Explore Japan's old times inside beautiful nature in Iya, Tokushima

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Japan is very industrialized in big cities, but is actually a very foresty country with amazing nature.

We like going to Hikyo=秘境 or Undiscovered, hidden border/area.

Today I want to share information about Iya in Tokushima!

Video by ANNnewsCH

 A brief translation of the news video:

  • Iya is one of the 3 "hidden areas" or Hikyo秘境 in Japan. (The other 2 are Shirakawago in Gifu and Shiiba in Miyazaki)
  • An American tourist told he liked Iya because it is something unique and different you can experience, a lot more inconvenient than cities but beautiful.
  • Kazurabashi Bridge was built by Heike samurai with plants so they can cut off the bridge if they are chased by their enemy.
  • Kakashi no Sato village only has 25 inhabitants now!
  • Ms. Ayano has made Kakashi or scarecrows to remember how the village used to be like before the population drastically declined.
  • Okuiya or 奥祖谷 is more into nature in the Iya area, and there is a unique ryokan where you can experience traditional Japanese living, Kajiya Iya Romaniei.
  • Romantei is a renovated 80-year-old house, and will only be able to accommodate 1 group per day.
  • The German tourists were interviewed, they were chopping wood to heat the bath, cook rice, and experience our traditional way of living.
  • Mr. Shino, the owner of the ryokan told he is happy that he can assist travelers to have a unique experience. He opened the ryokan when he saw the sea of clouds in the area when he came as a traveler there, and opening,
  • Covid resulted in more than 200 cancellations, but the internationals that lived in Japan were the ones that would come and spread the word of mouth, so Mr. Shino thinks it's all connected to how he put his passion and he is now content to be able to provide the experience. 

Iya and Chiori

I still haven't had the chance to visit, but I was inspired by Alex Kerr, a very respected American that wrote a book in Japanese. His Japanese writing is beautiful. 

He started a renovated traditional house business in Iya more than a decade ago, and many international tourists from all over the world will visit the hidden countryside of Iya.

The hotel is Chiori, and you can find it here.

The most beautiful villages in Japan

I'm in the middle of visiting the most beautiful villages in Japan. A lot of the villages are a "genkai shuraku"=限界集落 which means a village close to its limits. 

Something needs to change in order for them to sustain the village, but it's possible because these villages are so beautiful.

My favorite so far is Biei Town in Hokkaido, and I would love to visit:
  •  Kiso Town in Nagano
  • Higashi Shirakawa in Gifu
  • Kamikatsu town in Tokushima
  • Yame town in Fukuoka
For those who are interested in seeing the countryside life in Japan, the most beautiful villages in Japan is an NPO site worth searching!

Follow Ryu Aomi for more to come :) 

In this blog, I post my food trips worldwide, as insights into Japanese food in comparison to all the different cuisines I encounter through my journey. 

I also try to share information from Japan that fills our hearts or might help us think about how to better the world!

Here are the SNS channels I have, but I mainly focus on Twitter at the moment. I share my past car trip around mainly Hokkaido, and how it was living there!


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