Iya Valley - in the middle of nowhere

The journey from Matsuyama to Oboke unfortunately happened at night so I was not really aware of the beauty of the Iya Valley until the very next morning. This part of Japan can still be considered a remote and abandoned place, not visited by many tourists. Unfortunately it has also its down sides to it. As I was expecting to be able to go hiking for some hours and enjoy myself whitewater rafting, not all my plans came true. The latter did not happen due to communication problems (the company suddenly charged double the amount) so I decided to explore the Iya Valley for a full day. I took the local bus to one of the main attractions of the Iya Valley: one of the few still remaining and well preserved vine bridges (a bridge entirely made out of vine branches). From there I started my hike towards a famous outlook of the Iya Valley, the so-called "man-peeing statue". As there are no real hiking trails in this remote part I had to walk on the paved roads, which was half the fun. And not being able to read the local bus signs, while trying to get back to my accommodation, I had to walk back (this road was frequented by even more cars and I had to go through a tunnel). So this was where the fun ended, even though the scenery was stunning. So this place is recommendable to anyone wanting to escape the hassles of a big city, but spending more than 2 nights is highly recommended. On top of the mountains there are a few plateaus, where hiking on hiking trails is actually possible.

Iva Valley

The famous vine bridges

Daily labour

View of the Iya Valley

Peeing statue in the Iya Valley

Taking a dip in a Japanese onsen

After my visit to the Iya Valley, where at night instead of taking a shower I could relax myself in an onsen (the Japanese bathhouses I mentioned before), I took the train to Tokyo. And right now I am typing this blog as it is raining so heavily my sightseeing will be very short today. Before going to Malaysia on Monday I will report on my experiences in Tokyo and how Tokyo nightlife looks like.