Michi-no-Eki Takinomiya

Local legend puts the start of Sanuki udon in Takinomiya. The story goes that Chisen, a nephew of the monk Kukai, made a flat noodle dish for his parents at a temple here, using a method brought back from Tang China. There are other origin stories, and nobody can prove any of them. It is still a good excuse to eat a bowl.

Sanuki Udon no Eki Ayakawa, the station's self-service shop, makes its noodles by hand. Ume bukkake and ume zaru are the house favorites. The station reopened in 2021 as a "home of udon and strawberries", and Ayagawa grows more Sanuki-hime strawberries than anywhere else, so expect strawberry parfaits, sorbet and sweets at the dessert counter.

A farm market sells Kagawa produce, and a domestic-eel restaurant is part of the complex too. Strawberry picking runs from about January to May. Kotoden's Takinomiya Station is roughly ten minutes on foot, which makes this one of the few michi-no-eki you can reach easily by train.