Iya Valley & Oboke

One of Japan's three great hidden regions, with vine bridges, Oboke Gorge boat rides and mountain villages — ideal for slowing down over two nights.

Iya and Oboke lie in Miyoshi City in western Tokushima Prefecture, deep in the Shikoku Mountains, and together with Shirakawa-go in Gifu and Shiiba Village in Miyazaki are counted among Japan's three great hidden regions. Legend has it that the defeated remnants of the Heike clan fled into the Iya mountains at the end of the Heian period to live in hiding, leaving behind tales tied to places such as the vine bridges and the Heike Yashiki residence. The area breaks down into three parts: to the west, along the Yoshino River, are the Oboke and Koboke gorges, where you can take a boat cruise or go rafting; in central Nishi-Iya are the Iya Kazurabashi vine bridge, Biwa Falls, the Peeing Boy statue in Iya Gorge and an open-air hot spring at the bottom of the valley; deeper in, Higashi-Iya has the Ochiai village, the Nagoro scarecrow village and the Oku-Iya Double Vine Bridges, ending at Mount Tsurugi (1,955 m). Ikeda to the north is the transport hub, with an old street of udatsu-walled houses, Hashikura-ji temple and the remote Tsubojiri Station. Getting there: the JR Nanpu limited express from Okayama to Oboke Station takes about 1.5 hours, or you can come from Takamatsu and change at Awa-Ikeda. Local buses are infrequent, so you'll basically need to drive to reach Higashi-Iya and Mount Tsurugi; the mountain roads are narrow and winding and may be closed by snow in winter. Stay 2 nights at a hot-spring ryokan or a traditional farmhouse in Iya. The best seasons are spring for fresh greenery and early-to-mid November for autumn colours, with summer good for rafting; the Oku-Iya area and the Mount Tsurugi chairlift close in winter. Don't miss Iya soba, grilled dekomawashi skewers of tofu and konnyaku, and amago trout.

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