shikoku33.88° N, 133.84° E
Iya Valley
The Iya Valley is a system of deep gorges in the mountains of western Tokushima, on Shikoku, where the Yoshino River and its tributaries run emerald between pale rock walls.
The Oboke Gorge, Iya Valley
- Region
- Shikoku
- Our journeys
- Created for you
Our tours stayA day on tourA Custom Tour of Japan
the place
Emerald water between pale cliffs, and a bridge of woven vines.
The Oboke and Koboke gorges were cut by the Yoshino River through the mountains, and a boat steered by a boatman carries you between their walls. Higher up, the valley's villages cling to the slopes in thatched and timber farmhouses, and the Kazurabashi, a bridge woven from mountain vines, still crosses the river as it has for centuries, remade every three years.
Legend holds that warriors of the defeated Heike clan retreated here in the twelfth century and never left. We plan the Iya Valley as a Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans the days for you.
what we do here
Iya Valley, as we show it
Oboke
The gorge of pale rock and emerald water, seen from a boat steered by a boatman.
The Kazurabashi
The bridge woven from mountain vines across the Iya River.
Ochiai
A hillside village of thatched farmhouses facing across the valley.
Onsen in the gorge
Hot springs at the river's edge, far below the road.
questions
Questions about Iya Valley
How do you reach the Iya Valley?
By the limited express from Okayama to Oboke, about an hour and three quarters, or by private car from Takamatsu in about an hour and a half.
Can the Iya Valley be combined with the rest of Shikoku?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan can join it with the gardens of Takamatsu and the onsen of Dogo, alongside anywhere else in Japan.
Can you plan a private journey to the Iya Valley?
Yes. We plan it as a Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans the days for you.
Iya Valley, created for you alone.
The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, and Iya Valley can be any part of it. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.