The Vine Bridges of Iya Valley

The Iya Valley of Shikoku is impressive in many ways - off the beaten path you can explore the beauty of Japanese nature.

The valley is also known for the breathtakingly beautiful vine bridges. To cross the clear rivers, vines were grown to extraordinary lengths and then woven together. Every few years those vines are renewed and of course nowadays they are strengthened by side rails and steel cables. Nevertheless it is pretty adventurous to walk on these vine bridges as they do move a lot while people cross them. Once Iya Valley had 13 of those bridges back in the days but only three remain today. The biggest one is the Kazurabashi Bridge, which is 45 meters long. Side by side there are also the Husband and Wife Bridges, which are close to a small waterfall. A wooden cart is close by, where you can pull yourself over the wild river.