Located on the Seto Inland Sea near the middle of Kagawa Prefecture, Utazu is a small town with an area of 8.1 km2 and a population of about 18,000, making it the most densely populated town in the prefecture.

Integrated within this compact space are the “new town,” which was developed with the opening of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, and the “old town,” which retains the historic townscape of traditional temples, shrines and machiya townhouses.

Utazu was once a leading salt production area in Japan, and it continues to produce salt using traditional methods.

Utazu salt is made with the traditional irihama-shiki technique, which dates back about 300 years. Seawater is poured over raked sand repeatedly, letting it dry each time, after which the brine is filtered from the sand and boiled down to make salt. Salt fields once covered the Utazu coastline. Although production was discontinued in 1972, some salt fields have been restored to preserve the wisdom and salt-making methods of the past.

Utazu grew into a major transportation hub during the Heian period (794-1185). During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), it became the gateway to Shikoku under the leadership of Hosokawa Yoriyuki, a close associate of the shogun. Today, it continues to develop as a key hub for transportation between Shikoku and Honshu.