Oku-Iya Hotel & Restaurant
Oku-Iya Hotel & Cafe
旅の宿 奥祖谷
Area:
Type:
Hotel
Cafe and Restaurant
Cafe and Restaurant
no photo
Located in the small "downtown" village of Kyojo in Higashi-Iya (aka Oku-Iya) the Oku-Iya Hotel and Cafe is the place to go if you are looking for great local food at an affordable price. For sure, the restaurant here is where locals go for lunch and you will definitely get a down-home experience that is far from touristy.
The welcoming family who own the place have done so for generations, and they are proud of their
local Iya dishes
featuring seasonal vegetables,
Iya tofu, locally grown millet, and even
fresh deer meat
that was caught by the owner himself in the surrounding mountains. If going in the spring you will also be served up whatever
sansai (wild mountain sprouts) that they have recently picked.
They also have a couple banquet rooms for groups which can be reserved in advanced, along with special meal sets that should be reserved beforehand if you are coming with a larger group. They also have lunch boxes (bento)
available with prior request.
Overnight guests are in for a classic style experience, but do realize that this is more of a traditional style inn (and not a 5 star resort). Rooms are tidy but the baths are shared with other guests. The dinner meals are pretty nice and feature several reservable options (overnight prices are based on the meal plan). The owners only know a few words in English, so knowing some Japanese would be very helpful.
Address:
Phone:
Website:
Price:
Lunch
meals range from 500yen to about 1000yen, but special reserved sets are about 1500yen+. Large groups should reserve in advance.
Rooms
start at about 7000yen per person, but for special dinner meals it can be a couple thousand yen more depending on what you reserve.
Hours:
The cafe is open for lunch daily, 11:00am to 2:30pm.
My trip
Click any place
to see on map.
Local Points
The Oku-Iya Hotel & Cafe
is located within the small "downtown" section of Kyojo
in Higashi-Iya (Oku-Iya).
There are several shops along the main street here, including the small Kajimoto Shouten Grocery store and the neighboring Eneos Gas Station The post office & ATM are just up the road inside the local government building, while the Oku-Iya History Museum is a bit further up the street within the same building as the local Health Clinic.
There are several shops along the main street here, including the small Kajimoto Shouten Grocery store and the neighboring Eneos Gas Station The post office & ATM are just up the road inside the local government building, while the Oku-Iya History Museum is a bit further up the street within the same building as the local Health Clinic.
Access by Car
By car coming from Oboke,
take Rt 45 eastward and continue east (to the right) as it merges into Rt 32 in Central Nishi-Iya.
A few minutes later, turn left at the Kazurabashi Junction and then just keep following Rt 32 as it goes back and forth from one-lane to two-lanes. After about 15 minutes you will reach Tochinose where Rt 32 becomes Rt 439, and from here go through the long Kyojo Tunnel.
About 3 minutes after the tunnel, the red building for the clinic and museum will be on the right. Turn left here onto the side road for "downtown" Kyojo, and about a minute down the street you will see the Oku-Iya Hotel & Cafe on the left.
A few minutes later, turn left at the Kazurabashi Junction and then just keep following Rt 32 as it goes back and forth from one-lane to two-lanes. After about 15 minutes you will reach Tochinose where Rt 32 becomes Rt 439, and from here go through the long Kyojo Tunnel.
About 3 minutes after the tunnel, the red building for the clinic and museum will be on the right. Turn left here onto the side road for "downtown" Kyojo, and about a minute down the street you will see the Oku-Iya Hotel & Cafe on the left.
Access by Bus
The Oku-Iya Hotel & Cafe
is pretty convenient for public transport. Buses connect the nearby Kyojo Bus Stop
along the main bus line, with four buses a day direct to Oboke (35 min) and Ikeda (1 hour). Also, the local Municipal Buses for Oku-Iya also serve the Kyojo Bus Stop if looking to go to the deepest points in the Iya Valley such as the Double Vine Bridges
(Niju Kazurabashi) or Mt. Tsurugi
(Minokoshi).
You can find out more on Oku-Iya Hotel's website, but its only in Japanese (and room reservations should be made in Japanese as well).