Prominently known for its spellbinding Awa Odori - the largest traditional dance festival in Japan - Tokushima prefecture attracts tens of thousands of travellers every August. Once there, they are taken in by the unparalleled charm of this easternmost prefecture of Shikoku. Here are just some of the myriad highlights: the powerful Naruto Whirlpools, the idyllic Iya Valley, the majestic Oboke and Koboke gorges, among others. Tokushima is also a physically and culturally vibrant region that boosts many delectable delicacies and charismatic specialty products. So while you take in Tokushima’s magnificent natural scenery, don’t forget to get hold of these three souvenirs!   Tokushima Ramen grabs a hold on your heart with its succulent taste. Body-and-soul warming, its rich full-flavored Tonkotsu pork-belly broth glides over your tongue, delighting your tastebuds. What’s more, it boasts a heavenly sweet/savoury flavor as it is seasoned well with dark soy sauce and topped with a fresh raw egg. Tokushima ramen’s taste is so awesome that many people usually eat it with a bowl of rice, reluctant to let the broth go to waste. Hence, you can’t go wrong with packets of Tokushima ramen as a souvenir, for they are ideal as a gastronomic offering for you to bond with your family and friends and introduce to them the delights of Tokushima food!   Another not-to-be-missed noodle dish from Tokushima is handa somen. Hailing from Handa in Tsurugi town, handa somen noodles are characteristically thick, with a diameter of 1.7mm. This makes them stand out from other somen noodles that typically have a diameter of less than 1.3mm - and makes for a satisfying and filling meal! The production process of handa somen is rigorous, with the noodles painstakingly separated by hand and dried under temperature-controlled conditions. Thus, handa somen noodles are imbued with a smooth taste. Best if you can bring these noodles with some sudachi - a citrus fruit - as they taste deliciously divine together!

Have no inkling as to what sudachi is? Well, you are in luck because this specialty fruit of Tokushima will add a zesty, tangy slice of life to your gourmet adventures! Resembling a lemon, sudachi packs a lot of punch to your dishes via its rejuvenating aroma and spicy-sour taste. What’s more, it boasts more Vitamin C than lemon, thus boosting your health even as you savour its natural goodness. In fact, its usefulness and deliciousness as a flavoring is so well-known that California farmers are getting into the action and growing sudachi in their nurseries! So why not get yourself sudachi-su (sudachi vinegar) as you can use it to season a wide range of dishes ranging from udon and soba to seafood, fish and even miso soup - in a fuss-free way?