Cuisine and culture from Shikoku’s waters and nature

The island region of Shikoku is a collective example of the bounty that comes from an attuned approach to nature. Since ancient times, Shikoku’s abundant water sources have created, shaped and sustained its lush landscapes and traditional industries, giving rise to a reflective culture and cuisine. 

Guided by water and an unequivocal understanding of terroir, some of Japan’s most spectacular landscapes and intangible cultural practices are preserved here in a meaningful ode to the past and the inherent value they hold for the future. 

Whether to drink, bathe in or create with, we’ll explore how Shikoku’s four prefectures – Ehime, Tokushima, Kōchi and Kagawa – continue to honor their blessings of water. 

All four prefectures: the Shikoku pilgrimage

The Shikoku pilgimage, an ancient route connecting 88 Buddhist temples, is a built-in introduction to Shikoku’s varied waterscapes.

Starting at Temple 1 (Ryōzen-ji) in Tokushima prefecture and ending at Temple 88 (Ōkubo-ji) in Kagawa prefecture, the route takes pilgrims (Ohenro-san) on an epic 700-mile circumnavigation of the entire island. From the wild sea spray of the Muroto cape of Kōchi prefecture to the serene views of the island-filled Seto Inland Sea in Imabari of Ehime prefecture, the trail provides both pumping surf coast and river settings calm enough to meditate in.

Said to be following in the footsteps of the great Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai), the founder of the pilgrimage and the Shingon Sect of Buddhism in Japan, the journey is traditionally made on foot, taking an average of 40-50 days (15 miles per day).

However, given the distance, many henro complete the trail over several trips or use other means of transportation, such as bicycle, bus or car, the latter reducing the time required to just 10 days. Access to some of the more remote mountain temples has been made much easier, thanks to modern-day cable cars and ropeways.

Ehime prefecture: Sake brewing at Ishizuchi Shuzō Corporation

When 80 percent of sake is water, a city dubbed the “spring water capital of Japan” couldn’t be more serendipitously poised for sake production. In Ehime’s Saijō city, an incredible 90 thousand tons of natural spring water spouts daily from around 3,000 self-priming wells called Uchinuki.

The water originates on nearby Mt Ishizuchi, western Japan’s highest peak, descending into the Kamo River and seeping into the groundwater, where a shallow layer of impenetrable bedrock causes the water to pool under pressure just below the earth’s surface. It is said to only take a hole in the ground for the bubbling waters to spring forth, and hence the name Uchinuki, meaning to “punch through.”

Named after the mountain from where the city’s famous waters derive, Ishizuchi Shuzō Corporation, a family-oriented sake brewery founded in 1920, sources the water for its products from its own in-house well. The super-soft water from the brewery’s Uchinuki is credited for the “clear” aroma and “velvety” finish to their junmai (pure rice) varieties of sake, made only from water, steamed rice, kōji (from fungus Aspergillus oryzae) and yeast.

Passionate about quality production by hand, Ishizuchi Shuzō’s goal is to brew sake that can be enjoyed with meals, and that gets more delicious with each cup. Ishizuchi sake is available for purchase in several stores in Saijō city and other parts of Ehime prefecture.

Ehime prefecture: Bathe in hot springs at Dōgo Onsen in Matsuyama city

The founding of Dōgo Onsen in present-day Matsuyama city dates back some 3,000 years, when it is believed a heron was completely healed of its injured leg after repeated dips in the alkaline hot springs. Since then, the legend has captivated visitors keen to enjoy the reported health benefits – said to include relief for the symptoms of neuralgia and rheumatism, and aiding in fatigue recovery.

After an extensive five-and-a-half-year restoration, the 130-year-old main bathhouse, Dōgo Onsen Honkan, fully re-opened in July 2024. The wooden castle-like facade prefaces an equally charming traditional interior with two popular and steaming baths: Kami-no-yu (Baths of the Gods) and Tama-no-yu (Bath of the Spirits).

The water is blended from up to 17 different sources to reach the desired 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit temperature without any artificial heating or cooling. A job that is done manually, a city official known as a kikanshi (sometimes likened to a “water barista”) is tasked with maintaining the temperature throughout the day’s operations.

The kikanshi make adjustments based on the air temperature of the baths, which are coolest first thing having been emptied overnight, and the day’s weather. At 3:30am each morning, they start sending the water from the supply facility to the baths, expertly accounting for the cooling that will take place as it proceeds through the pipes, ready for the 6am opening time. Ticketing is on a timed basis; check the Dōgo Onsen website for live wait times.

Tokushima prefecture: Indigo dyeing workshop at Ruafu

While the routinely flooded banks of Tokushima’s Yoshino River made the surrounding farmland unsuitable for rice cultivation, it gifted an abundantly fertile environment for highly valuable indigo crops and an aizome (indigo dyeing) industry synonymous with exceptional quality. Tokushima prefecture has been the number one producer of sukumo, a natural dye made of dried and then fermented indigo leaves, since the Edo period.

At family-friendly indigo studio Ruafu on the outskirts of Tokushima city, visitors can experience dyeing a handkerchief or scarf (or one’s own item from home) under the expert tutelage of second-generation indigo dyeing artisan Naka Yamada. Children are welcome to take part; Ruafu offering a range of easy-to-use tools and replicable patterns younger participants can have fun with, along with a play corner for tinier attendees.

During the 1-2 hour workshop, Yamada-san guides participants through techniques for their chosen style, such as gathering the cloth by hand for a soft tie-dye look or binding it with wood for more distinct geometric shapes, to produce a one-of-a-kind take-home souvenir.

Once submerged in the dye for the required timeframe, water once again is key, with the final step rinsing the cloth, now green from the natural dye, under clear running water, transforming the color into signature ‘Awa’ blue before your eyes. Workshop reservations can be made up to the day before pending availability.

Tokushima prefecture: Iya Soba noodles in the Iya Valley

The steep slopes of the Iya Valley have presented a series of topographical challenges that have required a historically resilient and adaptive approach to life in this secluded enclave.

In the 12th century, battles for supremacy between the Taira and Minamoto clans swept Japan. The Taira clan, who retreated to the valley after their defeat in the great Genpei War, were the first to cultivate buckwheat here after rice proved too difficult to grow in abundance on the intensely angular gradients. Buckwheat turned out not only to be ideal for the conditions, but its short growing period along with access to Iya’s pristine waters, cemented soba (buckwheat) noodles as the region’s soul food.

While most soba is actually a combination of wheat and buckwheat flour, Iya’s version is made exclusively from buckwheat, resulting in a more intense soba flavor. The lack of wheat flour also means the noodles easily break apart into short pieces, giving it the local moniker soba-kiri (kiri meaning ‘to cut’).

The noodles are made by first grinding the buckwheat into flour using a stone mill and then mixing it with Iya water. It’s then kneaded into a dough and cut into strips, before being boiled. When served as a soup, the delicious waters of the region are also a feature of the dashi broth. Iya soba is often topped with deep-fried tofu, fish cakes, green onions and mountain vegetables.

Kōchi prefecture: Bonito Searing Experience at Tanaka Fresh Fish Store

Boasting the highest per capita consumption of bonito in the country, katsuo-no-tataki or seared bonito is the signature dish of Kōchi prefecture. About an hour south of Kōchi city, the small port town of Kure has a 400-year history in bonito fishing harking from the days of the feudal Tosa domain.

The family-owned Tanaka Fresh Fish Store (Tanaka Sengyoten), now in its fourth generation of ownership, has been operating out of Kure’s Taishō-machi Market for over 100 years. The store prides itself on being a mere 5-minute drive from the port’s auction facility, giving their customers access to the freshest of seafood. You can select any fresh fish from the daily offerings and have it cooked and served to you at their on-site ‘fishermen’s hut’ (Ryōshi-goya).

By prior reservation, you can even try searing your own bonito over wara (straw), which produces an extremely intense flame and completes the cooking process in just a minute and 10 seconds. While the fish may appear overly charred from the outside, once cut you’ll find that the flash-grill method has only penetrated the fish by a few millimeters, leaving the stunning red-purple flesh to be enjoyed sashimi-style with just a hint of smokiness from the seared exterior.

It’s usually enjoyed with raw garlic and green onions, and dipped in salt or a special tare combining soy sauce and yuzu, a citrus fruit also famous in Kōchi prefecture. Reservations for the straw cooking experience (wara-yaki-taiken) must be made at least one day in advance (may be unavailable during special holiday periods).

Kōchi prefecture: Washi paper making at Kamikoya

For more than 1400 years, washi (Japanese paper) has been handcrafted in Kōchi prefecture. The 77-mile Niyodo River is consistently ranked as Japan’s purest river, and it and other exquisite water sources have made Kōchi prefecture the ideal environment for producing this age-old craft.

Dutch washi paper master Rogier Uitenboogaart, who came to Japan 40 years ago to study the art of Japanese paper, now imparts his wisdom at his family-owned guesthouse and washi studio Kamikoya in an idyllic mountain setting on the outskirts of Yusuhara, dubbed “the town above the clouds.”

You’ll have the opportunity to learn traditional methods of Tosa paper making, working with a fibrous pulp made of ingredients organically grown and harvested on the property – such as the steamed bark of kōzo (paper mulberry) or mitsumata (oriental paperbush), along with the all-important neri, a mucilaginous liquid derived from okra that changes the viscosity of the water and allows the natural fibers to be dispersed throughout the paper.

Among the atmospheric fog that often rolls in, handpick flowers and foliage from their self-sufficient mountainside garden, sustainably nourished from high annual precipitation, to add to your creation. Once your work has dried naturally, it can be sent to you by post and is popularly crafted into a lantern.

Kagawa prefecture: Soy sauce at Kamebishi brewery

Founded in 1753 by the seventh generation of the Okada family, Kamebishi has been in the business of quality soy sauce for over 270 years. Now in its 18th generation, the brewery is the only in Japan to maintain the “mushiro kōji” method of production.

This manual method involves layering on straw mats soaked and steamed domestic soybeans and roasted ground wheat with a fermentation culture, of which the brewery is home to around 230 different types, to produce mold-innoculated grains called kōji that are essential to soy sauce production. More labor-intensive than the use of machines, this technique is said to nurture the “liveliness” of the microorganisms for a more complex and dynamic flavor.

Kamebishi not only uses locally-sourced still water in the preparation of its premium soy sauce, but adds a small amount of salt bittern, known as nigari, derived from deep ocean water off Shikoku’s Muroto coast. Once the nigari is added, the soy sauce is aged in 100-year-old cedar barrels for 2-3 years and even up to several decades.

To understand the process in full, it’s recommended to take a brewery tour, which includes the opportunity to taste-test various vintages of soy sauce. Reservations are required three days in advance. From around May to October, enjoy udon featuring Kamebishi’s soy sauce and the fermentation mash ‘moromi’ at the on-site udon restaurant.

Kagawa prefecture: Shikoku-mura water features

Shikoku-mura is an open-air museum on the lower reaches of Yashima, a tabletop mountain 20 minutes’ drive from Takamatsu city, exhibiting relocated and restored historical buildings from all over Shikoku.

The buildings, ranging from the Edo to the Taishō eras (the early 17th to 20th centuries), include former workshops, theaters, storehouses, breweries and residences, and among them, water features that draw the visitor up and through this culturally-rich hillside precinct, starting with the small pond just beyond the entrance.

Here you’ll be invited into the village by way of a vine bridge (Kazurabashi) made of 3.5 tons of hardy kiwi vines, a reproduction of the famous vine bridges of the Iya Valley. Crossing the pond via the bridge as an entry point is designed to give the feeling of stepping into another world.

Once inside, be sure to venture to Somegataki, a 40-foot-wide cascading waterfall by sculptor Masayuki Nagare made of foundation stones of private homes from the Meiji and Taishō eras (1868-1926). Nearby, another piece by the same sculptor (‘Stonework’) is a working fountain that directs its flow into the falls.

In the ‘Upland Area’ of the precinct, don’t miss the Waterscape Garden of Shikoku-mura Gallery, designed by famed Japanese architect Tadao Andō. From the gallery, the descending steps allow visitors to walk into the art and become part of the tiered water feature.