shikokutokushima
Iya Valley
The Iya Valley is a region of steep river gorges and mountain villages in western Tokushima prefecture, in the Shikoku region, about two hours from Okayama or Takamatsu, known for its bridges woven from mountain vines.
The Oboke Gorge, Iya Valley
- Prefecture
- Tokushima
- Region
- Shikoku
- Journeys
- The Custom Tour of Japan
overview
Vine bridges, thatched farmhouses, and green water far below the road.
The Iya River runs west from the slopes of Mount Tsurugi through the Shikoku mountains to join the Yoshino River near the Koboke gorge, and the land around it rises so steeply that for centuries the valley could be reached only on foot. Farmhouses stand on terraces cut into slopes of forty degrees, buckwheat and tea grow in patches above them, and mist lies in the folds of the hills on still mornings. Mount Tsurugi, at 1,955 metres the second highest peak in Shikoku, stands at the head of the valley.
The valley's remoteness gave it its legend. After their defeat in the Genpei War at the end of the twelfth century, warriors of the Taira, the Heike clan, are said to have fled into Iya and settled there, and to have built the vine bridges because they could be cut down behind them. Whatever the truth of it, the bridges remain, and the villages still keep thatch, terraced fields and a way of cooking that belongs to the mountains: coarse buckwheat noodles, river fish grilled on skewers, and skewers of potato, tofu and konnyaku basted with miso over charcoal.
Iya is the most striking mountain landscape in western Japan, and one of the least visited. It is a place for a night or two in an onsen inn above the gorge, a boat through emerald water, and slow drives along roads cut into the valley wall.
Our tours stay overnightOur tours visit for the dayOn a Custom Tour of Japan
see and do
What to see in the Iya Valley
Kazurabashi
The best known of the vine bridges, 45 metres long and some 14 metres above the Iya River, woven from the vines of the mountain actinidia and rebuilt every three years. Its slatted floor sways a little underfoot, and it may be crossed on foot at an easy pace.
Oku-Iya Niju Kazurabashi
A pair of vine bridges high in the upper valley, known as the husband and the wife, side by side over the river in a grove of cedars, quieter and more secluded than Kazurabashi.
Oboke Gorge
Eight kilometres of pale crystalline schist carved by the Yoshino River into smooth walls and stepped ledges, seen at their best from the water on a short boat ride steered by a boatman.
Koboke Gorge
The narrower gorge just upstream of Oboke, where the road runs high above the river and the rock is folded into stripes of grey and white.
Ochiai village
A hillside hamlet of farmhouses and terraced fields rising nearly 400 metres up the slope above the Iya River, designated in 2005 as a protected district of traditional buildings, and best seen from the viewpoint across the valley.
Chiiori
A thatched farmhouse of the Edo period high on the valley side, restored with care, now a place for guests to stay and a centre for the valley's thatch and crafts, with an open hearth at its heart.
Heike Yashiki Folk Museum
The old residence of a family said to descend from the Heike retainers, now a museum of farming tools, armour and household life in the valley.
The Iya River onsen
Open-air onsen set at the river's edge deep in the gorge, reached from the road above by a small cable car, with the water running past a few metres away.
experiences
The best of the Iya Valley
An onsen at the bottom of the gorge
A night in an onsen inn on the valley wall, with a cable car down to an open-air onsen beside the river, and dinner of mountain vegetables, river fish and buckwheat by the hearth.
The gorge by boat
Half an hour on the Yoshino River through the Oboke gorge, in a flat boat steered by its boatman, close beneath the walls of pale stone.
A day on the valley roads
A private car along the high road of the Iya Valley, stopping at the vine bridges, the viewpoint over Ochiai and a farmhouse kitchen for buckwheat noodles made by hand.
Thatch and craft
An afternoon in a restored farmhouse with someone who keeps the valley's thatching and building alive, learning how a mountain farmhouse was made and maintained.
plan your visit
The Iya Valley on a journey through Japan
- How long to stay
- One night in the valley is enough to see the bridges and the gorge; two nights lets you reach the upper valley and enjoy the onsen without hurry.
- Getting there
- By the Nanpu limited express from Okayama to Oboke in a little under two hours, crossing the Seto Ohashi bridge, or by private car from Takamatsu in about an hour and a half. From Kochi the train takes about an hour. A car is the way to travel within the valley.
- Pairs well with
- Iya lies at the centre of Shikoku, so it joins with Kotohira and Takamatsu to the north, Kochi to the south, and Naruto to the east on a journey across the island.Kotohira and TakamatsuKochiNaoshima and the Seto Inland SeaNarutoMatsuyama and Imabari
journeys
The Iya Valley on a private journey
We bring guests to the Iya Valley on the Custom Tour of Japan, created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director.
questions
The Iya Valley: questions answered
How do you get to the Iya Valley?
By the Nanpu limited express from Okayama to Oboke Station in a little under two hours, or by private car from Takamatsu in about an hour and a half. Within the valley a car is essential, as buses are infrequent.
Can you walk across the Kazurabashi vine bridge?
Yes. Kazurabashi is crossed on foot, about 45 metres over the river on a floor of wooden slats, and it sways gently; the vines are reinforced with hidden steel cables and the bridge is rebuilt every three years.
How many days do you need in the Iya Valley?
One or two nights. One night covers Kazurabashi, the Oboke gorge and Ochiai; a second allows the upper valley and its double vine bridges.
Is the Iya Valley worth visiting?
Yes, for travellers who want mountain scenery and village life rather than cities: it is the most dramatic landscape in Shikoku, with onsen in the gorge and very few visitors.
Where is the Iya Valley?
In the city of Miyoshi in western Tokushima prefecture, in the mountains at the centre of Shikoku, about an hour and a half by car from Takamatsu.
Are there onsen in the Iya Valley?
Yes. The Iya onsen inns on the gorge include open-air onsen at the river's edge, one of them reached by a small cable car from the road above.
Can the Iya Valley be part of a private tour of Japan?
Yes. The Custom Tour of Japan is created around your party alone, on your dates, with your own Tour Director, and it can go anywhere in the country, the Iya Valley included. If you would rather travel independently, the Expert Japan Itinerary plans every day for you.
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More in Shikoku
The Iya Valley, planned for you.
Tell us when you would like to travel and what draws you to the Iya Valley, and we will answer with a Custom Tour of Japan created around your party alone, or, if you would rather travel independently, an Expert Japan Itinerary that plans every day for you.