Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Agnes Hotel Tokushima アグネスホテル徳島

Stayed 16.11.2014 (Sun)
Booked thru' Jalan.net
- Single room = 6,000 yen
- Twin room = 13,000 yen

Left: Agnes Hotel; Right:Agnes Hotel Plus

Chose Agnes Hotel as it was recommended in Shikoku co-Trip guide. Was expecting this hotel to exceed my budget solely based on first impression (from the pictures I see from the hotel website) but prices were quite affordable and competitive. Agnes Hotel actually takes on a similar concept to other business budget hotel chains such as Toyoko Inn. This modern hotel has a cafe and pastry boutique, located on the first level. Simple buffet style breakfast was served in the cafe, such as freshly made bread by their in house bakery, fruits and Washouku (rice, miso soup and side dishes). Room wise - clean, relatively spacious room (15 m2) with all basic amenities well taken care of. 

Later found out that Agnes Hotel, together with several other hotels in Tokushima are managed by the same company. Agnes Hotel Plus, which is located just opposite Agnes Hotel, is equipped with a communal bathhouse. Was given a voucher to try out the bathhouse during check in but did not get to utilize it. Spotted Four Season Hotel just around the corner, which is also managed by the same group, and was attracted to their petite sized, cosy looking coffee house. Overall, I am very satisfied with my stay and will recommend Agnes Hotel for sightseeing purposes in Tokushima city. 

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What's nearby?

(1) Tokushima JR Station and Bus Terminal, about 5 mins walk away.
Directions: Turn right upon exit from the train station. Turn left on the first corner, continue to walk straight until you see a slip road on the right. Turn into the road and walk straight down - you will first see Four Season Hotel, followed by Domannaka restaurant and Agnes Hotel last. 

(2) Domannaka どまん中, a Wafu dining restaurant owned by Agnes Hotel group, located about 1 min walk away. Had a good dinner here, savoring Awa Odori chicken reared in Tokushima Prefecture, which is well known for its firm texture, sweet taste and has less fat than average chicken.

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Agnes Hotel Tokushima アグネスホテル徳島

〒770-0831 徳島県徳島市寺島本町西1-28

http://www.agneshotel.jp/

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Tokushima JR Station 徳島駅

Hotel Clement and Clement Plaza in Tokushima JR Station. 

Tokushima JR Station (M00, T00) is an interchange train station for Kotoku, Mugi and Tokushima lines.

Some limited express, themed and local trains that serve Tokushima JR Station: 

(1) Yu Yu Anpanman train
- departs from Takamatsu for Tokushima, once a day.
- makes two round trips between Tokushima and Awa Ikeda, along Tokushima line.
Anpanman train: http://www.jr-eki.com/aptrain/index.html
Train is operated on specific dates, typically on weekends and public holidays.
(2) Limted Express Uzushio (うずしお), commutes between Takamatsu and Tokushima, along Kotoku line. 

(3) Limited Express Tsurugisan (剣山), commutes between Tokushima and Awa Ikeda, along Tokushima line.
(4) Limited Express Muroto (むろと), commutes between Awa Ikeda, Tokushima and Mugi, along Mugi line.
(5) Local train to Naruto, via Naruto line.

Bottom: Limited Express Tsurugisan departing from Tokushima for Awa Ikeda.

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What's nearby?

(1) JR Clement Hotel Tokushima, Clement Plaza, Tourist Information Center
JR Clement Hotel is connected seamlessly to the train station, in fact it is literally just above it. Clement Plaza, is the connecting mall comprises of a wide range of shops and restaurants. Tourist information center is located on the 6th floor of Clement Plaza. This was my first destination I headed for because I needed help to reserve seats for Oboke Iya Sightseeing Tour two days later. Both English and Mandarin speaking staff were stationed here and they were patient and helpful in attending to my requests.
- Clement Plaza: http://www.clementplaza.com/
- Tokushima Tourism Website: http://www.awanavi.jp/

Left: Bus terminal for buses to Naruto and Tokushima Awa Odori Airport.

(2) Bus Terminal バスターミナル
- Bus Stop #1 for Bus 27 to Naruto Koen 鳴門公園 to witness Naruto whirlpools at Uzunomichi.
Bus journey takes approx 1 hr 15 mins; Fee = 710 yen.
The other way to get to Naruto Koen is via a combination of train and bus. Take the local train from Tokushima JR Station and transfer to a bus in front of Naruto JR Station. Though the duration of train journey is shorter, there is a long transit time during the changeover from train to bus (can be as long as an hour). For my trip, I took the bus directly from the bus terminal to Naruto Koen and used a combination of bus and train on my return trip because I wanted to visit Naruto JR Station.
Bus schedule: http://www.tokubus.co.jp/?page_id=4805

- Bus Stop #2 for Airport Limousine Bus to Tokushima Awa Odori Airport.
Bus journey takes approx 28 mins; Fee = 440 yen.
Bus schedule: http://www.tokubus.co.jp/?page_id=49

Right: SOGO to meet your shopping needs.

(3) SOGO
Conveniently located about 3 mins walk from the train station. Apart from SOGO being the anchor tenant, familiar brands such as Kinokuniya, Uniqlo, MUJI and Loft are also found in the same building. Do note that shops close pretty early at 1930 hrs and restaurants on the 9th storey close at 2100 hrs.

Awa Odori Kaikan & Mt Bizan in the background.

(4) Awa Odori Kaikan 阿波踊り会館 & Mt Bizan 眉山

Located about 10 - 15 mins walk away from the train station. Awa Odori is an important cultural dance in Tokushima city and has a rich history of over 400 years. The annual dance festival is held between 12 - 15 August and attracts more than a million of visitors to this small city which only has a population of 260,000! If you visit Tokushima city outside of the festival period, Awa Odori Kaikan is definitely a place to head down to experience a snippet of the dynamic and joyous dance performance. Attended the night session (held at 2000 hrs) and I enjoyed myself throughout the 50 minutes duration performance!
From the 5th storey of Awa Odori Kaikan, one can also take the ropeway to get to the summit of Mt Bizan. Stands at 290 m tall, a good aerial view of Tokushima city can be seen from the observatory on a clear day. Unfortunately, I did not get to visit Mt Bizan due to insufficient time.
- Awa Odori Kaikan 阿波踊り会館: http://www.awaodori-kaikan.jp/
- Mt Bizan 眉山: http://www.awaodori-kaikan.jp/bizan-ropeway/

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Commemorative stamp:

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Yu Yu Anpanman Car ゆうゆうアンパンマ ンカー

Travelled on 16.11.2014 (Sun)

Anpanman (アンパンマ ン) is almost analogous to Shikoku. This is because Takashi Yanase (柳瀬 嵩), the artist who created this popular bread hero anime, spent his childhood in Kami (香美郡), a district in Kochi Prefecture. In Shikoku, you can find Anpanman very easily - numerous merchandises featuring this adorable character and his friends; bakeries selling Anpanman bread; in Kami district, you can take an Anpanman themed bus to visit Anpanman Museum; even Anpanman themed trains operate on this island! Goes to show how well loved he is by locals - both adults and children! 

It is always a challenge to slot in special themed train rides into any itinerary especially when these trains only operate on specific dates. Fortunately, I was able to coincide the train journey from Takamatsu to Tokushima with Yu Yu Anpanman car timing on a Sunday, as this train normally operates on weekends and public holidays. In fact, Yu Yu Anpanman car is not a train by itself. Instead it is a single train carriage connected to two other limited express trains: 

- Limited Express Uzushio, which commutes from Takamatsu to Tokushima via Takamatsu line.
- Limited Express Tsurugisan, which commutes between Tokushima and Awa Ikeda via Tokushima line.
For my trip, I boarded Limited Express Uzushio at Takamatsu Station at 1011 hrs and alighted at Tokushima Station at 1125 hrs. Fares are covered by All Shikoku Pass without additional fare top up. Do visit JR Shikoku website to confirm the train operating schedule.

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Highlights

Was delighted to see this blue train carriage, beautifully wrapped with pictures of Anpanman and his friends, waiting for the arrival of its passengers at Takamatsu JR Station. Yu Yu Anpanman car is divided into two sections; 20 reserved seats in one section and the other one is a children playground. 

Bottom left: Hand drawn Anpanman on the wall by Takashi Yanase; Bottom right: Parents can secure their strollers here. 

Family oriented train. Most passengers on board this train were families with small kids. Apart from the playground, there were other features catered to their needs such as designating a baby room and allocating a small area at the back of the car for strollers to be placed and secured. The playground is a heaven for kids and this was the first place most families headed for as soon as they boarded the train. A very child friendly design: the floor of the play area were laid with cushion mats such that it is more gentle to touch or any slips and falls and there are some dividers within the play area with small tunnels for kids to crawl through. After kids have played enough to return to their seats, parents can also retrieved books placed on a stand at the back of the cabin to read to their kids. 

Right: Kids' heaven!

He is eveywhere! All the seats in this car have comfortable green colored cushions with the lovable Anpanman, striking different poses, on them. You can spot the characters almost every corner of the train carriage - Anpanman flying above your head on the ceiling, checked floor carpet with their adorable faces and Anpanman and his friends to surprise you as you pull down the table in front of your seat. There is even a picture of Anpanman, Baikinman and Dokin-chan hand drawn on the wall at the back of the cabin by Takashi Yanase in Oct 2002, when this themed car was first introduced. Throughout this joyful train ride, the atmosphere here is brightened up by both the infectious laughter of kids and the contented smiles on the faces of all parents.  

Ekiben. Bought two Anpanman bento meals from Takamatsu JR Station to complete the full Anpanman experience on board this themed train. These bento boxes or "ekiben" are specially designed for kids, therefore the servings are much lesser than the conventional ones. Based on what I read from JR Shikoku website, these Anpanman ekiben are only on sale at ekiben sale counters located in Takamatsu and Kochi stations.

- Anpanman bento (アンパンマン弁当), priced at 1,140 yen.
Comes with a small plastic Anpanman bottle (but not filled with any drinks), tomato sauce rice shaped and decorated to Anpanman's face, yakisoba, chicken kaarage, pork sausage, edamame and jelly.

- Genki 100 bai! (げんき１００ばい！), priced at 1,240 yen.
Translates as "full of energy", the lid of the round container is Anpanman's face with his signature red cheeks and nose. This is slightly more expensive than Anpanman bento because it uses a greater variety of ingredients. The center, round compartment was stuffed with chicken rice and decorated with black bean (eyes), carrot (nose), sausage (cheeks) and sauces (eyebrows and mouth) to depict Anpanman's face. The circumferential compartments were filled with chicken nugget, steamed pumpkin and sweet potato slices, plain omelette, siew mai, mini beef patty. mini tomato and jelly. A too-cute-to-be-eaten ekiben which will make any kid sit down quietly to enjoy his/her exclusive meal.

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Other Anpanman themed trains:

Took Limited Express Nanpu from Awa Ikeda to Kochi. Bottom left: Stone figurine of Anpanman at Gomen Station.

(1) Anpanman trains on Dosan line. Operate everyday.

- Limted Express Nanpu, which commutes between Okayama, Kochi and Nakamura.
- Limited Express Ashizuri, which commute between Kochi, Nakamura and Sukumo. 

Managed to hop onto an Anpanman train while we were travelling from Awa Ikeda to Kochi. Only a portion of the seats in the 1st cabin has red Anpanman seat covers and the walls and curtains are decorated with Anpanman. Normal seats in the rest of the train carriages with Anpanamn and his friends appearing only on the ceilings.

Spotted Baikinman train at Matsuyama Station.

(2) Trains featuring other characters such as Dokin-chan (ドキンちゃん), Baikinman (ばいきんまん), Creampanda (クリームパンダ) and Melonpanna (メロンパンナ). Operate everyday.
- Limited Express Shiokaze, which commutes between Okayama. Matsuyama and Uwajima.
- Limited Express Ishizuchi, which commutes between Takamatsu, Matsuyama and Uwajima.
- Limited Express Uwakai, which commutes between Matsuyama and Uwajima. 

(3) Anpanman Torokko train, usually in operation on weekends and public holidays.
- Route 1: commutes between Okayama and Kotohira
- Route 2: commutes between Okayama and Takamatsu

Website: http://www.jr-eki.com/aptrain/

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Day 4 Tokushima 德岛

Day 4: 16.11.2014 (Sun)
* Day 1 of 5 days All Shikoku Rail Pass

Visited Angel Road エンジェルロード.

Breakfast: Shodoshima International (Kokusai) Hotel 小豆島国際ホテル

Free shuttle service to Tonosho Port 土庄港.

Tonosho Port 土庄港 (0910 hrs) > Takamatsu Port 高松築港 (0945 hrs)
by speedcraft. [35 mins, 1,170 yen]

Takamatsu JR高松駅 (1011 hrs) > Tokushima JR 徳島駅 (1125 hrs)
by Limited Express Uzushio 7 with Anpanman Car ゆうゆうアンパンマ ンカー.

Lunch: Anpanman ekiben, on board train

Check in: Agnes Hotel Tokushima アグネスホテル徳島

http://www.agneshotel.jp/

Visited Tourist Information Center @ Clement Plaza Level 6.
Booked Oboke Iya 1 day Sightseeing Tour (18.11.2014).

Tokushima Bus Terminal 徳島バスターミナル (1300 hrs) > Naruto Koen 鳴門公園 (1414 hrs)
by Toku Bus. [710 yen]

Onaruto Bridge viewed from Eska Hill.

Visited
(1) Uzunomichi 渦の道
(2) Eddy エデイ [(1) + (2) = 900 yen]
http://www.uzunomichi.jp/english/
(3) Eska Hill エスカヒル [400 yen]

http://www.narutokanko.co.jp/eskahill/

Naruto Koen 鳴門公園 (1636 hrs) > Naruto JR 鳴門駅
by Toku Bus. [310 yen]

Naruto JR 鳴門駅 (1717 hrs) > Tokushima JR 徳島駅 (1754 hrs)
by local train.

Dinner: Domannaka どまん中
http://wa-domannaka.jp/

Awa Odori Performance

Visited Awa Odori Kaikan 阿波おどり会館 to watch Awa Odori performance at 2000 hrs.

http://www.awaodori-kaikan.jp/

- End of Day 4 -

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Shodoshima International Hotel 小豆島国際ホテル

Stayed 15.11.2014 (Sat)
Booked thru' Jalan.net
- Western and Japanese room (3 occupants) = 17,280 yen/pax + 450 yen/pax (bathing tax)

Shodoshima International Hotel viewed from the other end of the sandbank.

Highlights: 

Hotel or/and Angel Road? Decided to stay overnight in Shodoshima on such that we can tour the island at a much leisure pace. Apart from its beautiful natural scenery, olive cultivation and high quality soy sauce production, this small island has its own natural hot spring sources as well. Shodoshima International Hotel is one of the largest scale hotel equipped with hot spring facilities here. On most occasions, I will try not to choose too touristy or commercialized hotel (to avoid large tour groups) as much as possible but I was very much attracted to the location of this hotel this time round. This hotel is located just beside the Angel Road and a picturesque view of this sandbank which appears only twice per day during low tide can be captured from most of the rooms. How wonderful is that! During my stay in this hotel, I visited the Angel Road twice, conveniently - once when the sandbank disappeared and on the next morning when the sandbank reappeared again. 

Bottom left: Spacious hotel lobby; Right: Western and Japanese style room.

Room, service and facilities. Reserved a Western and Japanese style room, comes with two single beds and futons. Room was very spacious (~30 m2) with an unobstructed view of Angel Road. Upon check in, staff from the front desk confirmed our preferred dinner and breakfast time; and whether we would like to utilize the complimentary bus service to Tonosho Port on the following day. Hotel has a spacious lobby and sofa seats arranged to face the beach. Complimentary coffee and tea bags were placed beside the front desk for guests to enjoy; do check out the forecast of low and high tides with the front desk as well. There is a shop selling souvenirs produced in Shodoshima and Kagawa Prefecture, just outside one of the two communal bath houses. Swimming pool is open to guests in summer. 

Sea bream feast! Both meals were served in the ballroom. Unknowingly, I chose the sea bream course (鯛ずくし会席) for dinner when I reserved the room online. I felt this dinner was more of a sea bream "feast" for me because the fish, freshly caught from Seto Inland Sea, appeared in most of the dishes. A whole sea bream sashimi (each), together with the head and tail, was served as soon as we sat down at our assigned table. In addition to that, we had thinly sliced sea bream for shabu shabu, a sea bream head stewed with soy sauce and root vegetables and sea bream rice cooked in kamameshi style (釜飯, rice cooked with other ingredients in a hot pot). This is definitely my first time having to eat so much sea bream in one night; and I am not sure whether I will do that again. On the other hand, breakfast was buffet style with a good selection of both Western (such as omelette, bacon strips, sausages and bread) and Japanese food. 

A tranquil town.

Onsen. There are two communal bathhouses, Olive no Yu (オリーブの湯) and Hamakaze no Yu (浜風の湯) and each has both indoor and outdoor pools. There is a changeover at midnight to allow hotel guests to experience both bathhouses during an overnight stay. Hot spring source is mildly alkaline, removes cuticles and leaves a soapy feeling on your skin. Do two things at a time: enjoyed a relaxing soak in the outdoor pool of Olive no Yu and a scenic view of Angel Road. 

Room with unobstructed view of Angel Road; reappearance of the sandbank during dusk.

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Shodoshima International Hotel 小豆島国際ホテル
〒761-4106 香川県小豆島土庄町銀波浦
http://www.shodoshima-kh.jp/

How to get there? 

(1) Complimentary pick up service from Tonosho Port (土庄港). A service provided by the hotel, the microbus journey takes around 5 minutes. Reservations are required to utilise the microbus service to/fro Tonosho Port (via phone or email). http://www.shodoshima-kh.jp/access/

(2) Shodoshima Olive Bus:

• From Tonosho Port (土庄港), take Nishiura line (East loop) or Tanoura Eiga Mura line (heading for Eiga Mura) and alight in front of hotel. 
• From Ikeda Port (池田港) & Kusakabe Port (草壁港), take Tanoura Eiga Mura line (heading for Ikeda Port) and alight in front of hotel. 

Nishiura line (西浦線): http://www.shodoshima-olive-bus.com/dia/dia_nishiura.pdf
Tanoura Eiga Mura line (田ノ浦映画村線): http://www.shodoshima-olive-bus.com/dia/dia_tanoura.pdf

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Angel Road エンジェルロード

Visited 15.11.2014 (Sat)

Disappearance of Angel Road when we visited it in the evening.

Mysterious road. Yet another creation of nature but labeled with an endearing name. Angel Road is a sandbar which makes a brief stint during low tide, opening a path to a offshore island which is less than 100 m away from the main island of Shodoshima. Have seen a similar phenomenon in Ibusuki (Chringashima 知林ヶ島) but did not have the chance to walk on the sandbank then. Made it a point to stay at Shodoshima International Hotel, strategically located a stone throw away from the Angel Road, to witness the changing faces of the sandbank. Came to the Angel Road twice. When we arrived at the hotel in the evening, the sandbank was gradually being submerged under water and we could not cross over to the nearby island. The sandbank reappeared early next morning and we did a leisure stroll along the sandbank just before heading down for breakfast.

Symbol of happiness. As it takes some luck to see sandbar, there is a belief that if you hold the hands of an important person to you and cross the Angel Road together, wishes made will come true. On the offshore island, there are numerous shells/wooden plaques with words of well-wishes written on them and hung on the trees - a common practice/activity that people engaged in when they visit a place believed to have spiritual powers. The best place to get a good overview of Angel Road is at an observatory (yakusoku no oka tenbodai 約束の丘展望台) located at the start of the sandbar on the main island. Apart from a panoramic view of the shoreline at different times of the day, visitors can also sound the bell of happiness found on the summit of this small hill. Angel Road is a mysteriously beautiful natural landscape which is not too out of the way for visitors to Shodoshima. 

Successfully crossed the sandbar early next morning.

View of main island from the other end of Angel Road.

Sound the bell of happiness on the observatory.

Climbed up the observatory to capture a good view of Angel Road.

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Angel Road エンジェルロード
香川県小豆郡土庄町銀波浦
Free admission.
http://www.town.tonosho.kagawa.jp/kanko/tnks/info133.html

High and low tide forecast: http://www.town.tonosho.kagawa.jp/kanko/tnks/info38.html
The best times (equivalent to the lowest tide) in the morning and afternoon are provided for each day. The sandbank exists between 3 hours before and after the indicated best times i.e. duration of 6 hours. For example, if the lowest tide occurs at 0600 hours, the sandbank will appear from 0300 to 0900 hours.

How to get there?

Shodoshima Olive Bus:

• From Tonosho Port (土庄港), take Nishiura line (East loop) or Tanoura Eiga Mura line (heading for Eiga Mura) and alight at Shodoshima International Hotel. 
• From Ikeda Port (池田港) & Kusakabe Port (草壁港), take Tanoura Eiga Mura line (heading for Ikeda Port) and alight at Shodoshima International Hotel. 

Nishiura line (西浦線): http://www.shodoshima-olive-bus.com/dia/dia_nishiura.pdf
Tanoura Eiga Mura line (田ノ浦映画村線): http://www.shodoshima-olive-bus.com/dia/dia_tanoura.pdf

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Video: Scroll to 17:15 for 玩乐志's feature on Angel Road.

Shikoku Autumn 2014 四国秋季之旅 - Yama Roku Shoyu Factory ヤマロク醤油

Visited 15.11.2014 (Sat)

Preserve food heritage. Shodoshima is an island where miracle is created - apart from being the first place in Japan to cultivate olive successfully, it is also a place where food heritage is faithfully preserved to produce the highest quality soy sauce. Though technology has become increasingly accessible and enhances work efficiency, some manufacturing processes remains time consuming and labour intensive, in order to produce highest quality products. Yama Roku is one of the few left in Japan which retained the traditional method of soy sauce production. In the early days, soy beans are fermented in large wooden containers called kioke (木桶) over a long period of time to harvest this essential seasoning ingredient in food. The number of people employing this method decreases as technology progresses, resulting in a decline in kioke demand and the disappearance of kioke construction skills is impended. The owner of Yama Roku decided to made his way to Sakai in Osaka to master the skill of kioke making; to ensure that future generation can enjoy "genuine" soy sauce brewed in the best method upheld by Japanese since the old days. A noble ambition indeed. Now, with its perseverance, Yama Roku has an impressive possession of 61 kioke, handmade from cedar wood tied together by bamboo found on this island and renowned for its excellent soy sauce quality.

Plant tour. Before we embarked on the plant tour, we were each handed a brush to swipe off the dust on our clothings; as the dust could be "poisons" to the micro-organisms which are crucial to the fermentation process. Glad to be assigned a guide was able to explain the manufacturing process of soy sauce in decently good English. As he pulled open the huge gates to the warehouse where wooden containers of fermented black soy beans are kept, an overpowering, savoury odour of soy sauce hit us right away. The wooden containers looked rotten on the outside, well in fact, they have been in use for several decades and are fully covered by bacteria. Was allowed to climb up the wooden stairs to get a peek of the brown viscous liquid brewing in kioke.

Do note! Please refrain from eating natto beans prior to the visit as the microbes are weaker than natto bacteria. You will be warned not to touch the exterior of the containers as you may disturb/kill the thriving microbes in the damp environment.

The entire tour lasted about 15 - 20 minutes and at the end of the tour, we got to taste their creations too.
- Tsuru Bishio (鶴醤): This soy sauce is naturally brewed in cedar barrels. Such method only accounts for less than 1% of overall soy sauce production in Japan. It takes about 4 years to produce this sauce which is characterised by its rich mellow flavour.
- Kiku Bishio (菊醤): This brand of soy sauce takes about 2 years to complete production and is characterised by a light flavour. Used in sushi, sashimi, tofu, grilled fish and many other Japanese cuisine.
- Ponzu Sauce (ポン酢): Stock cooked from bonito flakes and kelp, sudachi juice (a type of Japanese citrus fruit) and yuzu juice are added to the soy sauce. Good as a salad dressing, for grilled meat and shabu-shabu.
- Kiku Tsuyu (菊つゆ): Stock cooked from bonito flakes and kelp are added to the soy sauce. Used as the soup base for somen, udon and soba.

Unexpected flavours. Dessert with soy sauce has never crossed my mind until I saw the light snacks menu offered by Yama Roku. Here, ice cream are actually served with their signature Tsuru Bishio! Carefully poured a few drops of soy sauce onto the vanilla ice cream and the outcome was unexpected. The sauce created this aromatic and sweet caramel flavour taste in the mouth, completely different from I imagined it to be. Also tried out the rest of the food items on its menu - soy sauce flavoured pudding and roasted rice cakes (mochi) brushed with the lighter soy sauce, Kiku Bishio. All tasted good but the taste is not as mind blowing as ice cream with soy sauce. The soy sauce was so rich and delicious that I did contemplate to lug a few bottles back; but decided to give it a miss as we had to travel light. Nevertheless, the brand "Yama Roku" has already been locked in my mind from this short visit. Apart from the high quality soy sauce, their spirit of preserving heritage is something I will relate their name to.

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Yama Roku Shoyu Factory ヤマロク醤油
〒761-4411 香川県小豆郡小豆島町安田甲1607
Opening hours: 0900 - 1700 hrs
Free admission
http://yama-roku.net/

How to get there? 

(1) By bus + walk
Directions from the nearest bus stop is provided on their website: http://yama-roku.net/yamaroku/access.html
- From Tonosho Port (土庄港), take Nishiura line (East loop) heading for Fukuda Port (福田港) and alight at Yasudakami (安田上) bus stop. Walk for another 20 minutes to reach Yama Roku.
Nishiura line (西浦線): http://www.shodoshima-olive-bus.com/dia/dia_nishiura.pdf

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Video: Yama Roku featured in Go Go Japan.