Udon Day (Udon no Hi)

What Is Udon Day?

July 2 is "Udon Day." It was established in 1980 by a cooperative of noodle makers in Kagawa Prefecture (now the Honba Sanuki Udon Cooperative), inspired by the local custom of eating udon around the time of "hangesho" (a seasonal marker in the traditional calendar), a tradition still widely observed in Kagawa today.

The Origins and Background of Udon Day

In the Sanuki region of Kagawa, it has long been the custom to make udon and serve it to the people who helped with rice planting, as thanks for their hard work. Because rice planting usually finished around hangesho (roughly July 2), July 2 was chosen as Udon Day.

• Established by: A cooperative of Kagawa noodle makers (now the Honba Sanuki Udon Cooperative), in 1980. Sources differ on the cooperative's name at the time, giving it as either the Kagawa Prefecture Raw Noodle (Seimen 生麺) or Noodle Manufacturing (Seimen 製麺) Industry Cooperative
• Related tradition: Hangesho (roughly the 11th day after the summer solstice), a time to rest after farm work
• Regional significance: An anniversary closely tied to Kagawa, the home of Sanuki udon

Trivia About Udon

• Sanuki udon's signature traits: Known for its firm, chewy bite and smooth texture, made simply from flour, water, and salt.
• Kagawa and udon: Kagawa has an extraordinarily high number of udon shops per capita, and since 2011 the prefecture and its tourism association have promoted it as "Udon Prefecture."
• The name "hangesho": It refers to the time when the medicinal plant hange (crow-dipper, karasubishaku) sprouts. In the 2020s, hangesho falls on July 2 in common years and July 1 in leap years.
• Hangesho food customs: What people eat at hangesho varies by region — in the Kansai area it's octopus, while around Ōno in Fukui Prefecture people eat grilled mackerel. Because of the Kansai octopus custom, July 2 is also Octopus Day.

Ways to Enjoy Udon Day

July 2 falls during a time of year when summer heat can dull your appetite, making it the perfect moment for a refreshing bowl of udon. Whether you prefer cold zaru udon or a steaming bowl of broth-based kake udon, it's a great chance to experience this beloved part of Japanese noodle culture.