Kagawa prefecture is known as the number one spot to try one of Japan’s most popular dishes – udon noodles. Whilst udon is readily available across the country, Kagawa’s Sanuki udon, is a local speciality dish that any tourist in the region will be looking forward to trying.
The thick, square-cut, chewy noodles are so popular amongst both locals and visitors, that Kagawa is believed to have the highest udon consumption rate in all of Japan.

The popularity of udon in the area, has of course led to Kagawa’s appropriate nickname – ‘Udon Prefecture’. It is also known humorously as ‘Yadon Prefecture’.

Now you might be wondering, ‘What on earth is a Yadon?’. Is it some weird mispronunciation of the prefecture’s favourite food? Of course not. It’s a Pokémon character – more precisely, it’s a Slowpoke.

Kawagawa prefecture and Pokémon’s Slowpoke, first teamed up together back in 2015, when a promotional campaign for the area picked up on the similarities between the two nouns. Since then, there have been several collaborations between the prefecture and the Pokémon, from occasional slowpoke spawning events on Pokémon GO! to the installation of special man-hole covers and even a fully fledged Yadon Festival which takes place in autumn.
In fact, Slowpoke has become such a prominent figure in the region, it is now Kagawa prefecture’s official ambassadorial Pokémon. (The Pokémon was also named as Kagawa’s official prefectural governor on April Fools in 2018, but the role has since fallen back into human hands.)

Keeping up appearances, the two have once again come together, this time releasing a variety of collaborative products and goods celebrating their connection to one another.

Genuine udon Yadon keychains and brooches

Price: 1,980 yen each (tax included)
Release date: March 1, 2021 (Monday)
Available from: Prefectural souvenir stores i.e Kagawa Bussankan Kuribayashi-an, Shikoku Shop 88, etc.

Supposedly these keychains and brooches are made from a special concoction of water, salt and flour, (the same ingredients used to make Sanuki udon) however, I’m not entirely sure what that means for their longevity. Perhaps it is a well known fact that the mixture makes a long lasting material, but I’m not so sure. But, don’t let that stop you from having a genuine udon keychain or brooch!

Handmade in Japan, the ingredients – salt from the Seto inland sea and ‘Sanuki no Yume’ flour – are sourced directly from Kagawa prefecture.
There are five different ‘flavoured’ keychains and brooches to choose from – ‘Kakiage udon’, ‘Bukkake udon’, ‘Kitsune udon’, ‘Anmochi udon’ and ‘Curry udon’.

Local Kagawa prefecture X Slowpoke ‘oidemai’ rice

Price: 500 yen each (tax included)
Contents: 300g local prefectural rice
Release date: March 1, 2021 (Monday)
Available from: Prefectural souvenir stores i.e Kagawa Bussankan Kuribayashi-an, Shikoku Shop 88, etc.

Kagawa prefecture’s souvenir rice featuring Slowpoke was first released, as a 2kg sack of rice, in December of last year. This time the bag has been condensed down into a more convenient souvenir sized 300g.

Galal region Slowpoke Curry udon

Price: 1,296 yen each (tax included)
Contents: 2 servings
Release date: March 19, 2021 (Friday)
Available from: Prefectural souvenir stores i.e Kagawa Bussankan Kuribayashi-an, Shikoku Shop 88, etc.

These spicy curry udon noodles resemble the tails of Slowpoke Pokémon from the Galal region. Topped with oiri (a traditional roasted rice confectionary from Kagawa), this mixture creates a curry udon that is unique to Kagawa prefecture.

Slowpoke and Galal Slowpoke grounded chilli peppers

Price: 1,458 yen each (tax included)
Contents: coarsely grounded 10g, finely grounded 10g
Release date: March 19, 2021 (Friday)
Available from: Prefectural souvenir stores i.e Kagawa Bussankan Kuribayashi-an, Shikoku Shop 88, etc.

This selection of grounded chilli pepper is made using Kagawa Prefecture’s phantom togarashi. The chilli is carefully grown from seeds without any pesticides.
Available in both coarse and fine grounds, it can be used as a cooking accent or as seasoning in classic Sanuki udon.

Slowpoke X Kagawa Prefecture special vending machine

Finally, from 19 March 2021, a special vending machine which will sell ‘Udon Prefecture X Slowpoke collaborative goods, will be installed for the first time in Kagawa.
The vending machine will be run by the official Pokémon center, and will be covered in a limited edition design featuring Slowpoke.

Installation date: Scheduled for March 19th (Friday)
Location: Shikoku Store 88
Selling: Original Pokémon center products i.e plush toys

*The vending machine pictured is a regular Pokémon vending machine