Moopon

Kazura Bridge is the type of "bridges" that consists of a wooden cart suspend on a rope over the river, and were used to transport goods and people.
13 suspension bridges made of mountain vines, called kazurabashi, used to be found throughout the Iya Valley and provided a essential means of getting people and goods across the river in olden days.
Two of the surviving bridges still stand side by side deep in the ravine.
They are known as the Oku-Iya Kazurabashi or myoto-bashi(couples bridges).

The larger of the two bridges, Otto no Hashi (meaning:Husband Bridge), stretches 44 meters across the river next to a small waterfall, while the slightly lower Tsuma no Hashi (meaning: Wife Bridge) is a 22 meter span just a little ways upstream.
The bridges are constructed with steel cables covered within the vines for safety.
They are rebuilt every three years. The bridges are connected to each other by a network of paved hiking trails that also lead to camping facilities on the opposite side of the river.

Another popular attraction is a Yaen Bridge (meaning: Wild Monkey) placed next to the Wife Bridge.
It a human-power ropeway. Visitors can try out the wild monkey bridge and pull themselves across the river.

Access infomation
A rental car is recommended to visit the Oku-Iya Kazurabashi Bridges.

1. Nijukazurabashi bus stop.( The nearest bus stop to around the area)
*From Awa Ikeda Station to Kubo, take a bus and transfer to another bus bound for 
Nijukazurabashi or Mount Tsurugi. Get off at the Nijukazurabashi bus stop.
The one way journey will take 2 hours with a cost of 1790 yen. There are only 4 buses a day. Moreover buses from Kubo to the bridge operate only on weekends and holidays from April to November.

Schedule & Cost
Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Closed: December to March
Admission: 550 yen
The level of English: Good

The Iya Valley (Iyakei) is a sheltered and private mountainous valley along the Iya River in western Tokushima Prefecture.
Its steep forested slopes are connected to the outside world by a zigzag,sometimes incredibly narrow mountain road that leads the valley.
Since the Iya valley located secluded regions, it is difficult to access, however, that is what attracts visitor to the area who want to experience a traditional, nature. 

Historically the Iya Valley has been difficult a place to enter, and used as a refuge for members of the defeated Taira or Heike Clan who escaped to the region toward the end of the 12th century after losing the Gempei War (1180 to1185).
Their descendants can still be found around the tiny mountain villages that dispersedly existing.

The Iya Valley is usually divided into two areas.
Nishi Iya (West Iya) located around the entrance to the valley and is slightly more developed and more accessible as there are relatively frequent buses to some of the major attractions.
Oku Iya (Inner Iya, also called Higashi Iya or East Iya) lies further back into the valley so is difficult to reach without a rental car or other means of private transportation. 

This region is famous for Iya soba

Access infomation
A rental car is recommended to visit the area.

1. To Nishi Iya (West Iya)
 *From Awa Ikeda Station to Kubo, take a bus and transfer to another bus bound for Nijukazurabashi or Mount Tsurugi.
Get off at the Nijukazurabashi bus stop.
The one way journey will take 2 hours with a cost of 1790 yen.
There are only 4 buses a day.
Moreover buses from Kubo to the bridge operate only on weekends and holidays from April to November.
2. To Oku Iya (Inner Iya)
Rental car stores are available around Oboke and Awa Ikeda Stations.
A rental car is recommended, particularly for visiting the less traveled Oku Iya area.
Note: The roads are very narrow and have frequent blind curves, which make driving both hazardous and slow.

The Iya Valley (祖谷渓谷 Iya Keikoku) region in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan is a scenic area known for its dramatic mountain valleys and old vine bridges.
The Iya Valley and the inner parts of Shikoku have historically been remote and difficult to enter,
making them a favorite retreat for refugees and defeated Heike warriors although access has improved in recent years.

Manikin Peeing Boy Statue
At the edge of this dizzying, 200 meter high cliff stands the boy statue posed as if he were peeing off the ledge down to the valley bellow.
This statue is placed at a beautiful scenic spot a few steps from The Iya ONSEN HOTEL, where local folklore says travelers would climb out to pee off in order to try to act strong or play chicken. 

The Iya Valley is usually divided into two areas.
Nishi Iya (West Iya) located around the entrance to the valley and is slightly more developed and more accessible as there are relatively frequent buses to some of the major attractions.
Oku Iya (Inner Iya, also called Higashi Iya or East Iya) lies further back into the valley so is difficult to reach without a rental car or other means of private transportation. 

The image is Sobamai zosui (buckwheat porridge), which is the local specialties of the Iya region made from dechaffed buckwheat berries in place of rice. 

Access Information
A rental car is recommended to visit the area.

1. To Nishi Iya (West Iya)
 *From Awa Ikeda Station to Kubo, take a bus and transfer to another bus bound for Nijukazurabashi or Mount Tsurugi.
Get off at the Nijukazurabashi bus stop.
The one way journey will take 2 hours with a cost of 1790 yen.
There are only 4 buses a day.
Moreover buses from Kubo to the bridge operate only on weekends and holidays from April to November.
2. To Oku Iya (Inner Iya)
Rental car stores are available around Oboke and Awa Ikeda Stations.
A rental car is recommended, particularly for visiting the less traveled Oku Iya area.
Note: The roads are very narrow and have frequent blind curves, which make driving both hazardous and slow.

The Iya Valley (祖谷渓谷 Iya Keikoku) region in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan is a scenic area known for its dramatic mountain valleys and old vine bridges.
The Iya Valley and the inner parts of Shikoku have historically been remote and difficult to enter, making them a favorite retreat for refugees and defeated Heike warriors although access has improved in recent years.

Shin-Iya Onsen Hotel Kazurabashi 
This hotel is located one of Japan's three major least visited regions.
The sky-high open-air bath is accessed by a cable car. It provides local dishes which are popular amongst guests.
The hotel has three outdoor baths, one for each gender as well as a mixed gender bath in which you can watch nice views out over the Iya Valley.
The baths are found high up on the mountainside above the hotel.
The can be accessed by a short cable car from the main building.

Daytime Hours: 10:00 to 16:00 
Daytime Admission: 1200 yen 
Overnight Stay: from 14,000 yen per person including 2 meals

Food
The image is Local dishes 

The Iya Valley is usually divided into two areas.
Nishi Iya (West Iya) located around the entrance to the valley and is slightly more developed and more accessible as there are relatively frequent buses to some of the major attractions.
Oku Iya (Inner Iya, also called Higashi Iya or East Iya) lies further back into the valley so is difficult to reach without a rental car or other means of private transportation. 

Access Information
A rental car is recommended to visit the area.

1. To Nishi Iya (West Iya)
 *From Awa Ikeda Station to Kubo, take a bus and transfer to another bus bound for Nijukazurabashi or Mount Tsurugi.
Get off at the Nijukazurabashi bus stop.
The one way journey will take 2 hours with a cost of 1790 yen. There are only 4 buses a day.
Moreover buses from Kubo to the bridge operate only on weekends and holidays from April to November.
2. To Oku Iya (Inner Iya)
Rental car stores are available around Oboke and Awa Ikeda Stations.
A rental car is recommended, particularly for visiting the less traveled Oku Iya area.
Note: The roads are very narrow and have frequent blind curves, which make driving both hazardous and slow.

The Iya Valley (祖谷渓谷 Iya Keikoku) region in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan is a scenic area known for its dramatic mountain valleys and old vine bridges.
The Iya Valley and the inner parts of Shikoku have historically been remote and difficult to enter, making them a favorite retreat for refugees and defeated Heike warriors although access has improved in recent years.

Iya Onsen Hotel
The Iya Onsen Hotel is located high up on the steep slope overlooking the Iya Valley.
A notable point in the hotel is that its outdoor hot baths located along the river and you have to take a cable car some 170 meters below the hotel itself. 
The bath water is a lukewarm 39 degrees Celsius.

Daytime Hours: 7:00 to 18:00 (Last entry at 17:00) 
Daytime Admission: 1500 yen (including outdoor bath, indoor bath, and cable car) 
Overnight Stay: from 12,000 yen per person including 2 meals
Level of English: Good English website is available.

Food
The image is Kaiseki ryori (Traditional multi-course Japanese meal), which is used Local products.

The Iya Valley is usually divided into two areas.
Nishi Iya (West Iya) located around the entrance to the valley and is slightly more developed and more accessible as there are relatively frequent buses to some of the major attractions. Oku Iya (Inner Iya, also called Higashi Iya or East Iya) lies further back into the valley so is difficult to reach without a rental car or other means of private transportation. 

Access Information
A rental car is recommended to visit the area.

1. To Nishi Iya (West Iya)
 *From Awa Ikeda Station to Kubo, take a bus and transfer to another bus bound for Nijukazurabashi or Mount Tsurugi.
Get off at the Nijukazurabashi bus stop.
The one way journey will take 2 hours with a cost of 1790 yen. There are only 4 buses a day.
Moreover buses from Kubo to the bridge operate only on weekends and holidays from April to November.
2. To Oku Iya (Inner Iya)
Rental car stores are available around Oboke and Awa Ikeda Stations.
A rental car is recommended, particularly for visiting the less traveled Oku Iya area.
Note: The roads are very narrow and have frequent blind curves, which make driving both hazardous and slow.

Dogo Onsen (道後温泉, Dōgo Onsen) is one of Japan's oldest and most famous hot springs. It is located to the east of central Matsuyama in Ehime prefecture. The area is popular with tourists for its beautiful bath house and many ryokan,Japanese- style hotel. Dogo Onsen has also been a frequent destination for Japan's most prestigious guests, the Imperial Family. 
The main attraction in Dogo Onsen is the Dogo Onsen Honkan, a Meiji Period wooden public bathhouse, dating from 1894. The interior of the Honkan is a maze of stairways, passages and rooms, all of which bustle with bathers and staff. It is said to have served as inspiration for a popular animated film "Spirited Away"produced by Hayao Miyazaki. 
The Dogo Onsen area also features many other attractions such as a shopping arcade, the secondary bath house Tsubaki no Yu, interesting shrines and temples, Dogo Park and a museum about Masaoka Shiki, one of Matsuyama's most celebrated figures. Ryokan guests often walk around the streets in their yukata, giving the onsen town a very pleasant atmosphere.

Dogo Onsen Honkan
Hours: 6:00 to 23:00 (Last entry 22:30) 
Admission: 410 to 1550 yen
The Honkan has two indoor baths: Kami no Yu is the larger public bath and Tama no Yu is the smaller, more grand and less crowded bath. Four different options provide visitors with varying levels of access to the Honkan's facilities, with some price plans including a snack and some green tea. Visitors on the highest price level can view the exclusive bathing facility reserved for visiting emperors.

Tsubaki no Yu
Hours: 6:30 to 23:00 (Last entry 22:30) 
Admission: 360 yen
Located less than 100 meters away from the Honkan is Dogo Onsen's secondary bath house, Tsubaki no Yu. It offers gender separated indoor baths using the same hot spring water that the Honkan does.

The Machiya Museum is a small building at the southern end of the old town, which is open to the public. It shows how a typical merchant's residence looked like during the Edo Period. You can take a break in this facility learning how people in the old days lived.

Admission: Free
Hours: 9:00 to 16:30

Uchiko's name became synonymous with high quality white wax production in the late 19th century. At that time, wealthy local merchants built new homes or added to their own, resulting in beautiful streets lined with large, stylish, Meiji Period houses. The Yokaichi district has since been restored to preserve these buildings.
Yokaichi (八日市, Yōkaichi) is comprised of about 90 buildings along a single street. Two of these buildings are open to the public as museums, the largest and most impressive of which is the Kamihaga Residence. A combination ticket for Kamihaga Residence, the Uchiko-za kabuki theater and the Uchiko History Museum is sold for 900 yen from any of those locations.
Uchiko's Old Town is located about one kilometer or a 15 minute walk from JR Uchiko Station. The preserved section of the town is about 600 meters long and consists of about 90 historical houses.

The Date Museum (伊達博物館, Date Hakubutsukan) commemorates the Date Clan, who ruled over Uwajima for more than 250 years during the Edo Period (1603-1867). The first Date lord of Uwajima was Date Hidemune, who hailed from the main branch of the family based in Sendai. Uwajima grew and prospered under the rule of generations of lords from the Date Clan.

The museum exhibits a lot of artifacts and possessions of the Data family, such as weapons, family crests, scroll paintings, writings and daily-used items. It displays a sizable collection of beautiful folding screens (byobu) with precious paintings. Maps depicting Uwajima in the past enable visitors to see how the castle town has been reformed over the years. In particular, the waterfront west of the city has changed quite dramatically as a result of land reclamation.    

     
Access info                                                                             
Date Museum is located close to Tenshaen Garden and it is a 20-30 minute walk from Uwajima Station. Or Uwajima Bus operates hourly buses between the station and Tenshaen-mae bus stop (天赦園前, 10 minutes, 150 yen one way), which is located a few steps from the museum.        

Schedule & cost                          
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (or following day if Monday is a national holiday), December 29 to January 3
Admission: 500 yen
English: Good English pamphlet available

Ozu Castle (大洲城, Ōzujō) stands on a hill by Hijikawa River in the northwestern part of downtown Ozu. Ozu City (大洲, Ōzu) is located in Ehime Prefecture on the western coast of Shikoku. The city emerged during the Edo Period (1603-1867) as a castle town. The recently reconstructed Ozu Castle stands proudly in the city center as the local icon. The castle has its origins in the 1300s, and it was rebuilt a few times over the years upon destruction by fire, as well as natural and human-caused disasters. The current castle has been reconstructed in phases since the 1950s, and the reconstruction of the main keep was finally completed in 2004.

Different from many other castles that were rebuilt in the last century using ferro concrete, the main keep of Ozu Castle was crafted mainly with wood and traditional construction techniques. That skill added the castle more value. As a result, it looks close to the original castle not only from the outside but also inside. The main keep is flanked by turrets on two sides, an interesting feature that is quite rare among Japanese castles, many of which have just solitary standing main keeps.

Inside the castle buildings, there are exhibits about the history of Ozu, maps about the local topography from past to present, models of the castle, and displays of armors and other items belonging to past feudal lords. Ascending to the top of the four story main keep rewards visitors with good views over the city and the river.

Schedule＆cost
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Closed: No closing days
Admission:500 yen (castle only), 800 yen (castle and Garyu Sanso)

Access info
Ozu Castle can be accessed in a 20-30 minute walk from Iyo-Ozu Station. Alternatively, take the city loop bus from the station to Ozu Honmachi (大洲本町) bus stop (5 minutes, 100 yen, 1-2 buses per hour), from which the castle is a 5-10 minute walk