Iya's First Snow of Winter 2022-23
A Winter Wonderland in the Iya Valley !!
Though the mountain tops around the Iya Valley have been covered in snow for the past week or two, the main part of the valley along the road is getting its first significant snowfall for the season this weekend.
As of Sunday afternoon Dec 18 the snow is still lightly falling and the accumulation so far has been anywhere from 10 to 15 cm in Nishi-Iya near the Kazurabashi, about 20 to 25cm in Kyojo and lower Ochiai in Oku-Iya, and 35+cm out in Nagoro Scarecrow Village.
And the higher you go up in elevation in any hillside village will mean an increased snow depth.
The roads are slowly getting plowed and salted, but if driving into the Iya Valley for the next several days, be extra cautious and take your time, especially in Oku-Iya. And be sure to have snow tires and/or 4WD and/or chains.
And though the main road may be cleared in the coming days, the small roads up into the hillside villages will still be snowy and/or icy for the next week or more. And there may be more snow coming this week (as well as during the rest of the winter...), so again, be careful as you enjoy the beautiful landscape!!
