Iyakei Gorge

Peeing Boy Statue   -   Hi-no-Ji Bend
iyakei  祖谷渓
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The breathtaking Iyakei Gorge stretches for about 15km within the lower quarter of the Iya Valley. This almost entirely undeveloped and steep-walled area has several viewpoints that look out to the forest covered mountains that enclose the emerald waters of the Iya River at the gorge bottom. The mostly one-laned "Iya Highway" (Prefectural Rt 32) is the original road into the Iya Valley, and it climbs and curves along the whole length of the gorge, and if possible, to travel this route by either driving, biking, or even walking is certainly a must-do for anyone either entering or exiting the Iya Valley.

The main points within the gorge include the precariously perched Peeing Boy Statue as well as the Hi-no-Ji Bend viewpoint. There are also two places to stay in the gorge itself: either in a tent or cabin at the Iya Valley Camp Village (a.k.a. Iyakei Campgound) or at the isolated but nicely situated Hotel Iya Onsen, which has a hotspring bath down beside the river (its open daily for non-guests as well).

Though the autumn provides a bounty of colors throughout the gorge (see below), visiting any time of year offers beautiful views and a delightful feeling of isolation. It was mainly due to the rugged inclines of this area which prevented road access into the main Iya Valley until the early/mid 20th century. Though the original road built through here (Rt 32) is still open, nowadays the primary access route for Iya has become instead Rt 45 from Oboke, which bypasses the gorge and is completely two-laned into Nishi-Iya. Therefore, the gorge's twisting single-laned road is often devoid of traffic and usually allows for peaceful solitude. Tour buses mostly do not drive on this road due to insurance restrictions, but a few daily public buses go into the upper gorge area, linking it to either JR Oboke Station or the Kazurabashi vine bridge. Also, daily buses travel a few times a day between Ikeda and Deai (at the lower end of the gorge). See "Access by Bus" below for details.

Autumn Leaves in Iyakei Gorge

A particularly beautiful time to visit would be when the steep walls of the gorge explode with color. Though every year is a bit different, the leaves generally begin to change at the very end of October and will usually reach their peak vibrancy duing the second week or so of November, with some colors lasting until the end of the month. 
** It is worth noting that there is sometimes confusion with the name of the gorge and its road. 

Some local translations into English refer to the whole Iya Valley as being simply "Iya", and they refer to just the Iyakei Gorge area as "Iya Valley" (because the Japanese word for "gorge" can also be translated as "valley"). So to them, all the vine bridges, villages, and everywhere in Oku-Iya are not part of the "Iya Valley" since they are not in the gorge (they are in "Iya")... and therefore to them only the Hotel Iya Onsen, Peeing Boy Statue, and Iyakei Campground are what exist in their "Iya Valley" because these are the only spots in the gorge. (Mainly, this translation twist is a bit of a ploy by the locally influential hotel in the gorge to monopolize the long standing popularization of the English name "Iya Valley" which has been used for decades to define the entire valley, not simply the Iyakei Gorge.)

Furthermore, the road through the gorge as mentioned is Prefectural Rt 32, but connecting to it just beyond the gorge entrance at Iyaguchi going from Ikeda up north and down through Oboke in the south (and not anywhere within the Iya Valley) is National Rt 32. Understandably, many people often confuse these roads. Please see this explanation on the Nishi-Iya Area Page for more info about the names Iyakei and Iya Valley, as well as details about the road numbers.
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Local Points
 There are several nice spots within Iyakei Gorge. At the lower end of the gorge is the village of  Deai  with its  bus stop  and a pretty view along the river near the roadside shrine. Within the lower reaches of the gorge is the  Iya Valley Camp Village  (also called Iyakei Campground) and about 1.5km further up the road is a free  viewpoint structure with a set of public toilets.
 Near the center of the gorge and now high above the river is the  Peeing Boy Statue  and its sublime view. A short distance from here is the  Hotel Iya Onsen  which has a hotspring bath beside the river that is accessed by private cable-car. The  Hotel Iya Onsen Bus Stop  is the closest stop to the Peeing Boy Statue (a 3 or 4 minute walk).
 The broad  Hi-no-Ji Bend  viewpoint is simply along the roadside and has no toilets or facilities around it, and is only distinguished by the grand view and a small sign. Parking here is along the road and its bus stop is called  Hi-no-Ji Keikoku.  The main Iyakei gorge area more or less ends at  Central Nishi-Iya  though the Iya Valley continues another 35km or so up to Minokoshi at the base of Mt Tsurugi.
Access by Car
Prefectural Rt 32 ("The Iya Highway") goes completely through the Iyakei Gorge, though its single lane and many curves makes it a slower ride compared to the main route into Iya via Rt 45 from  Oboke.  The road starts at the entrance to the valley at  Iyaguchi where it intersects with National Rt 32 (yeah, confusing). About 10 minutes from Iyaguchi is the village of  Deai,  and from there the road twists and climbs slowly up the valley side for the next 15 km (though there is little traffic, be very careful driving around narrow curves), eventually intersecting with Rt 45 in  Central Nishi-Iya.  It usually takes about 35-45 minutes to drive from Iyaguchi to Central Nishi-Iya without stops.
**Do note that if the weather is bad the road may be closed to vehicles.
Access by Bus
The main Shikoku Kotsu Buses do not go entirely through the gorge. A few buses do go everyday to main points in the upper gorge, with a route starting from  Oboke-kyo  (via JR Oboke Station) then through  Central Nishi-Iya,  to the Kazurabashi Parking Area (Yumebutai).  From here the buses turn around and go back a few minutes to Central Nishi-Iya and the into Iyakei Gorge, with first stopping at  past Hi-no-Ji Bend  (Hi-noJi Keikoku Bus Stop),  and on to  Hotel Iya Onsen Bus Stop  near the Peeing Boy Statue. These buses also take the same route in reverse.
**However, the final bus of the day for this route does not go via Kazurabashi Yumebutai, and only goes directly between the Oboke area and Hotel Iya Onsen.
 A few additional buses per day travel only between  Awa-Ikeda Bus terminal  and  Deai  at the start of the gorge. These buses are everyday and travel via  Iyaguchi  and do not go into the gorge.
Access by Foot
 Walking all or part of the gorge road (Rt 32) is also possible and can be quite pleasant due to the little traffic. Going by foot from  Central Nishi-Iya  to  Hi-no-Ji Bend  takes about 45-50 minutes (3km), and on to the  Peeing Boy Statue  takes another 45-50 minutes (3km). From the Peeing Boy to  Iya Valley Camp Vilage  is about 90-95 minutes (5km), and from there to  Deai  is about 45-50 min (3km). So the whole length would be a hefty 14km and a solid 4+ hours of walking (not including stops).