Kagawa
Sanuki udon origin, pilgrimage temples 66-88 (nirvana phase), Kotohira-gu's 1,368 steps; Japan's smallest prefecture. 2026: Shikoku's gateway via food tourism.
Kagawa exists to make udon and complete pilgrimages. Japan's smallest prefecture (excluding urban Tokyo and Osaka) punches above its weight in culinary and spiritual influence. Sanuki udon—thick wheat noodles with distinctive chew—originated here and became Japan's most imitated regional dish. Udon shops cluster across the prefecture; tourists come specifically to eat.
The other pull is spiritual. Kagawa hosts temples 66-88 of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, the final stretch representing "entering nirvana." Pilgrims who walked six weeks across four prefectures complete their journey here. Kotohira-gu (Kompira-san), Shikoku's most popular shrine, draws worshippers up 1,368 stone steps to the main hall. Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu—the prefectural capital—ranks among Japan's finest landscape gardens.
The combination of food tourism, religious pilgrimage, and accessible day trips from Hiroshima (60 minutes) and Osaka (100 minutes) creates unusual economic density for rural Japan. By 2026, Kagawa bets on becoming Shikoku's gateway—the prefecture where mainland Japanese first encounter the island's slower rhythms. The udon that draws tourists for lunch may keep them for enlightenment. Or at least for dinner.