I was invited by the Tourism Division of Miyoshi City to participate in a tour around the Okoke/Iya Valley area

and it was an amazing experience.

Our three day tour of the beautiful Miyoshi City in Tokushima started off at Oboke station.

When we arrived we wandered around the local shops surrounding the station.

We visited a liquor store where i purchased some local made sudachi wine

and the Oboke mart where we learnt about the famous local foods of Oboke including

Iwadofu - A very firm tofu that was made to withstand being carried up the steep mountains,

Tama Konyaku - made from local potatoes that has a nice texture

and Bokeage - which is a fried tofu said to be great in Oden and Soup.

We had the chance to make and drink some tea while being entertained by the locals.

They danced and played their seashell horns while showing off their skills in diablo, plate spinning and spinning tops.

We were then taken on a magnificent river cruise down the Oboke Gorge.

The Oboke Gorge is a valley that runs for about 8km along the Yoshino River.

The water was crystal clear and surrounded by these breathtakingly beautiful rocks that were formed over 200 million years ago.

We also saw a variety of wildlife living their daily lives along the river.

Following the pleasure boat ride we headed up to a restaurant called “Manaka” main floor of the pleasure boat complex for lunch.

We were able to try some of the famous foods from Miyoshi City such as

“Amego" a sweet fish,

Iya Soba and Iwadofu.

My favourite food was the Konyaku Sashimi, the texture was soft and smooth

and combined with the sweet miso sauce it was delightful combination.

Once we had finished lunch we headed over to the Kazurabashi on a really cool vintage styled bus.

Iya No Kazurabashi (Vine Bridge) is one of Japan’s oldest bridges.

It is 45m long and 15m above the river.

It was a thrilling experience to walk over as it shook and swayed back and forth.

The view from the middle of the was beautiful. You could see the river winding down through the valley.

We then walked from the vine bridge towards Biwa Waterfall and on the way we came across this little shop selling Amego and Deko Mawashi.

Deko Mawashi is a potato, tofu and konyaku skewer covered in miso that is cooked over charcoals on a fire.

It looked very delicious.

The Biwa waterfall is a 50m high waterfall which comes crashing down between moss covered rocks, into a pool of water.

The sound of the rushing water was somewhat peaceful and the waterfall itself was a magnificent thing to see.

We stopped at a souvenir shop where you could buy various local foods and specialty items before heading up into the mountains to look around.

On the way we stopped at a look out which had an amazing view of Ochiai village and the houses that were built in the Edo and early Showa periods.

Next we visited Kakashi no Sato Village (Scarecrow Village) where there were hundreds of scarecrows placed throughout the village.

We later learned that only 30 people actually lived in the village meaning that there were more scarecrows than people.

The scarecrows were there to make the village looked lived in.

The creepy part about this was that some of these scarecrows were designed based on some of the people that used to live in the town.

We stayed in the Tougenkyo- Iya Mountain Village in a traditional thatched roof farm house.

From the outside the farmhouse appears to be big and empty but as you enter you will noticed that the entire inside is clean and modern.

The Kitchen had heated flooring and every appliance you would need to have a fantastic stay.

The toilet and bathroom was spacious and very clean.

The Bedroom had tatami floors and we slept on futons.

Outside there was a set of chairs where you could sit and relax looking over the valley. It was a very beautiful place to stay in.

For dinner we headed over to another farm house for a nice home cooked meal.

We had various local mountain foods including Inoshishi Nabe (Wild Boar Hot Pot), Spring Rolls, Seasoned mountain potatoes and boiled vegetables and tofu.

The seasoned potatoes were a big hit among everyone who was there.

We also tried a few of the local Sake’s that we purchased earlier that day.

Day two of the tour started off with a beautiful sunrise over the beautiful foggy mountains.

From our accommodation we walked down the street to a restaurant called Nakochi for breakfast.

It had a great view of the valley.

We were served homemade deer sausages and bread.

The sausage were juicy and delicious.

After breakfast we headed to Okuiya Nijukazurabashi (The double vine bridges).

The walk down to the bridges was amazing the crisp, clear air and the smell of cedar was delightful.

Here there are two bridges one for men and one for women.

Although i walked across both.

There was also a fascinating ropeway bridge where you could hop into a little cart and you could pull yourself across the valley by pulling a rope.

It was a unique experience and the view from the cart was breathtaking

I had a lot of fun exploring the area and running across the bridges.

Next we headed up to the top of the mountain to a farm where we had the opportunity to make traditional Iya soba Noodles by hand.

First we added the flour which was a mixture of buckwheat and regular wheat flour and water.

We then kneaded that into a lovely ball shape.

After that we rolled out the soba with a rolling pin in a very specific way.

We then folded the soba and added extra dry flour to it in preparation for cutting.

The first batch of soba we used the guillotine to cut it and the second time we cut it with a knife by hand.

For lunch we went to a restaurant called the Soba Dojo where we ate Soba in various ways.

There was Iya Soba Noodles - which were thicker than usual, Soba Tama - a large ball of boiled soba and Sobagome - a soup with soba grains and vegetables.

Everything was very delicious.

After lunch we headed to Chiiori a traditional thatched roof house believed to be built over 300 years ago.

The inside was renovated and had many traditional items and pictures placed throughout.

There was even a traditional fire pit.

On the way back down the mountain we came across and Inoshishi pen and it was interesting to see them in the flesh as they are every so elusive in the wild.

On the way to our next destination we stopped by to check out the view of the Hinoji Valley. Which looks like the Hiragana character ‘Hi’.

Once we arrived at the onset we walked down the street to view the small statue of a peeing boy.

This statue stands at the top of a 200 metre cliff and It is said that long ago travelers and local boys would sometimes try this out.

Next we headed back to Iya Onsen for a unique hot spring experience.

We took a cable car down to the rotenburo (open air bath) at the bottom of the valley.

Along the way we enjoyed the panoramic views of the valley.

It took about 5 minutes to reach the bottom.

The hot spring overlooked the river. It was lukewarm and used the natural water from the spring.

After relaxing in the onset we headed back up to the hotel for a world class multi course meal.

We started with a local mountain peach wine followed by various delicious and beautifully presented dishes including a variety of appetisers.

Followed by a spicy miso fondue which we had a variety of seasonal raw vegetables and steamed mushrooms that we could dip into it,

Sobasubeshi soup, Amego a sweet grilled fish, Chrysanthem Manju, Duck Meat Hot pot.

We also received Yuzu Sherbert ice cream as a palet cleanser mid course.

In the second half of the course we received Vegetable Tempura with Andes Rock Salt,

Iya Soba and rice, picked vegetables and last but not least for dessert we ate Apple Moose and fresh persimmon.

We also tried 3 different types of local sake.

Day three of the tour started off with another beautiful sunrise over the beautiful foggy mountains.

We headed back to Nakochi again for breakfast where we were served a traditional Japanese styled breakfast

with rice, mission soup and various side dishes.

The shop owner also played the shamisen for us.

After breakfast it was time to head back to Oboke station and head home.

I had such a wonderful time on the tour and met many great people.

I hope that one day you will get to experience the Nature, Culture, Beauty, Sights, Food, of Oboke and Iya Valley in Miyoshi City, Tokushima.

I definitely recommend heading down here if you want a Japanese styled holiday.

#LOVESHIKOKU