Home > Overview

Overview of Kagawa Prefecture

Kagawa Prefecture, located in the northeast corner of Shikoku, is home to Japan’s oldest national park, the Seto Inland Sea National Park. The prefecture is shaped like a half-moon, with the Sanuki Mountain Range rising in the south and the expanse of the Sanuki Plain in the north. Most of the prefecture’s rivers have their headwaters in the Sanuki Mountain Range and they flow north into the Seto Inland Sea. The prefecture is the country’s smallest by area, and the plains and mountains roughly balance each other out. The sea coast measures approximately 700 km, and the prefecture’s islands can be found dotted throughout the Seto Inland Sea in a beautiful natural setting. Throughout all four seasons, the bright Seto Inland Sea has mild weather and little rainfall.

Area	About 1,876㎞²
Population	999,513（as of Feb. 1, 2010）
Number of cities and towns	8 cities, 9 towns
Special Products	Manufactured goods (gloves, frozen food products, uchiwa fans, masonry products, etc.); agriculture, forestry, and fisheries products (udon noodles, olives, garlic, bonsai pine trees, etc.)

Kagawa Number 1s (Domestically/Internationally)

Item	Region	Content
Area	Kagawa	Japan’s smallest prefecture
Irrigation Reservoirs	Kagawa	Highest concentration in Japan
Udon	Kagawa	Highest per capita number of udon shops in Japan（Tokyo – with a population of 10 million people – has 500 McDonalds restaurants. In comparison, Kagawa – with its population of 1 million people – has more than 800 udon shops!）
Wheat for Udon Noodles	Kagawa	Number one in production in Japan
Lace Gloves	Higashi-Kagawa City	90% of the Japanese production market share
Paulownia Geta Sandals	Sanuki City	60% of the Japanese production market share
Handmade Uchiwa Fans	Marugame City	90% of the Japanese production market share
Bonsai Pine Tree Cultivation	Takamatsu City	80% of the Japanese production market share
Olives	Shodoshima	Number one in production in Japan
Marguerites	Mitoyo City	Number one in production in Japan
Kintoki Carrots	Marugame City, Sakaide City	Number one in production in Japan
Takamatsu Central Shopping Arcade	Takamatsu City	Longest arcade in Japan (aggregate length): 2.7 km
Marugame Castle	Marugame City	Tallest and most beautiful stone castle wall in Japan
Manno Pond	Manno Town	Largest irrigation reservoir in Japan
Naoshima	Naoshima Town	Chosen as one of the “Seven Places in the World You Should See Next” by Conde Nast Traveler, an American travel magazine.
Dofuchi Strait	Tonosho Town	World’s narrowest strait: 9.93 m

Kagawa Business Number 1s (Domestically/Internationally)

Company Name	Location	Content
Tadano	Takamatsu City	Number one in Japan in production of vehicular construction cranes.
Suzuya	Takamatsu City	Number one in Japan in sales of Buddhist family altars and Buddhist implements
Nankai Plywood	Takamatsu City	Number one in Japan in sales of ceiling boards for Japanese-style rooms
Teikoku Seiyaku	Higashi-Kagawa City	Number one in Japan in production of poultices
Mitsubishi Materials	Naoshima Town	Number one in Japan in production of gold
Nippura	Miki Town	Number one in the world in manufacture of acrylic window panes for aquarium water tanks.
Kadoya Seiyu	Tonosho-cho	Number one in Japan in production of sesame oil
Shikoku Chemicals Corporation	Marugame City	Number one in Japan in sales of chemical products and building materials

Kagawa Prefecture’s Souvenirs and Famous Products

Sesame oil, udon noodles, somen noodles, wasanbon sugar, Kyuman Confections, Kawara Senbei Rice Crackers, Kamado Confections, olive products, soy sauce, shoyu mame (soy beans marinated in soy sauce), iriko sardines, shrimp rice crackers, boiled fish-paste products*, Kagawa Lacquer Ware, uchiwa fans, paulownia geta sandals, one-knife carvings, masonry products, papier-mâché dolls, bonsai, gloves

※ Boiled fish-paste products are fish meats to which have been added salt and other flavorings, and which are then ground to a paste and heated until they harden into shape.