Ultimate Seclusion - The Iya Valley - worth the 5 year wait

PART ONE OF TWO

Saturday, 19th July 2008

We had an early start to make the long drive to the secluded Iya Valley located in Tokushima Prefecture on the smallest of Japans four main islands – Shikoku. From Tojo we drove to Okayama via Nimi on the main roads where we refuelled before driving on the Seto Ohashi Bridge（瀬戸大橋）a suspension bridge which consists of 6 bridges and spans 9.4 kilometres over the Seto Inland Sea （瀬戸内海）to a town called Sakaide. The bridge has two main levels, the upper one for cars and the lower for the railway that connects Shikoku with Honshu. On the way over there are a couple of small islands that the bridge passes over where you can get off to have a walk, a drink or something to eat. We got off at Yoshima （与島） to marvel at the view of the bridge itself. We didn't spend too much time there as we still had a fair way to go.

The bridge took to Sakaide where we hopped on Route 438 followed by Route 32 taking us the rest of the way. Once we got into Tokushima Prefecture we passed through some beautiful scenery. We arrived a little behind schedule at Oboke-Koboke where we ended up having lunch at a place called the Woody restaurant. The sky was amazingly clear for Japan and the shape of the clouds were sharply defined. The suns rays were hot enough to penetrate your skin but the bright and dark greens, blues and whites that made up the scenery were fabulous.

Shortly after lunch we went for a walk along the Yoshino river （吉野川）and marvelled at the spectacular rock formations that have been shaped over the last 2 hundred million years. We also enjoyed a 30 minute cruise on the river. The cool layer of air above the water made the ride very pleasant.

We stepped into the local stone museum which has displays of all types of rocks found on the planet. I was especially impressed and surprised that they had samples from Australia! There was iron ore from the north and gold from Kalgoorlie and what took me by surprise the most was that they even had a gold coin made at the Perth mint. After a good look around we got back in the car and headed for the Iya Valley. We turned left onto the prefectural Route 45 and started climbing the mountain. The road was full of potholes, winding round and round, rising steeply offering absolutely breathtaking views of the valley down below. I would have to say that this has to be one of the most memorable driving experiences in Japan, truly unforgettable. We had to turn left onto the old Route 32, a road almost the width of the car at times. There was a steep rise to the right and a steep drop down if the car was to veer off to the left. The road has been upgraded in certain sections making it easier to pass oncoming traffic. We arrived at our hotel but beforehand we went to see the oddly placed 'piss boy' statue a few hundred metres away. I'll leave it at that!

We returned to the hotel and parked in our very own spot that they had saved for us since the place attracts people from all over to have a dip in the main hot spring which it is well known for. Our luggage was carried to our rooms and we had a private tour of the establishment before being escorted to our room where we were able to relax at last. All though it is true that you get what you pay for and yes this place is not cheap to stay at but I was blown away by the quality of service and the room itself. We had our own outside bath 'rotemburo' on the balcony perched up on the mountain side 413 metres above sea level. The base of the valley is at an altitude of around 243 metres just to give you some idea of how high up we were. You can see the hotel in the picture below.

Our dinner came on time and were treated to some beautiful food most of it made up of local products including fish from the river and vegetables from the mountains. From my experience these dinners can be over the top with you feeling bloated afterwards but this time round the amount although still a little too much, was more manageable and delicious.

It was another bright, sunny and humid summers morning but being up in the mountains meant it was a couple of degrees cooler than back at sea level. We went down to the main hot spring on the lift. The water is naturally warm from geothermal heat and is said to contain many natural minerals that relieve all sorts of pain. The water isn't too hot so you can stay in there as long as you like. A lot of tourists come during the day but I was the only one in there until a group of guys entered. Naomi also had the ladies bath all to herself for a short while!

After bathing, we went back up and enjoyed our breakfast enjoying the peaceful view of the Iya Valley. Shortly afterwards it was time to say good bye to this beautiful place and continue on our way to Mt. Tsurugi, a 40km or 2 hour drive eastwards, where we would spend our second night.

We left the onsen and headed to the famous Kazura Bridge which was packed full of tourists! This is one of two bridges made from vine however there were originally twelve.

This is the most popular of the two as it isn't so hard to get to. The bridge is rebuilt every three years using local expertise.

The bridge itself looks stable but the walk across can be a little bit tricky as it sways about and the steps are separated enough so you can see the flowing river down below.

We spent a little bit of time down below where you can walk between and over the rocks in the river. Biwa waterfall is a very short walk away.