In January 2026 Lonely Planet put Shikoku fifth in its list of 15 places to go off-grid around the world, and its entry points readers to "the remote Iya Valley to stay in an 18th-century thatched farmhouse and raft the upper reaches of the Yoshino River." The valley sits in the mountains of Miyoshi, in western Tokushima Prefecture. From Okayama, the limited express Nanpu reaches Oboke Station in about 1 hour 35 minutes, and from there a car climbs into the gorge of the Iya River, where a 45 m bridge woven from vines still crosses the water and a hotel runs its own cable car down the cliff to an open-air bath beside the river.

This guide covers the train and the roads, the vine bridges, the thatched houses of Ochiai and Chiiori, where to stay, a quiet day in the valley, when to go, and how the trip can end at Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama, whose old bathhouse reopened in full in July 2024. We read every time, fee and opening period on the official pages on November 2, 2026, and the sources are listed at the end. If you are still choosing a region beyond the usual route, Beyond Tokyo and Kyoto sets out the other options.

Key points

LET US ARRANGE YOUR DAYS IN THE IYA VALLEY →

GETTING THERE

Most journeys start at Okayama, on the shinkansen line from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. From there the limited express Nanpu crosses the Seto Inland Sea and runs south along the Dosan Line towards Kochi, stopping at Awa-Ikeda and Oboke.

The Nanpu from Okayama

The timetable. On JR West's timetable pages, the Nanpu 3 leaves Okayama at 8:51 and arrives at Oboke at 10:37, the Nanpu 5 leaves at 10:05 and arrives at 11:40, and the Nanpu 13 leaves at 14:04 and arrives at 15:41. JR Shikoku's departure board for Oboke shows trains back towards Okayama roughly once an hour, from 6:48 in the morning to 20:23 in the evening.

Seats. JR Shikoku has announced that from spring 2027 the Nanpu and the Shiokaze will carry reserved seats only, with a limited number of standing tickets at the unreserved price. For a trip in 2027 it is worth fixing the seats as soon as the dates are settled. You buy the tickets yourself, at the station or on JR's own sites.

From the station into the valley

Hotel Iya Onsen sends one car a day to JR Oboke Station: it leaves the station at 15:10 and takes about 30 minutes to the hotel, and it must be requested by the day before. The hotel suggests the Nanpu 11 from Okayama, which it lists as arriving at 14:44. The morning car leaves the hotel at 9:50 and reaches Oboke at about 10:20. For the vine bridges, Ochiai and Chiiori, which are spread across a long valley, a car with a driver for the whole stay is the practical choice; our guide to private driver costs explains how day rates are set.

A road notice for this winter

The hotel's notice of October 30, 2026 says that from November 4 the Iya Kaido will be closed at set times for road works at the Hinoji Valley viewpoint in Nishi-Iyayama, for the time being. The road opens in short windows during the day, including 10:20 to 11:00, 11:50 to 13:00 and 14:40 to 15:00, and stays open from 16:25 until 8:30 the next morning. The hotel recommends approaching through Iyaguchi.

A thin waterfall falling over dark, mossy rock in a forest in Miyoshi, Tokushima.

THE VINE BRIDGES

Iya Kazurabashi

Miyoshi City's official tourism site describes the Iya Kazurabashi as a suspension bridge 45 m long, 2 m wide and 14 m above the water, woven from about six tonnes of shirakuchi vine and rebuilt every three years. It is a nationally designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property and is counted among Japan's three unusual bridges. One story says the Heike, who fled into these mountains after their defeat at Yashima, built bridges like this so they could be cut down behind them; another credits the monk Kobo Daishi. Through the gaps in the deck you see the river below, and the whole span moves as you walk.

The bridge is open 8:00 to 18:00 from April to June, 7:30 to 18:30 in July and August, and 8:00 to 17:00 from September to March. Crossing costs ¥550 for adults and ¥350 for elementary school children. It may close in heavy rain warnings. From 19:00 to 21:30 every evening the bridge is lit, though no one crosses at night. About 50 m to the left after crossing is the Biwa waterfall, about 40 m high. Hotel Iya Onsen gives the drive from the hotel as about 20 minutes.

The double bridges of Oku-Iya

Further up the valley, in Higashi-Iya, two vine bridges hang side by side: the larger otoko-bashi and the smaller onna-bashi, which locals call the husband and wife bridges. They are said to have been built so the Heike could reach their riding ground on Mount Tsurugi. They are open from April to November, 9:00 to 17:00 (8:00 to 18:00 in July and August), and close from December to March. Crossing costs ¥550 for adults. The city lists the drive from Ikawa-Ikeda IC at about 1 hour 40 minutes. The yaen, a hand-pulled basket across the river beside them, is not in use at present.

OCHIAI AND CHIIORI

Ochiai

Ochiai lies in the middle of Higashi-Iya, where the Ochiai River meets the Iya River, and climbs the mountainside with a height difference of about 390 m from the lowest house to the highest. Its farmhouses date from the middle of the Edo period to the early Showa era, set among stone walls built one stone at a time and small fields. It was selected as a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings in 2005. By car it is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Ikawa-Ikeda IC; by bus from Oboke you get off at Ochiai-bashi and walk about 30 minutes.

Several of the old houses in Ochiai now take guests. Tokyo Weekender describes the thatched houses of Tougenkyo-Iya as renovated under the guidance of the Chiiori Trust, and Ikyu lists Togenkyo Iya no Yamazato at Higashi-Iya Ochiai as thatched houses with modern facilities, each rented as a whole house.

Chiiori

Chiiori stands at Tsurui in Higashi-Iya. Miyoshi City gives the house as about 300 years old and explains the name: Alex Kerr, the writer on Japanese culture who bought it, plays the flute, so he called it the house of the flute, from an old character for a bamboo flute and the word for a thatched hut. Japan's national tourism organisation says the restoration kept the original structure, floors and thatched roof and added underfloor heating, modern plumbing and a wooden bath, and that the house sleeps up to ten as a single unit. Visits without staying are by advance reservation only, from 12:00 to 15:00. Ikyu lists the house about 40 minutes by car from Oboke Station, with check-in from 15:00 to 18:00, a kitchen for self-catering, and dinner of local food by a caterer on request. When we read the listing on November 2, it showed no vacancies on the dates displayed.

WHERE TO STAY IN THE VALLEY

Hotel Iya Onsen

Hotel Iya Onsen stands alone on the road above the Iya Gorge, and its baths are at the bottom of the cliff. The cable car covers 250 m of rail and a drop of 170 m on a 42° slope in about five minutes. The present car, the fourth, came into service in spring 2023, pale blue outside and deep indigo inside, designed under the muralist Kimura Hideki. At the bottom, two open-air baths, Keikoku-no-yu and Seseragi-no-yu, sit right over the river and swap between men and women each day, so a guest who stays one night can use both. The spring rises at the valley floor and flows straight into the baths.

For hotel guests the river baths are open 7:00 to 21:00, until 19:00 from January 4 to the end of February. Day visitors can come from 7:30 to 17:00, with the last entry at 16:00, for ¥2,000 including the cable car. A private open-air bath, Yamagiri-no-yu, can be reserved by staying guests for 60 minutes at ¥3,000 plus tax. The bath pages list Wednesday as the closing day, so a Wednesday in the plan is worth checking with the hotel. Room types include rooms with their own open-air bath and footbath, rooms with an open-air bath, and rooms with a view bath. The hotel is a member of the Japan Association to Protect Secluded Hot Springs. Our guide to onsen etiquette covers what to expect in shared baths.

A whole house to yourselves

Chiiori and the restored houses of Ochiai suit a family or a small group who want the house, the hearth and the evening to themselves. They are self-catering by design, so the stay works best when dinner is arranged with the caterer in advance and the car comes back in the morning.

A DAY IN THE VALLEY

The day starts early at the bottom of the cable car, with the mist still lying on the green water of the Iya River and the bath to yourselves. After breakfast the car is at the door. The drive to the Kazurabashi takes about twenty minutes, and at 8:00, when the bridge opens, there is time to cross slowly and stand by the Biwa waterfall while the path is still quiet.

From there the road climbs east to Ochiai. A guide who knows the village points out the stone walls, the small fields and the old farmhouses, and the car waits at the village viewpoint so you see the whole slope in afternoon light. In the late afternoon the car drops down to the Oboke Gorge, where the river runs between walls of crystalline schist that the city describes as about 100 million years in the making. The sightseeing boat makes a round trip of about 30 minutes from 9:00 to 17:00, with the last departure at 16:30, for ¥1,800 an adult. Oboke was designated a national natural monument in 2014 and a national scenic spot in 2015, and Koboke, about 3 km downstream, was added to the scenic spot in 2018. The boat does not run in strong wind or high water.

That evening at the hotel the meal is Iya cooking, with mountain vegetables and river fish in season, and the second river bath is waiting before bed.

WHEN TO GO

The valley is open all year, but some parts follow the season.

Opening periods in the Iya Valley, from the official pages
PlaceSeason and hours
Iya KazurabashiAll year: 8:00–18:00 April to June, 7:30–18:30 July and August, 8:00–17:00 September to March
Oku-Iya double vine bridgesApril to November: 9:00–17:00, 8:00–18:00 in July and August; closed December to March
Hotel Iya Onsen river baths, hotel guests7:00–21:00; until 19:00 from January 4 to the end of February
Oboke sightseeing boatAll year, 9:00–17:00, last boat 16:30; cancelled in strong wind or high water

In autumn, Miyoshi City writes, the Iya Gorge turns colour from the valley floor to the ridges. Summer brings the longest bridge hours and the river season Lonely Planet mentions, rafting the upper Yoshino. In winter the Oku-Iya bridges close, so a winter stay centres on the hotel, the baths and the lower valley.

The wooden Dogo Onsen Honkan in Matsuyama at dusk, its windows and street lamps lit.

ON TO DOGO ONSEN

From the valley, the trip can end three hours away on the other side of Shikoku, at Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama. On the JR timetables we read, the Nanpu 10 leaves Oboke at 11:05 and is timed at Tadotsu at 11:59. Change there to the Shiokaze 9, which leaves Tadotsu at 12:22 and arrives in Matsuyama at 14:13.

Dogo Onsen Honkan

The Honkan is the wooden bathhouse at the centre of Dogo. Matsuyama City says the present three-storey building dates from 1894, and in December 1994 it became the first public bathhouse to be designated a national Important Cultural Property. Conservation work began in January 2019 with the bath kept open, the whole building including the rest rooms reopened on July 11, 2024, and the work was completed on December 20, 2024. The city tram runs to Dogo Onsen Station, about five minutes' walk away.

Bathing only in the Kami-no-yu costs ¥700, from 6:00 to 23:00 with last entry at 22:30. For a calmer visit, the Tama-no-yu third-floor private room costs ¥2,500 for 90 minutes, includes a guided view of the Yushinden, and must be reserved. Two named private rooms take five groups a day each: the Shirasagi-no-ma at ¥6,000 per group plus ¥1,300 a person, and the Soaring Room at ¥3,000 per group plus ¥1,300 a person. Online reservations close at 22:00 the day before. Matsuyama City notes one closing day in December.

Where to stay in Dogo

Dogo has inns within a short walk of the Honkan. Funaya, which Ikyu lists as founded in the Kan'ei era of the Edo period, has 58 rooms around a garden of about 1,500 tsubo, roughly 5,000 m². On November 2, 2026 Ikyu showed its rates from ¥28,050 for two people without meals, tax included, with the bathing tax added on site.

HOW WE ARRANGE THE IYA VALLEY

We plan the days around the hours above and arrange each part in your name.

SOURCES AND HOW WE CHECKED

Read on November 2, 2026. Prices include tax and are for one adult unless stated. Train times are from the timetables published at the time and can change at a timetable revision.

QUESTIONS GUESTS ASK

How do I get to the Iya Valley from Okayama?

Take the limited express Nanpu to Oboke. On JR West's timetable the Nanpu 5 leaves Okayama at 10:05 and arrives at 11:40. From Oboke, Hotel Iya Onsen runs one car a day at 15:10 for its guests, about 30 minutes to the hotel; for the rest of the valley a car with a driver is the practical way to go.

How much does it cost to cross the Iya Kazurabashi?

¥550 for adults and ¥350 for elementary school children. The bridge is open 8:00 to 17:00 from September to March, with longer hours from April to August. The Oku-Iya double vine bridges also cost ¥550 and close from December to March.

Can non-guests use the cable car bath at Hotel Iya Onsen?

Yes. Day visitors can use the cable car, the river baths and the view bath from 7:30 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:00, for ¥2,000 for adults. The bath pages list Wednesday as the closing day.

Can I stay at Chiiori?

Chiiori is rented as a whole house to one group; Japan's national tourism organisation says it sleeps up to ten. Ikyu lists it about 40 minutes by car from Oboke Station, with self-catering and dinner by a caterer on request. Without staying, visits are by advance reservation from 12:00 to 15:00.

Is Dogo Onsen Honkan fully open again?

Yes. The whole building, including the rest rooms, reopened on July 11, 2024, and the conservation work was completed on December 20, 2024. Bathing only in the Kami-no-yu costs ¥700, and the private rooms must be reserved.

LET US ARRANGE YOUR DAYS IN THE IYA VALLEY

Send us your dates and where you will be before Shikoku. We will come back with a plan for the Iya Valley built around the bridge hours, the road works and the season, the train and the car that fit it, and two or three places to stay with their published rates, and we arrange the car, the guide, the stay and Dogo in your name.

Begin planning →

We reply within 24 hours, in writing

Some of the restaurants, bars and private places we arrange take guests only by introduction or membership. We do not publish their names.

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