Nakano Udon School Kotohira
A noodle school where you take Sanuki udon from flour to bowl in twelve steps.
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Nakano Udon School Kotohira
SaveA noodle school where you take Sanuki udon from flour to bowl in twelve steps.
Children jump on the bagged dough to pop hits while everyone else shakes a tambourine.
MoreWhat kind of place
Nakano Udon School is run by Nakanoya, which opened in 1914 as Nakano Yuhodo on the approach to Kotohira-gu Shrine.
It started the school in 1981, betting that making Sanuki udon yourself was something people would travel for — industrial tourism, in the company's own phrasing.
The company profile counts more than 800,000 students since then, from China, Taiwan, Korea, the US, Germany, the UK and elsewhere. The Kotohira campus seats 320 and takes about 80 people per session.
Everyone works through the same twelve steps and leaves with a graduation certificate mounted like a hanging scroll, rolling pin attached.
Sources and evidence (30)
- The class makes handmade Sanuki udon from just two things: wheat flour and salt water.source
- The class moves through twelve steps, beginning at check-in and ending with a graduation certificate and either eating your udon or packing it to take home.source
- To fit the time, the dough has already been rested, and each person stretches one portion by hand and with a rolling pin.source
- You fold the stretched sheet accordion-style and cut it with a knife into strands about 3 to 4 millimeters wide, roughly an eighth of an inch.source
- One step is set aside for taking photos of the noodles you made, with photo props on hand.source
- An udon teacher gives a short lesson, explaining that because the dough ferments, the temperature and the amount of salt have to change with the season.source
- Making the dough from flour is done as a group rather than one person at a time, with the dough sealed in a bag and kneaded by foot in time with music.source
- Once every step is done, you are handed a graduation certificate shaped like a hanging scroll, with an udon rolling pin attached.source
- If you are eating what you made, the group moves to the restaurant and boils the noodles together in one pot.source
- If you are taking the noodles home, each person's go into their own package marked with their name and sealed with an oxygen absorber.source
- Take-home noodles come with Nakano Udon School's own udon broth.source
- If you eat in the dining hall, you can order sides such as rice balls and tempura alongside your udon.source
- Aprons and everything else you need are provided, so you can come empty-handed.source
- It stands along the main approach to Konpira-san, marked by the Nakano Udon School sign.source
- It is a 10-minute walk from JR Kotohira Station.source
- From Takamatsu Airport it is about 40 minutes by bus, then 3 minutes from the Konpira-san entrance stop.source
- It is about a 30-minute drive from the Yoshima rest area on the Seto-Ohashi Bridge, or 80 minutes by train from JR Okayama Station.source
- It is run by Nakanoya, a company founded in 1914 as Nakano Yuhodo on the approach to Kotohira-gu Shrine.source
- In 1981 the company opened Nakano School so visitors could make Sanuki udon themselves, treating the craft as industrial tourism.source
- The company profile says more than 800,000 people in total have attended, coming from China, Taiwan, Korea, the US, Germany, the UK and elsewhere.source
- A paid lot with 30 spaces sits just before the building, and staff point you to nearby paid parking lots when it is full.source
- Shikoku's official tourism site also lists the facility as having 30 paid parking spaces.source
- One visitor parked at Building B and walked over to Building A, and on a rainy day the Building B staff lent them an umbrella (review from March 2021).source
- During the foot-kneading step, whoever is not stomping plays a tambourine to keep the room going.source
- The parting gift was a choice between a hanging scroll combining the recipe book, rolling pin, graduation certificate and an old map, or two packs of curry udon (account of a March 2025 visit).source
- At a 2 p.m. session in June 2024, check-in was on the first floor and the classroom on the third, so the class itself takes place inside the building.source
- The two buildings are called the Main Building (A) and Building B, meaning the Main Building and Building A are one and the same.source
- One session in June 2024 included participants from Hong Kong and Taiwan.source
- A family's review from August 2020 said anyone who can go up and down stairs should be able to take part.source
- A review from December 2018 describes eating their own noodles kamaage-style, in the restaurant one floor below the classroom.source
With kidsThe part that matters
Right on the main approach to Konpira-san, a twelve-step class takes you from flour to a bowl of Sanuki udon, all of it indoors and upstairs.
Children climb onto dough sealed in a bag and stomp it in time with pop music, and whoever isn't stomping shakes a tambourine.
Knives come out at the cutting step, so the school gives elementary school age as a rough guideline and asks that younger children work alongside an adult — at one March 2025 class, a father who hadn't signed up stayed in the room to help his 5-year-old with the knife.
Aprons and everything else are provided, and nobody is charged extra when a small child makes the session run long.
Plan on about 50 minutes to make your udon and pack it for home, or 30 minutes more to eat it there — say which at check-in, because changing after the class may not be possible.
Sources and evidence (4)
- Aprons on, name on your take-home bag, then rolling aged dough and cutting it 3-4mm. About 50 minutes in all.source
- Four went, two paid: whoever isn't treading the dough gets a tambourine. Your noodles are bagged like a shop product.source
- Noodles cut about 5mm wide, then boiled in the dining hall and eaten kama-age. You carry home a rolling pin and dough.source
- Ten minutes on foot from JR Kotohira. Check in on the first floor, class is upstairs on the third; 2pm session.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1Making the dough from flour is done as a group: the dough goes into a bag and everyone stamps on it in time to music. Whoever is not stamping shakes a tambourine to keep it going, so a baby in your arms sits inside a circle of music and clapping. One family booked for two and came as four, with two companions who did not take the class.There is no changing room, but there is a baby room. There are 13 restrooms in all, separated by gender, and an accessible restroom. On one visit reception was on the first floor and the classroom on the third, at a 14:00 session in June 2024. Aprons and everything else are provided, so you can come empty-handed. Reception can take time, so they ask you to arrive 15 minutes before your session. You may not bring in food.
- Ages 2-3In the step where the dough goes into a bag and everyone stamps to music, children bounce on the bag in time to the song. After the rolled sheet is folded screen-style and cut, there is a photo step with props where you pose with the noodles you made. When all the steps are done, you get a diploma mounted as a hanging scroll with a rolling pin attached.The school says any age can join but that, because knives are used, elementary school age is the guideline, and it recommends preschool children work paired with an adult. If things run long because you are with a small child, there is no extra charge. Figure about 50 minutes for the class plus take-home, and about 30 more if you eat there. Say at reception whether you will eat your noodles or take them home; changing after the class may not be possible.
- Ages 4-6Each person gets one ball of rested dough, stretches it with a rolling pin and by hand, folds it screen-style and cuts it 3 to 4 mm wide. One account has a five-year-old doing the knife work with an adult helping. If you eat there, you move to the restaurant and the group boils the noodles together in one pot. If you take them home, they go into a package with your own name on it, sealed with an oxygen absorber, and the school's noodle broth comes with it.Preschool children are advised to work paired with an adult. In one account the companions who were not taking the class came into the classroom too, and a father who was not enrolled helped his five-year-old with the knife, in March 2025. The class is 1,760 yen including tax per person, or 1,980 if you take it alone. A Jalan booking plan sets its own age condition, one person aged 6 and up from 2,800 yen, so the terms change with where you book. Same-day booking is possible, but sessions run at set times and can fill, so they ask you to call ahead.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe udon-making happens in a classroom inside the building - check-in on the first floor, the classroom on the third, and the noodles you make are boiled and eaten in the restaurant a floor below the classroom. The venue is split between the main building (Building A) and Building B; one visitor who parked at Building B and walked to Building A was lent an umbrella by the Building B staff on a rainy day.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed50 min–1.5 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：not checked
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：not checked
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：none
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (7)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Child switch (rider swap), Official family-friendly certification, Crowding (guide), Quietness (guide), Lost-child support
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Aprons on, name on your take-home bag, then rolling aged dough and cutting it 3-4mm. About 50 minutes in all.
A summer family trip to Kagawa: the Nakano Udon School Kotohira class
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Four went, two paid: whoever isn't treading the dough gets a tambourine. Your noodles are bagged like a shop product.
A Kagawa trip and the Nakano Udon School
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
Noodles cut about 5mm wide, then boiled in the dining hall and eaten kama-age. You carry home a rolling pin and dough.
Things to do at the foot of Kotohira-gu: making Sanuki udon
Japanese · opens translatedGuide
Ten minutes on foot from JR Kotohira. Check in on the first floor, class is upstairs on the third; 2pm session.
Making udon at Nakano Udon School, three seconds from Kotori Kotohira
Nakano Udon School Kotohira · Links & reads ▾
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Where it is
Before you go
- Classes run every day, and the start times are posted on the school's website calendar.source
- The school notes that a class for a single person may not be possible depending on how bookings look.source
- Because check-in can take a while, the school asks you to arrive 15 minutes before your class time.source
- Changing that choice after the class may not be possible, and it cannot be done at all if the dining area is full.source
- You cannot bring in your own food.source
More notes (7)
- Same-day booking is possible, but since classes start at set times and can fill up, the school asks you to get in touch ahead of time when you can.source
- Groups of 15 or more, and anyone booking 15 or more days ahead, need to ask by phone or through the dedicated form.source
- You can decide on the day whether to eat there or take the noodles home, but you have to say which at check-in.source
- The Jalan plan, which is request-based and paid by card online, starts at 2,800 yen for one person aged 6 or older, an age condition specific to that plan.source
- A booking for two people took part as a group of four, the other two coming along as companions without doing the class (record of a June 2022 visit).source
- Food orders are taken only at check-in, and nothing can be added later.source
- For groups, the school also takes meal-only bookings without the class, and class-only bookings without the meal.source
Basics
- Fee：The udon-making class is ¥1,760 (tax included) per person, with bookings taken from two people up; one person alone pays ¥1,980 and may be turned away depending on availability. Groups of 2 to 14 pay ¥1,760 each and groups of 15 or more ¥1,650. If the class runs long because you are doing it with small children, there is no extra charge. Side dishes in the dining room: rice ball ¥330, chirashi sushi ¥330, inari sushi ¥330, tempura ¥440.source2
- Hours：Classes run 9:00-15:00. That is the school's own opening time, and it is the one that matters - arrive outside it and there is no class. Shop hours are listed separately and in two versions: 8:30-17:30 for Building A with 9:00-17:00 for Building B, and 8:30-18:00 open all year round. Which days a class actually runs is set by the calendar on the site.source2
- Time to allow：50 min–1.5 hsource2
- Booking：Book through the website; the class calendar shows the sessions. Same-day booking is possible, but the session times are fixed and classes fill up, so they ask you to call ahead where you can. Groups of 15 or more, and any booking more than 15 days ahead, go through the phone or a dedicated form. The price table says bookings are taken from two people up; the FAQ says one person can still take part, at ¥1,980, and may be turned away depending on how full the day is. Arrive 15 minutes before your session - reception can take a while - and check the signboard at the entrance of Building A and Building B for the time and the room. Say at reception whether you want to eat your udon or take it home; changing afterwards may not be possible, and cannot be done if the dining room is full.sourceOfficial booking site ↗
Basics in detail (12)
Fees
- The udon-making class costs 1,760 yen per person, tax included.source
- Taking the class on your own costs 1,980 yen, tax included.source
- Group pricing is 1,760 yen per person for 2 to 14 people, and 1,650 yen per person for 15 or more, tax included.source
- Sides are 330 yen each for rice balls, chirashi sushi and inari sushi, and 440 yen for tempura, all tax included.source
- There is no extension fee if the class or the meal runs long because you are there with a small child.source
- Plain kake udon in the dining hall is 440 yen, tax included.source
- Entry itself is free; the class fee is charged separately.source
Time to allow
- Plan on about 50 minutes for the class plus packing your noodles to take home, or that 50 minutes plus about 30 more if you eat there.source
Other
Contact
- The address is 796 Kotohira-cho, Nakatado-gun, Kagawa, and the phone number is 0877-75-0001.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (7)
- jalan.net: Nursing space, Family restroom, Outside food allowed
- Official: Outside food allowed, Best-fit ages (guide), Stroller access notes
- Official: Indoor / outdoor, Stroller access notes
- kagawa-life.website: Best-fit ages (guide)
- shikoku-tourism.com: Stroller access notes
- jalan.net: Steps & slope caution
- jalan.net: Steps & slope caution
- Official: Stroller access notes
Sanuki udon uses only flour and salt water. The class is laid out as twelve steps, among them mixing, kneading, treading, rolling and cutting three-to-four-millimeter strips. The dough is bagged and trodden to music, and the from-scratch stages are done as a group. A teacher explains that udon ferments, so temperature and salt change with the season. At the end comes a scroll-shaped diploma with a rolling pin attached. You then choose: boil the udon in a shared pot, or take it home sealed with broth.
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stroller rental | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet | ||||
| Nursing space | Yes | There is no changing room, but there is a baby room; its location, and whether it has hot water, are not stated. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | jalan.net |
| Family restroom | Yes | Thirteen restrooms in all, separate for men and women, including accessible toilets. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | jalan.net |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor | Everything is indoors, from reception to the classroom and the dining room, split between the main building (A) and Building B. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | note.comnakanoya.net |
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | No | You cannot bring in your own food; the dining room sells side dishes such as rice balls and tempura. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | jalan.netnakanoya.net |
| Steps & slope caution | Many steps | Reception is on the first floor and some classes are held up on the third floor, so there are stairs to climb; whether there is an elevator is not stated. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | note.comjalan.netjalan.net |
| Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | Any age can take part, but knives are used, so elementary school age is the guide; pre-school children are recommended to work in a pair with an adult. Family members not signed up for the class can still come into the classroom and help. If the session runs long because you are doing it with small children, there is no extra charge. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | nakanoya.netameblo.jpkagawa-life.website |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | The school stands on the main approach to Kompira-san, with the Nakano Udon School sign as the landmark, and is split between two buildings - the main building (also called A) and Building B. The sign at each entrance gives the session time and room. Ten minutes on foot from JR Kotohira station, about 40 minutes by bus from Takamatsu airport (get off at Konpira-san Iriguchi, then three minutes), about 30 minutes by car from the Seto Ohashi bridge (Yoshima PA). The school's own parking lot is in front of the shop, around 30 cars, paid, at a discount for people taking the class and with the rate changing by season; when it is full, you use the paid parking lots nearby. One notice says instead that the shops have no parking lot, pointing to nearby coin parking. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | nakanoya.netnakanoya.netnakanoya.netjalan.netshikoku-tourism.comnote.com |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Crowding (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Quietness (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
Reviews
Reviews