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Local Points
Ochiai Village climbs up the moutainside from an elevation of about 600m to almost 1000m. The Ochiai-bashi Bus Stop
is located along the main road beside the Soba Dojo
restaurant and near Kurieda Tofu.
A short distance down the road is Miyanishi Shop
and the post office.
Roads and a web of foot paths weave up from the base through the village. The Nagaoka-ke Historic House
is located in the center of the lower half of the village, and directly up from here via path (indirectly via road) and surrounded by tall trees is Sansho Shrine.
A bit up a side path from here past a few fields is Nakochi
cafe & restaurant. Along the road above the shrine is some parking as well as a set of toilets. Up a path near here is a nice overlook
with an unobstructed view into the valley. Spread throughout the village from top to bottom are the eight restored thatched roof farmhouses of Togenkyo-Iya
which are available to stay in overnight.
Following the road 30 minutes up beyond the village eventually leads to Ochiai Pass
and its spectacular view. On the opposite side of the valley is Ochiai Viewpoint
with its grand view of the entire settlement, as well as the farm stay of Iya Hakkei.
Access by Car
By car, the base of Ochiai Village along Rt 439 is about 10 minutes from Kyojo
or about 25-30 minutes from Central Nishi-Iya.
If looking to drive up into the center of the village and coming up the valley from the Nishi-Iya direction, it may be easier to go via a bypass road that turns off Rt 439 a few minutes before reaching the lower part of the village (see turn-off here).
This bypass road first goes up through some forest (take the first right turn if going to Nagaoka-ke Historic House
), but eventually it crosses the center of the village, passing Sansho Shrine
from above (some parking available along the road) as well as to Nakochi
cafe (parking also above on the road).
Driving up to Ochiai Pass
takes another 30 minutes or so from Nakochi, with the road being curvy and steep. Small rock-slides on this upper road near the pass are not uncommon, so it can be occassionally closed for road repair. It takes an additional 80 or 90 minutes from the pass through Mibuchi
to reach Higashi-Miyoshi Town along this remote road, so it may not be the best choice for entering or exiting the valley this way for most people.
Access by Bus & Foot
By bus, the Ochiai-bashi Bus Stop
at the village base is accessable via both the main Shikoku Kotsu Buses (going to/from Nishi-Iya, Oboke, and Ikeda), as well as by the Local Miyoshi Municipal Buses of Oku-Iya (coming from Kyojo
in Oku-Iya, and then onwards to Kubo
and Nagoro
). However, walking up into the village via road or path from the bus stop is a bit of a task. Though points appear close on the map, Ochiai is quite steep, and on a hot summer day going up can be exhausting. (Though walking back down is much less arduous). Its about a 10-15 minutes walk from the bus stop to Nagaoka-ke Historic House
(first take the path next to the small police station and then take the road the rest of the way), and another 10+ minutes up to Sansho Shrine
(look for the narrow path on the left going up between a couple garages about 20 meters past Nagaoka-ke, then go up steeply, with crossing the road once). Walking over to Nakochi
cafe its a bit more level and about a 5 minute walk from the shrine.
One can also walk over to the Ochiai Viewpoint
on the opposite side of the valley by following the small road down behind the Ochiai Post Office
and crossing the small bridge, and then following the winding road up from there. From the post office to the viewpoint takes about 20 minutes.