Access Iya
Find out how to get to the Iya Valley
Accessing the Iya Valley Area
The Iya Valley is part of Miyoshi City, located in western Tokushima Prefecture, near the center of Shikoku Island.
The most common way to access the Iya Valley area from elsewhere in Japan is by train, however we can also arrange to pick you up or take you elsewhere with one of our private vehicles to/from just about any place in Shikoku, including airports. It is also possible to access Iya by long distance bus, but options are limited.
Access By Private Vehicle
We can provide service for you and your group between the Iya Valley and anywhere in Shikoku by taxi, van, or even with one of ours buses.
We offer door-to-door service between hotels or any other points by request. Many cities and airports in Shikoku (Takamatsu, Kotohira, Kochi, etc) are located about 1 to 2.5 hours away from the Iya Valley by private vehicle, but some spots can be farther.
We can take you by vehicle-only, or also include an English Speaking guide if requested. We can also create a private tour along the way to other locations in Shikoku that could include historic temples within the 88 Henro Pilgrimage, amazing gardens like Takamatsu's Ritsuin Park, and scenic spots like Kochi Castle. Just let us know your interests.
Fees depend on the vehicle type and the amount of time needed to access the desired location, but please understand that even though you may only be going one-way, fees would include our driver and vehicle's time/distance for going out for pick-up and/or returning from drop off.
Access By Train
The main train station for the Iya Valley Area is Oboke Station on the JR Dosan Line, which comes in from Okayama and Takamatsu in the north, and Kochi in the south.
Most people arrive via the Limited Express trains (either the Nampu or the Shimanto) which stop at Oboke Station about once per hour in either direction.
*When arranging your tour, if you wish for pick-up from Oboke Station, we would need to know when you plan to arrive.
To plan your train route to/from Oboke Station with arrival and departure times, we suggest using the Japan Route Finder in English with the Navitime Website:
(*note: depending on your internet speed, it may take a few seconds to fully load the route search box at the top of the Japan Route Finder website, so please do not scroll down the page until the white search box appears.)
Here is some other info for using the trains via Oboke, and for transit to accommodations:
If you are using a Rail Pass, then on the Japan Route Finder you should open the "Tourist Pass" section and be sure to click the box in there for "Japan Rail Pass" to get a proper search result.
Whether or not you have a Rail Pass does not actually affect the availability for any trains that stop at Oboke Station or anywhere in Shikoku, but it would affect availability of the "Nozomi" and "Mizuho" shinkansen bullet trains on Honshu if connecting in from somewhere like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, or Hiroshima.
Oboke Station is pretty small, and upon stepping out onto the platform you will immediately feel like you are far removed from the rest of urban Japan. In the traditional-style station building there is a small indoor waiting room and some toilets, but not much else.
If you have arranged to start your tour from here, then your guide will usually meet you either on the train platform or inside the building.
If you are only having a taxi pick-up for transit to your hotel, then our taxi will be just outside the station building, and the driver will have a sign with your name.
Just next to the station is an alcohol shop, and just up the hill here about 40 meters away is Boke Mart which is a small grocery store (but by far the biggest in the Iya area). It is a good place to get any drinks or snacks for either during the tour or for the evening if staying in Iya. They also sell alcohol at Boke Mart (if you are staying at a Traditional Farmhouse, then you will probably need to bring your own alcohol or any other special drinks).
If you are staying the night in the Iya Area and would like to arrange taxi service to/from Oboke Station separate from your main tour on either the day before or after, please just let us know when arranging the tour and we shall include this. In general, unreserved taxis usually do not wait at Oboke Station for potential customers, so be sure to reserve in advance.
Most hotels are located about 15-25 minutes from Oboke Station. A couple are a bit closer, and some Traditional Farmhouses can be up to an hour away.
Public buses also stop at Oboke Station for service to some hotels, but the schedules can be confusing and/or limited, and we do not suggest using public buses if you have large baggage or a large group. See here for bus schedules in English.
And a few hotels also offer station shuttle service. Please check with them directly to find out about this. For information and recommendations about were to stay, please check our Accommodations page for complete details of each location, as well as explanation on how to reserve and access.
Access By Long Distance Bus
We really recommend using the train if possible, but if you can figure it out, there are also a few long distance bus options for the area which would probably only be useful if coming direct from Kobe or Osaka, and/or if not using a Rail Pass. Though buses are clean and comfortable, convenience is debatable.
There is direct bus service between the Iya Valley and Kobe city once per day on weekends and holidays only. The Kobe bus to Iya (called "Grela") takes about 4.5 hours, but with an early departure from Kobe (7:25am) and a late return to Kobe (20:28pm). In Iya, the bus goes to Kazurabashi Yume Butai (the Vine Bridge parking area). Ticket info in English for this bus can be found here.
There is also daily bus service a few times per day from Osaka (and Kobe) to the Ikeda town section of Miyoshi City, which is about 45-50 minutes north of Iya. The Osaka Route to Ikeda takes about 4 hours. In Ikeda, the bus goes to Awa-Ikeda Bus Terminal. From Ikeda you can either take a local bus to Iya or a train to Oboke (neither are that convenient), or arrange for taxi pick-up (or drop-off) from Ikeda with one of our vehicles for an additional fee.
There are also some overnight buses for Tokyo and some other main cities that go to the Miyoshi Bus Terminal in neighborong Higashi-Miyoshi Town, which is a further 20-25 minutes beyond Ikeda. There is no train station near the terminal here, local bus connections are rare, and it is not very convenient, but we can arrange taxi pick-up from here to Iya for an additional fee.
Arranging bus tickets can be confusing (and sorry, we can not give assistance with this). For ticket info in English, check the Japan Bus Online website here. Good luck figuring it out...
