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.

The Mazda Motor Corporation　was founded in Hiroshima in 1920. It still keeps its corporate headquarters in the city of its birth place. Besides the headquarters, Mazda possesses a large plot of coastal land which accommodates R&D (research and development) laboratories, factories, and shipping facilities. The company museum and part of a factory are made available to visitors.

Although Mazda is not as large as Toyota, Mazda plays a large role in Hiroshima's economy, like Toyota dose to Nagoya.  Producing over a million cars a year, It is an innovative player in the Japanese auto industry. For instance, in 1991 Mazda became the first and only Japanese company to win the Le Mans Grand Prix with 787B. Mazda continues efforts to create more efficient vehicles include improving its version of rotary engines.

Reservations are required for the Mazda Museum tour and can be made by telephone or via its website, the URL is below. Reservations can be made up to a year beforehand. Tours for individual travelers are offered once a day in English and Japanese.

Visitors to the museum are first gathered at the Mazda head office building. When the tour is scheduled to begin, a Mazda tour guide leads visitors onto a bus to take them to the museum building on the close to grounds of Mazda's Hiroshima Plant.

The museum offers a　digest of Mazda's history, such as a look into the expectancy for its future developments and the technology of its automobiles. The tour then goes through an actual vehicle assembly line, where a variety of different car models being produced. Final location is a shop where Mazda goods are sold. The tour takes a total of 90 minutes.

Access Information

From the JR Hiroshima Station, board a local train to Mukainada（向洋） Station. The one-way journey takes about 5minutes with a cost of 190yen. From arrival station the Mazda Head Office can be reached in a five minute walk.

Facility Information

Tours of the Mazda Museum and Factory are held daily, except weekends and company holidays. The starting time of the English tour is at 10:00 and the Japanese tour at 13:30. The full-length of the tours is around 90 minutes. The tour is free of charge, but a reservation must be made in advance by phone or e-mail.

Mazda official site for reservation http://www.mazda.com/en/about/museum/reservations/

Visitors coming to the World Famous Dogo Onsen Hot Springs in Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture will probably be using the Dogo Onsen Station, a tourist attraction in itself!!
Functioning as the terminal station to three tram lines, the station gives its visitors the feeling as though they have arrived to the Meiji Period. With the stations architecture reflecting the Meiji Period, it seem natural a steam locomotive, “Botchan” train, is still in use at this station.
At the station front visitors can find the clock-tower as well as a free hot springs foot bath.  The Dogo Shopping Arcade is nearby as well for visitors to shop and enjoy the local cuisine.

Built in 1895, Dogo Onsen Station is a nice representation of Meiji Period architecture. It serves as the terminal station to three tram lines. A "Botchan" steam locomotive is often exhibited in front of it.

This museum is dedicated to the local illustrator Anno Mitsumasa, who specializes in picture books and children's books.
The museum displays Anno's works and features a library of his books and a classroom with nostalgic interior decor from the Showa Period.
Its museum shop sells his books and original goods. The museum is located across the street from the station.
 

Facility Information
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry at16:45) 
Closed: December 29 th to 31st and second Thursday in Mar, Jun, Sep and Dec Admission: 800 yen
 

Tottori Castle, located 30 minutes from Tottori station, was originally built in 1532. The castle was part of Ikeda Clan’s, who ruled Tottori during the Edo Period, empire. However, the castle was destroyed in the Meiji Period due to the modernization policies of that period.

Today all which remains of the castle are only the castle's stone walls and a single wooden gate. However, visitors will find there are still many interesting things to do within this area.

The Tottori Castle ruins remain on the side of Mount Kyusho.  Visitors have the option to climb the castle’s courtyards to the observation point to see breathtaking views of the city. As the observation point was used to track enemies approaching the city, visitors can see all over Tottori city from this location.

There are also hundred of cherry trees planted along the former castle’s stone walls and along the banks of the river.  These former Tottori Castle grounds are known as Kyusho Park. In the spring, there are picnics under the cherry blossoms or sakura. This cherry blossom viewing custom is known as hanami.  Kyusho Park is Tottori's most famous hanami spot. During this season, paper lanterns hung on the trees provide illumination to view the sakuras in the evenings.

Jinpukaku, the white wooden European style building was constructed at the base of the castle ruins at the end of the feudal age in 1907. Architectural features of this building include its open verandas, brick fireplaces and a beautiful wooden spiral staircase.

As a symbol of modernization, this was the first building in Tottori to have electric lights. Over the years, Jinpukaku served many roles including but not limited to being used as a guest house for the visiting crown prince, public hall, reception hall and a prefectural museum. Currently it serves as a small museum concentrating on the Ikeda Clan. Public events are also sometimes held here. 

Castle Ruins
Hours: Always opened
Closed: Opened All Year Round
Admission: Free

Jinpukaku
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (except if Monday is national holidays), New Years and the day after national holidays.
Admission: 150 yen

Access Information:
**By Bus:
From Tottori Station, board the green line of the 100 Yen Kururi Bus.
Disembark at  bus stop number 12.
From here it is a short walk to the Castle Ruins.
The bus ride will take about 10 minutes and the fare is 100 yen.
Buses depart every 20 minutes.
**On Foot:
From Tottori Station, a 30 minute walk.

Inujima (犬島, literally: "dog island") is a small island off Okayama in the Seto Inland Sea that is named after a large rock resembling a sitting dog. Like nearby Naoshima Island, Inujima has become known as a site for modern art in recent years and serves as a venue of the Setouchi Triennale modern art festival. Due to its small size, the peaceful island can be explored entirely on foot.

Before turning to modern art, Inujima was mostly an industrial site. During the feudal age it produced granite blocks for castle construction, and in the early 20th century a copper refinery was supposed to bring prosperity and people to the island. However, copper prices plummeted within ten years of the refinery's opening and led to its premature closure and a drop in the island's population.

The refinery was not demolished after its closure, and despite being out of business for almost a century, its ruins still characterize Inujima's landscape. Designated as a "heritage of industrial modernization", the ruins with their exposed brick walls, overgrown power plant and crumbling smokestacks can now be explored by tourists.

In 2008, the refinery ruins were converted into the Inujima Seirensho Art Museum ("seirensho" is Japanese for "refinery") by tastefully incorporating an art gallery into the ruins. The gallery is located mostly underground and uses local materials such as granite and discarded bricks from the refinery. Among the small number of artworks on display are an intriguing tunnel of mirrors and a tribute to the late novelist Mishima Yukio, which consists of pieces of Mishima's former residence suspended in midair.

Admission tickets to the art museum are purchased at a Inujima Ticket Center next to the ferry terminal, a 200 meter walk from the refinery's gates. While in the past it was necessary to make advance reservations for a guided tour of the site, it is now possible to explore it on an individual basis without prior appointment.

The rest of Inujima is occupied by a small rural village, which is home to about one hundred people. Scattered across the small, peaceful village are the five galleries of the Inujima Art House Project which were built for the art festivals in 2010 and 2013 and have become permanent attractions on the island. They can all be explored in a pleasant 1-2 hour walk through the narrow lanes of the village.

Dining, shopping and lodging options are highly limited on the island. A couple of small restaurants are found in the proximity of the port, including a cafe inside the Inujima Ticket Center. The Seirensho Art Museum also has a cafe on its grounds, but outside of summer it is sometimes closed even when the museum is open. A beach with campground is found on the opposite side of the island, about a ten minute walk from the ferry terminal.

From Okayama   (How to get to Okayama)
Take the JR Ako Line from Okayama to Saidaiji Station (20 minutes, 240 yen, two trains per hour) and change to a bus bound for Higashi Hoden (東宝伝). Get off at the Nishi Hoden (西宝伝) bus stop (1 hour, 510 yen, 3-4 departures per day), which is a short walk from the ferry terminal from where ferries leave for Inujima once every 1-2 hours (10 minutes, 300 yen one way). See timetable.

From Naoshima   (How to get to Naoshima Island)

Three ferries per day operate between Naoshima (Miyanoura Port) and Inujima, except on Tuesdays from March to November. In winter, the ferries operate from Friday to Monday only. Ferries operate on national holidays, but not on days that the art facilities are closed. Some ferries make a stop at Teshima along the way. The one way trip between Naoshima and Inujima takes about 40-60 minutes and costs 1850 yen.

Inujima Seirensho Art Museum & Inujima Art House Project
Hours: 10:00 to 16:30 (entry until 16:00)
Closed: Tuesdays (around the year), Wednesdays and Thursdays (from December to February)
If a national holiday falls onto one of the above listed closing days, the museum is open on the national holiday but closed on the following day instead. If a national holiday falls onto a Monday, the museum is also open on Tuesday but closed on Wednesday.
Check official website for opening calendar.
Admission: 2060 yen

Commanding a stunning view of Nagasaki Harbour from its position on top of the hill of Minami-Yamate, this romantic area retains the atmosphere of a foreign settlement.
Glover Garden is an open air museum. It exhibits mansions of former Western residents of Nagasaki such as British merchants Frederick Ringer and William Alt and the former residence of Thomas Glover, a Scottish merchant. It is placed on the hill where Western merchants settled down after the end of Japan's era of seclusion (sakoku) in the second half of the 19th century.

The exhibited buildings A nice panorama of the city can be enjoyed from the garden.

Access Information:
Glover Garden is a five minute walk from "Ouratenshudo-shita" tram station on the line number 5 with a cost of 120 yen.The entrance is  adjacent the Oura Catholic Church.  

Yumeji Art Museum features the artwork of Takehisa Yumeji.  Yumeji was born in Okayama Prefecture.  The museum was built in commemoration of the 100 anniversary of his birth.

Yumeji developed the Art Nouveau style in Japan at the turn of the century.  He is famous for his displays of wistfully posed ladies in his paintings, on prints and screens.  The various examples of his artwork can be seen at this rather small museum.

Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry at 16:30)
Closed: Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be closed the following day)
Admission: 700 yen
English Information: Very Limited

Sengan-en Garden (仙巌園), also known as Isoteien (磯庭園), is a Japanese style landscape garden along the coast north of downtown Kagoshima.The use of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay bring amazing landscape as borrowed scenery is one of the garden’s most striking feature. The garden also includes small ponds, streams, shrines and a bamboo grove.
Sengan-en was built in 1658 by the wealthy Shimazu Clan, one of the most powerful feudal clans during the Edo Period (1603-1867). The Shimazu ruled the Satsuma domain (today Kagoshima) for almost 700 years until the end of the feudal age in 1868. They continued to be influential into the modern era as some of the earliest adopters of Western science and technology.

At the center of the garden stands the Iso Residence. The residence was originally constructed in 1658 along with the rest of the garden, but the current building mostly dates back to a rebuild of the mid 1880s. The Iso Residence became the main residence of the Shimazu family after the end of the feudal age, and its rooms are preserved in the way they were used in the 1890s. The inside of the residence can only be seen on a paid tour that includes tea and a snack at the end.
Sengan-en has a variety of trees and plants that make the garden scenery amusing in all four seasons. There are a number of cherry trees, especially of the early flowering kanhizakura variety, which open as early as late January. Other cherry tree varieties give flowers through mid April.

Outside the main garden area, but included in the admission price, stands a long stone building that used to serve as one of the earliest Western style machinery factories in Japan. Today it houses the Shoko Shusei-kan Museum with exhibits about the culture and maritime activities of the Shimizu Clan and the early factory and machines which contributed toward Japan's modernization in the 1800s.

Access info
Sengan-en can be reached by the Kagoshima City View bus to Senganen -mae bus stop (every 30 minutes, 190 yen per ride. A 1 day pass available for 600 yen.). The bus can be boarded at Kagoshima Chuo Station, the Shiroyama Observatory, Kagoshima Aquarium and some other tourist spots.
Schedule & cost

Hours: 8:30 to 17:30
Closed: No closing days
Admission: 1000 yen (additional 600 yen for tour through Iso Residence)

 

Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes and is the symbol of Kagoshima.


The volcano emits smoke constantly, and minor eruptions often occur many times per day.


Located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay, Sakurajima is the area's most splendid geographic feature,

having an elevation of 1117 meters and a circumference of about 50 kilometers.
 

Before a strong eruption in 1914, Sakurajima used to be an island in the bay,

but the massive lava flow from that eruption created the volcano's current land connection to the Osumi Peninsula in the east.


However For a great number of travelers the volcano is still most easily accessed by the ferries that run the 3.5

kilometers between Kagoshima Port and the Sakurajima Ferry Terminal.
 

Sakurajima has three main peaks: Kita-dake(peak) (, 1117 meters),

Naka-dake (1060 meters) and Minami-dake (1040 meters).


The Minami-dake peak is currently the most active,

with a lot of eruptions taking place from the Showa Crater on the peak's eastern slope.


Approaching within two kilometers of the volcano's craters is banned,

but there are many observation points around Sakurajima where eruptions can be seen from about three kilometers away.
 

Access information

In Sakurajima

Travelers visiting Sakurajima can find many attractions just around the Ferry Terminal,

including an onsen, foot baths, short hiking trails and an information center.


Those who would like to further explore the volcano should travel by rental car,

which can be taken across the water from Kagoshima by the ferries.

Sightseeing buses, regular buses and rental bicycles are other possible methods of travel.


The way up to Sakurajima

Kagoshima and Sakurajima are connected around the clock by frequent ferries.

The one way ride takes 15 minute and costs 160 yen.

The ferry terminal is a ten minute walk from JR Kagoshima Station or a five minute walk from the Suizokukan-guchi tram stop,

and is also served by the City View Buses.

The way up to around Sakurajima

The easiest way to travel around Sakurajima is by rental car,

which can be taken onto the ferry (1150 yen one way for 3-4 meter long cars; 1600 yen one way for 4-5 meter long cars).

Driving once around the coast of Sakurajima takes about an hour.

Many car rental outlets are found in the city center and at the airport.


There is some transportation for travelers who want to travel around Sakurajima,

like a loop bus, the Sakurajima Island View Bus,

that operates hourly from the ferry terminal to the Yunohira observation point and back.


The fare depends on the distance traveled or is 500 yen for a 1-day pass.

Instead,sightseeing bus tours are available for Sakurajima (3-4 hours, about 2500 yen) or in combination with Kagoshima (6 hours, about 4000 yen).

 

There are also regular city buses that run infrequently from the ferry terminal along the northern

coast (departures every 1-3 hours) and along the southern coast (departures every 40-90 minutes) of Sakurajima.

 

Nagisa Lava Trail

About three kilometers of walking trails connects Nagisa Lava park with Karasujima Observation Point along the water beside the Sakurajima Ferry Terminal.


The trail cuts through a lava zone created by the powerful eruption of 1914.

That burned every grasses and plants.

However, travelers can observe the growth of grasses and short plants nowadays.
 

Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes and is the symbol of Kagoshima.
 

The volcano emits smoke constantly, and minor eruptions often occur many times per day.
 

Located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay, Sakurajima is the area's most splendid geographic feature,

having an elevation of 1117 meters and a circumference of about 50 kilometers.

 

Access info

From Sakurajima Ferry Terminal: 10-minute walk 

From bus stop “visitor center”: 1-minute walk
 

The way up to Sakurajima

Kagoshima and Sakurajima are connected around the clock by frequent ferries.

The one way ride takes 15 minute and costs 160 yen.

The ferry terminal is a ten minute walk from JR Kagoshima Station or a five minute walk from the Suizokukan-guchi tram stop,

and is also served by the City View Buses.