. The shrine maidens and workers employed the use of a dog to send down its charms and receive their less than able bodied patrons money. They would do this by training the dog to run up and down the stairs for patrons (exactly how they accomplished that I am still a bit foggy on...I think a bell might have been involved that a patron would ring to signal that they were present and unable to make it to the top) with a little pouch tied round it neck. I know some people will think what if the person didn't pay the dog, or paid him too little or what if the person needed something other than a charm. Well I can't tell you all of that since that was all the explanation in English had to offer. 

Today, there is no dog. He died some years back, but a statue to his significance remains. As to the feeble and elderly who would like to see the main hall and are unable to make it? They hire a palanquin. Pretty much those little carriage platforms that you see nobility being pampered in and carried by people. The one offered here is a much less elaborate set up, but still uses man power to transport a person up and down the stairs at a very handsome fee.