A hidden valley crossed by bridges of vines
The Iya Valley, deep in the mountains of Shikoku, is where warriors of the defeated Heike clan are said to have hidden in the 1100s, weaving bridges from wild vines that they could cut down if enemies came. Cross a swaying vine bridge, slurp Iya soba, the valley's thick buckwheat noodles, and take a boat through the gorge to see it from below. It is about two and a half hours from Osaka by shinkansen and limited express to Oboke Station, then a local bus that runs only a few times a day.
A 45-meter suspension bridge woven from vines, where the gaps between the wooden slats show the river about 14 meters below. It sways as you walk, so most people cross slowly, gripping the vine handrails. The bridge is rebuilt every few years, and it is closed for rebuilding from January 12 to around the end of February 2027.
Two vine bridges, the 'male' and 'female' bridges, hang side by side deep in the mountains, far quieter than the main bridge. You can also cross the river in a yaen, a small wooden cage you pull along a rope yourself. It is closed from December to March, and is about an hour's drive on mountain roads from the main bridge.
A lookout facing Ochiai across the valley, a village of farmhouses and stone-walled fields clinging to a slope so steep the houses seem stacked up the mountain. It shows at a glance how people have lived in this remote valley. Buses rarely come here, so a car or taxi is easiest.
A soba shop near the vine bridge where you eat handmade Iya soba while looking down into the valley. The noodles are thick and short, made with little binding flour, for a rustic, crumbly bite.
A boat ride through Oboke Gorge, where you look up at the rock walls from emerald-green water, seeing from below the kind of valley you crossed from above on the vine bridge. The round trip takes about 30 minutes and needs no booking. Boats do not run in strong wind or high water.