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.

Located in a former guest house of Okayama Castle, the quaint and small Hayashibara Museum of Art focuses on collections of traditional Japanese art, including displays of folding screens, kimono, pottery and swords. The founders are the owners of a successful local business, the Hayashibara family.

Hours: 10:00 to 17:00 (last entry is at 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, the museum is closed the following day) as well as during New Year holidays. There are irregular closures between exhibitions
New Year holidays and irregular closures between exhibitions
Admission: 500 yen (an additional fee may be needed for special exhibitions)
English Information: Limited

During the Edo Period (1603-1867), Kurashiki was an important point along the distribution route of Japan's most important commodity, rice.

Large quantities of rice from the surrounding area were brought into Kurashiki and intermediately stored there in storehouses before being shipped to Osaka and Edo.

Because of the city's importance in the rice trade, Kurashiki was put under direct control of the shogunate, and the city was even named after its many storehouses (kura).

Canals were built to allow boats and barges to navigate between the city's storehouses and the nearby port.

A central section of the city's former canal system has been preserved in the Bikan Historical Quarter.

The weeping willow trees that line the canal and the stone bridges that cross over the water make for a picturesque scene.

Along the canal, there are many of the original storehouses that were so central to the city's identity.

Recognizable by their white walls and black tiles, the former storehouses have been converted into cafes, boutiques, souvenir shops and a number of museums.

Toy Museum
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 
Closed: January 1 
Admission: 400 yen 
English Information: Minimal

The toy museum consists of a number of converted storehouse buildings.

There are four main display rooms, which feature examples of old toys from all of Japan's 47 prefectures.

One room is devoted to variations of the popular daruma doll. There are also shops and a cafe.

Archaeological Museum
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (until 16:30 from December to February) 
Closed: Mondays and Tuesdays (except national holidays), 
December 29 to January 2 
Admission: 400 yen 
English Information: None

The Archaeological Museum was opened in 1950 in a converted storehouse, and explores the early history of Japan.

There are about 700 examples of pottery and other artefacts from early Japanese civilization, mainly from the region around Kurashiki.

Kake Museum
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30) 
Closed: Mondays (unless Monday is a national holiday),
New Year holidays and between exhibitions 
Admission: 300 yen 
English Information: None

The Kake Museum was opened in 2002, and displays art preservation and restoration techniques.

It was founded by the Kake and Takahashi Educational Institutions, and local universities are also involved with displays.

The canal area is a 10-15 minute walk from Kurashiki Station's south exit.

A main road, Motomachi-dori, leads south from the station to the canal area, but walking through the parallel shopping arcade is more enjoyable and almost as fast.

Travelers, who would rather not walk from the station, can take a bus to the Ohara Bijutsukan bus stop (2 minutes, 170 yen), which is located just beside the Ohara Museum.



 

The Ohashi family, a wealthy family among the merchants of Kurashiki, built the Ohashi House in 1796.  The house is a typical Kurashiki townhouse or machiya.  The house has the atmosphere of a wealthy merchant’s house with its elegant sliding doors and hanging scrolls in the tatami mat rooms.  In addition, there are separate private rooms, storage rooms and a kitchen.

There is a noticeable difference between the Ohashi House and other machiya. The Ohashi House is not built directly on the road.  There is a front gate and an open space area.  During the Edo Period (1603-1867), this architectural style was exclusive to the samurai residence.  The caste system dictated the samurais at the top of social scale with the merchants at the bottom.  The Ohashi House incorporating the architectural style reserved for samurais reflected the family’s local importance.
 
Location and Access Information:
From the northern end of the canal area, it was a few minutes by foot.  It is opposite side of the Motomachi-dori, main road.
From the station, go south on the main road (Motomachi-dori).  Turn right at the second set of the traffic lights.  Visitors can find the Ohashi House on their left, about 1 minute away.

Ivy Square is a complex of brick buildings covered in ivy.

This building houses cafes, shops, exhibition spaces, museums and a hotel. .

This is quite a pretty and interesting place to wander around.

The area was the site of the first modern cotton mill in Japan, and the brick buildings were originally built as part of the mill in 1889.

During the Edo Period (1603-1867), before the construction of the mill, the site was used as the office of the local magistrate, who exercised control of the city as a direct representative of the shogunate.

In building Japan's first modern cotton mill, the Kurashiki Bosekijo (Kurashiki spinning mill) company, also known as Kurabo, reaped the profits of introducing new industrial techniques to the country.

The company is still active today in the textile and various other industries.

Kurabo has built a memorial hall in one of the former cotton warehouses which traces the company's history to the present day.

A number of other museums are located within and around Ivy Square.