Kagawa

Kagawa Prefecture becoming Slowpoke Paradise this spring

So…much…Slowpoke.

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Japan is building a Pokémon Slowpoke Park to delight fans of all ages

The prefecture that named the Water/Psychic Pokémon as its governor is now building him a park.

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Yokai Modeling Awards return to Kagawa after 5-year hiatus

Finally, a return to normalcy.

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Slowpoke takes center stage at special collaborative festival at Takamatsu Airport this October

The official Udon Prefecture ambassador takes part in special events at the airport where you can also win fabulous prizes.

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Shikoku Island holds world landmark lookalike photography contest judged by AI

Many of the greatest places on Earth are all on one rural Japanese island.

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Celebrate a belated Pokémon Slowpoke Day by slurping up some exclusive udon from Kagawa!

Who needs a Slowpoke Tail when you have all these yummy noodles?

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Japan now has official, working Pokémon mailbox you can mail letters from, Pokémon mail van too

Prefecture that introduced Slowpoke as its governor recruits him for the postal service.

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Croissant gyoza: Pie-like dumplings take Japan by storm

This gyoza with a flaky croissant crust is so sought after it took a year for our order to arrive.

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Bento shop staff punished part-timer by piercing her nose, cutting all hair off, and more

Attackers’ twisted, violent tendencies have resulted in third arrest in as many months.

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17-year-old to sue Kagawa Prefecture over video game restricting ordinance

And what did you do over your school vacation?

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In search of Japan’s hidden double pay phones

And you’ll need to find them all for 100-percent completion of Japan.

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Japanese prefecture that named a Pokémon as its governor to install 16 new Pokémon manholes

Or should these artistic salutes to Slowpoke be called “monholes?”

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Free Calpis fresh out of the tap available across Japan in celebration of 100th anniversary

For maximum enjoyment we recommend reading the following article out loud.

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Japanese udon noodles mascot character imitates Banksy by shredding itself in a painting

Girl With Balloon artwork cutely followed by Udon With Balloon.

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Breathtakingly beautiful beach in often-overlooked part of Japan is like a scene out of Your Name

Chichibugahama Beach looks like a Makoto Shinkai anime come to life, and is well worth a detour off the beaten travel path.
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Japanese prefecture introduces a Pokémon as its governor in start-of-the-month political shakeup

Video shows first appearance of unexpected political dynamo Slowpoke.

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Kagawa Prefecture holds ultra-udon marathon for those who love running, and noodles

Normally feel a bit peckish during an ultra-marathon? Then stop for some udon noodles, six times!

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Japanese ad campaign shows how to stop babies crying – by slurping udon noodles

These crying babies are immediately calmed by the sound of slurping, which is said to sound similar to noises heard in the womb.

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“Pop” daruma dolls so popular you’ll have to wait three years to get one

Daruma are a kind of roly-poly wishing doll in Japanese Buddhism. You draw one eye in while making a wish, and then fill in the other when your wish comes true. Given their sweet purpose and blob-like shape, traditional daruma are already pretty charming, but a woodcarving shop in Kagawa Prefecture has found a pop makeover makes them even more attractive, so much so that there is a 3-year waiting list to get one!

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Bath noodles — Do you know about this strange Japanese bathing custom?

As soon as my husband started building an iwaburo rock bath in our house, curious neighbors poked their heads in and asked, “When are we going to eat udon?” This is local parlance for: “When will the bath be finished?”

Japanese is said to be a vague language and thus difficult for foreigners to understand, but this was rather extraordinary. Why such a strange way to ask when a bath will be completed?!

This unusual pairing, I soon learned, can be traced all the way back to Shikoku, one of Japan’s four main islands, and an island famous for its udon noodles. Kagawa Prefecture, known as udonken (the udon prefecture) is particularly well-known for its delicious thick, starchy noodles. And we can thank Kagawa for a very strange custom: that of eating udon while sitting in a new bathtub!

Now, you probably want to know why they would do such a thing. And why udon? Wouldn’t beer and peanuts be more logical? Or, if you’re going to celebrate a new bathtub, why not go all out and have a pig roast in there? Our intrepid bathing reporter tells you why and oh, so much more about Japanese baths.

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