The Gorgeous Gorge in Iya Valley

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My free weekends in Japan are rapidly coming to an end. I have a list of things that I want to see and do before I move on, so I'm taking all opportunities to do so. This weekend, Dana, Jenn, Ellie and I drove to Shikoku, which is one of the four main islands of Japan (south of me). To get there you have to cross a series of ridiculously expensive bridges...it helped that there were four of us in the car. Our destination was the Iya Valley in Tokushima Prefecture. A popular spot for Japanese people to visit, so we thought we'd give it a try.

The Kazurabashi is the main tourist attraction in the Iya Valley. It is a vine bridge hanging over the rocky gorge. Looking at the bridge, we wondered why people were clinging on for dear life...it looked too easy to cross. But once we got on there, we were hanging on pretty tight too! The gaps between each step was pretty big. And it didn't help that we got on the bridge at the same time as a huge tour group...didn't make me feel too stable!

The second set of bridges are the Oku-Iya Bridges.... "husband and wife" bridges that are far less touristy and even more adventurous to cross (again, the feeling of unstableness). It was a major mission to find the place as well...driving through endless up and down, curvy mountain roads throughout the Oboke Gorge. Along the way we passed the "Peeing Boy" statue. Don't ask me why it's famous, but it is. I couldn't understand much of the information sign, except that it was placed there in 1968. So, peeing since 1968...and wow, what a view! On the other side of these bridges was the campground. Getting across the bridge with our camping gear was a bit of an issue. Thankfully there was a trolly cart to get the heavier stuff...it was fun, and a great workout for the arms! We set up our tents, built a fire and hung out for the night. I slept about two hours. The scorching hot days we've been having are quite misleading for night....it was freeeezing! Despite this, I do miss camping. I'd like to do it more often. Maybe for my birthday weekend in a few weeks? It'll be warmer by then!

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Photos

how
these two were amongst a huge field of quite happy looking scarecrows....somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Japan

here we come!
Jenn and I building our arm strength!

camping
Dana and I