Iya Valley

Although access has improved in recent years, the Iya Valley and the inner parts of Shikoku have historically been remote and difficult to enter.

According to noted Japanese historical researcher Kunio Yanagita, the term "Iya" (イヤ) or "Oya" (オヤ) has been used since time immemorial to denote this mountainous valley region.

[4] The remoteness of the Iya Valley made it a famous hideout for defeated samurai warriors and other refugees over the centuries.

To this day, noodles are ground by hand in traditional stone mortars in some households, and several people in the valley offer classes.

Usually served roasted or in soups, a local dish consists of whole-boiled potatoes mixed with miso paste and garlic.

This is prepared in soups, roasted over charcoal with miso paste, or served uncooked with ground ginger, green onions, and soy sauce.

A common treat in this region called dekomawashi consists of a whole Iya potato, a square of iwadofu and a wedge of konnyaku all skewered together on a bamboo stick, then slathered with miso and slowly roasted over coals.

However like elsewhere in the country, due to the expense and difficulty in producing, it is probably more common at most local restaurants and hotels to be (unknowingly) served cheaper imported san-sai, usually from China.

However, local people do produce san-sai for their own use and if staying at a small inn or homestay you would probably have an opportunity to sample the real thing.

However, wild boar and deer are still prized, and the few living hunters/trappers can now sell their finds at the new hunters' butchery, opened in 2014, located in Higashi Iya.

Traditionally, the local hunters had huts deep in the mountains (only a dozen or so remain active) where their kills were taken and butchered, the hunting dogs were fed, the meat was grilled and shared.

It is proper to share at least one cup with every person present at the occasion, which takes a long time and results in heavy intoxication at large gatherings.

It is common for local people to grow and roast their own tea, called bancha (番茶), and it is primarily used for household consumption.

Each spring, the youngest leaves are picked, roasted, pressed by hand, and dried in the sun on straw mats laid out in front of homes.

Each shrine and neighborhood has its own customs (one or two even have their attendees engage in sumo), but due to the dwindling population, these traditions are less common.

They are held at the middle school grounds on the weekends before and after the national Obon Holiday (August 15) since it is a time when family members who have moved away often return for a visit.

These events are open to anyone and include food tents, games, performances, and fireworks, so if visiting the area at this time, ask around or look for promotional posters.

The Yukigassen (Snowball Fight Competition) is held each January in Higashi Iya and has become a major event at a time when few visit the valley.

There are several classes of participation, including children, women's, men's, and 'just for fun' leagues, and the winners of the main event advance to the national competition annually held in Nagano Prefecture.

Since cutting, bundling and replacing the thatch is a time-consuming and costly endeavor, most personal homes have shifted to corrugated tin panels to prevent it from rotting.

Most modern homes from the 1960s onwards lie along the main valley roadside and are often built with heavy steel scaffolds due to a lack of flat space.

Inside, the center point of the home is the approximately one-meter square irori (囲炉裏 sunken floor hearth), which would usually stay alight with low embers at all times.

One of the main reasons to have such a smokey atmosphere was to help dry out the roof thatch from the inside and extend its lifespan (usually about 25 or 30 years).

In 2005 the hamlet was designated by the national government as a Juyo Dentoteki Kenzobutsugun 重要伝統的建造物群, (abbreviated to Judenken 重伝建), "Important Group of Traditional Structures."

From 2012 to 2016, the City of Miyoshi, to which Iya belongs, restored eight houses, re-thatching the roofs, and installing modern comforts.

[19] The western part of the valley (Nishi-Iya) is a favorable tourist spot due to its historic vine bridge (kazurabashi) and hot spring baths at the large hotels.

Aside from the scenic double vine bridge (Oku-Iya Kazurabashi), there are historic hamlets, thatched-roof homes, extensive mountain hiking, and one of the oldest art installations in the country.