Iya Onsen

This hot spring belongs to a lone inn nestled in the Iya Valley, counted among Japan three great hidden regions. Its open-air bath sits at the very bottom of a steep gorge, and the cable-car ride down to reach it is an unforgettable experience in itself.

Highlights

Beside the inn entrance, a cable car roughly 250 meters long and inclined at 42 degrees carries you about 170 meters down to the valley floor in around five minutes. Waiting below is a free-flowing open-air bath, a rarity in Shikoku, where the smooth alkaline water and the murmur of the clear stream ease away the fatigue of travel.

Enjoying the Seasons

Spring brings fresh greenery, summer offers cool gorge scenery, autumn paints the valley in red foliage, and winter allows bathing amid snow. The changing beauty of Iya Valley is yours alone from the bath.

Access and Basic Information

The inn is in Matsuo Matsumoto, Ikeda-cho, Miyoshi City. It is about a 50-minute drive from the Ikawa-Ikeda Interchange on the Tokushima Expressway via Route 32. Day-use bathing is available.

A Quick Tip

The valley-floor baths are limited in number, so a morning visit before the crowds is ideal. The gorge roads are narrow, so drive with care.