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| Iya Valley, Tokushima - central Shikoku |
Tokushima (徳島)
After leaving Kouchi, I rented a car to drive through the mountains. There were a few things I wanted to see, so here they are.
Oboke and the Iya Valley
Truly breathtaking views. A few things of note are the famous Kazurabashi (bridge) made of wisteria vines (although now they are reinforced with steel wires), the hillside villages, and the various natural sights. Also, I had time (just barely) to ride on the short Iya Valley tour boat "pleasure cruise" and to go to the Nanoyado Hotel Iya Onsen. I didn't stay there, but I did use their onsen, which you have to take a cable car down to the river, which is in an a valley. At the riverside, there is a bath that has water directly from the river and you can watch the river go by as you sit in the bath (I realize that this is the third onsen or hot spring I visited in August in Japan, but sometimes you just have to do it). I stayed at an ryokan, and had a great Japanese dinner - a sort of treat to myself after having spent very little on accommodations for the rest of the trip.
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| Iya Valley, Tokushima - central Shikoku |
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| Ryuono Falls, Kouchi Prefecture - just outside Oboke |
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| Iya Valley, Tokushima - central Shikoku |
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| Kazurabashi |
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| Kazurabashi |
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| Waterfall near Kazurabashi |
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| Iya Valley |
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| Iya Valley |
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| Iya Valley |
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| Nanoyado Hotel Iya Onsen |
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| Nanoyado Hotel Iya Onsen (in the onsen building by the river) |
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| Oboke pleasure cruise |
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| Oboke pleasure cruise |
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| Oboke pleasure cruise |
Scarecrow Village side trip
On this two-day trip through Oboke and the Iya Valley, I drove through very scary roads along mountainsides and river canyons to get to a rather infamous place called "かかしの里" or Scarecrow Village. The actual village name is Nagoro, but you can search it on the internet - or check out this short
BBC video. My assessment: possibly the creepiest thing I've ever seen. Definitely worth the trip. Here are the photos of the village:
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