Udon Soup Faucet Turned Back on at Airport in Japan

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, April 28, 2023

TAKAMATSU — A free “on-tap” service offering hot udon dashi — soup for udon noodle cuisine — has resumed at Takamatsu Airport after an about three-year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

Airport officials say the service was popular among visitors ahead of the Golden Week holidays, when the airport traditionally sees increased usage.

The faucet can be found in a corner of Sora no Eki Kagawa, a space that displays and sells Kagawa Prefecture specialty goods, on the second floor of the airport terminal building.

The faucet dispenses hot udon soup flavored with dried sardine, dried bonito shavings and kelp.

According to airport officials, the faucet was installed in July 2010. The service was suspended in March 2020 and revived on April 20.

The soup is made using stock of Sanuki Mengyo, a company that operates udon noodle restaurants both inside and outside the prefecture. The firm had provided more than 20,000 liters of udon soup prior to the suspension of the service, the officials said.

The soup is available daily, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but often runs out, according to the officials.

“We hope [the soup faucet] will evoke fond memories when tourists recall their trips,” one of the officials said.