Iya Valley

The Iya Valley (祖谷 Iya) region in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan is a scenic area known for its dramatic mountain valleys, thatched roof farmhouses and historic vine bridges. Although access has improved in recent years, 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 warriors. Most notably, members of the Taira clan (aka Heike clan) were rumored to have entered the area after losing the Genpei War to the Minamoto clan in the late 12th century.

In modern times, the Iya Valley has become an increasingly popular tourist destination due to its natural splendor and to being one of the last few vestiges of old world Japan. Although the west part of the valley (known as Nishi-Iya) has good road access and other tourist facilities, the eastern area known as Higashi-Iya (東祖谷) or Oku-Iya (奥祖谷) is still relatively difficult to access and thus the natural beauty is largely undisturbed. Several vine bridges, once the only method for crossing the rivers, continue to span the valleys and have become a popular tourist attraction.

Although there are several rivers that flow through the Iya Valley region, the Iya River (祖谷川 Iya-gawa) is the principal one, flowing from east to west. Mount Tsurugi (剣山 Tsurugi-san), the second-highest peak on Shikoku island, is at the east end of the Iya Valley along the border with Tsurugi town.

The Iya Valley was formerly divided into two villages East Iya (東祖谷山村) and West Iya (西祖谷山村), however, on March 1, 2006, both villages merged with other local towns to form Miyoshi City. However the two former villages are still referred to by their old names locally, "Nishi-Iya" (West Iya) and "Higashi-Iya" (East Iya).

The lower reaches of the Iya Valley are referred to as the Iya Gorge (祖谷渓 Iya-kei). This area is mostly undeveloped and unpopulated, but the original road that accesses the Iya Valley goes through here (Rt 32). Though a more modern tunnel connecting the central valley to Oboke has been built (allowing faster and easier access to the main areas of the Iya Valley), it is still possible to enter by way of the old, mostly one-laned road through the gorge (called the "Iya Highway"). About halfway along this 20km long cliffside, gorge road is the Peeing Boy Statue, which was installed in 1968 in honor of young boys who would traditionally relieve themselves from this high precipice.

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Wikipedia