Sanuki Udon to Advance Overseas, New Trend of Japanese Cuisine?

Sushi, ramen, cup noodle - now what? Sanuki Udon, naturally, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun August 20. In fact, Udon is fast gaining popularity in nearby Asian countries as local udon houses in Kagawa, the home of Sanuki Udon, are advancing abroad and some Sanuki-trained foreign udon chefs are opening their own udon houses back home. Why Udon, of all noodles?

Udon is a noodle featuring a unique level al dende for which Sanuki, latter-day Kagawa, is so well known. Sanuki udon is registered an intangible cultural heritage in Washoku or Japanese cuisine and fast drawing global attention. 

President Tamotu Kurokawa, 53, of Takamatsu's "Tamoya Udon House" operating 12 outlets in Shikoku comments: "We appreciate our original flavoring and marketing style are accepted just as they are". Tamoya Udon House has now three outlets in Singapore where they offer a bowl of Sanuki Udon for 4.8 Singapore dollars (Y420) roughly half the price of ramen. Families flock over the weekends. Reactions on the net are very promising: "The noodle is done at just right level of ad dente; the soup is extraordinary", "Wakame (seaweed) is delicious, good for health", etc. Tamaya udon House will open three outlets in Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam this month and onwards.

Another udon house "Kodawari Men-ya" opened its own outlet in Malaysia in October, 2014, and eyes on opening a series of outlets in the United States and the Philippines. 

Most ambitious is the marketing strategy of Toridoll Corporation of Kobe, home of Marugame Udon, currently operates over 1,000 outlets at home and abroad. 

Presdent Masamichi Hata of Takamatsu University and chairman of the Japan Udon Academy has this to say: "You only need flour, salt and water. Nothing more and all these anybody can get anywhere. That means udon business is wide open for anyone to challenge."