2025 November 17-28 : Shikoku & Kansai
- Eric Ho
- Nov 30
- 19 min read
Updated: Dec 3
This trip centered on Iya Valley in Shikoku and the Kansai region of Japan. It wasn't my first time visiting these areas. To celebrate the completion of my Stage 4A nose cancer treatment, my wife HL and I set off on this self-drive journey. People who know my vacation style is to try avoiding big developed cities and those very well-known crowded touristy sites, unless its my companion's first time visiting.
17-November : Singapore-Kansai Airport-Kobe-Himeji
In the early wee hours of 17-November, we took a direct flight to Kansai International Airport and arrived in the early morning.
After clearing immigration and customs at the airport, we proceeded contact the car rental company to pick us up to their office (which was located 10 minutes drive outside Kansai Airport). I decided to rent a similar car like my own, a Nissan Note E-Power E14 version, a hatchback driven by a EV motor, with petrol motor charging the internal batteries.
After collecting the rental car we drove northwards.
First stop was the Cup Noodles Museum in Osaka.
The Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, located in Ikeda City, Osaka Prefecture, is a captivating destination that celebrates the invention and evolution of instant noodles. This unique museum offers visitors an immersive experience into the world of instant ramen, from its humble beginnings to its global popularity. Founded in 1999, the museum honors Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant noodles and founder of Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. Through interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and educational displays, guests can explore the fascinating history of this revolutionary food product and gain insight into the creative process behind its development. Whether you're a ramen enthusiast or simply curious about Japanese culinary innovation, the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum promises an engaging and informative experience for visitors of all ages.
Next we drove on to Kobe's Chinatown (Nankin-machi).
We stopped over at Kobe Chinatown to have our breakfast by purchasing some Chinese dim sum to eat while standing. Next we proceeded on to Himeji.
Himeji Castle is a hilltop Japanese castle complex situated in Himeji, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture, comprising a network of 83 rooms with advanced defensive systems from the feudal period.
It was closed to late afternoon by the time we visited the castle. The sun set about 5.30pm and we quickly went over to check in to our hotel. Thereafter, we walked to the nearby shopping arcade near the Himeji JR station (central) to get dinner - Miyuki Street Shopping District みゆき通り商店街
In almost every city in Japan, there will be a central district with designated shopping streets with covered walkways. We bought some take-away hot dinner and dessert from a nearby supermarket, had our dinner in the hotel room and retired early after the long trip that day.
18-November : Himeji-Shodoshima (小豆岛）
On this day, we were going to Shodoshima. Early morning, we had a good and hearty Japanese breakfast at the hotel lobby (provided free with the room stayed), checked out of the hotel room and drove 30 mins to the ferry terminal.
Soon we arrived at Fukuda Port. First place of visit was the east coast of Shodoshima.
Shodoshima has a 400 year history of soy sauce production. Today there are about a dozen soy sauce factories concentrated around the Shodoshima town center between Kusakabe Port and Sakate Port, which continue to produce the salty black condiment.
Marukin, one of the leading soy sauce companies on the island, maintains a soy sauce museum on its factory grounds. The museum resembles a traditional soy sauce factory, and explains the production process along with all the vats and tools required.
Next, we visited the Shodoshima Olive Garden.
Shodoshima is the birth place of olive cultivation in Japan. The island's Mediterranean climate made it an ideal place for growing olives, which was first succeeded in 1908. Since then the island has been a top producer of Japanese olives and olive oil, and has earned Shodoshima the nickname "Olive Island".
Today the olives are most of all a tourist attraction, and can be best experienced at the Shodoshima Olive Park (小豆島オリーブ公園, Shōdoshima Olive Kōen), a working olive grove on the site where the first olives were successfully cultivated a century ago. The park offers attractive walking paths through the hillside, as well as a replica of a Greek windmill.
Next, we did a stopover at Daihonzan Shodoshima Daikannon Bushi 小豆島大観音
The Shodoshima Great Kannon (小豆島大観音, Shōdoshima Daikannon) is a large white statue depicting Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Completed in 1993 on the mountainside overlooking western Shodoshima Island, the 50 meter tall statue houses a temple inside.
Near the Great Kannon statue, we could see the Nakayama terraced rice fields 中山千枚田
We drove up the meandering roads up to the Shihōzashi Sightseeing Tower 四方指展望台.
The temperature plunged to about 2 deg C and it was windy and started to drizzle.
We continued driving up to the top of the mountain and arrived at the Kankakei National Park 寒霞渓. There were already quite a lot of tourists there.
We descended the mountain and went to visit the Angel Road. This needed to be seen at low tides only. During high tides, the strip of sandbar would be submerged in sea water and walking to the other side would be difficult. It was good timing that we watched the sunset from the Angel Road.
19-November : Shodoshima (小豆岛）- Iya Valley (Tokushima Pref, Shikoku)
We had to wake up very early and missed the breakfast at the inn. The lady boss was nice enough to let us take out coffee and bread to bring along as we drove to the Tonosho Port on the Western end of Shodoshima, the inn was just next to this port.
First stop after we disembarked the ferry at Takamatsu Port, it was the Udatsu Townscape うだつの町並み Picturesque street lined with traditional Showa- & Edo-period wooden homes, shops & restaurants.
We continued our journey going on the mountains to Iya Valley, our final destination for the next 2 days.
Koboke Observation Deck 小歩危展望台
Oboke Gorge Manaka Observatory 大歩危峡真中展望所
Iya Valley Vine Bridge 祖谷のかずら橋
Biwa Waterfall 琵琶の滝
We drove on along thr way to the east through the narrow lanes and arrived at the Suspension bridge of Higashiiya 東祖谷の吊橋
Kajiya Iya Romantei Inn 昔暮らし体験宿 カジヤ祖谷浪漫亭
We finally arrived at our homestay for the next 2 nights. This traditional homestay was owned and hosted by Shino San. This was my second time staying there.
20-November : Iya Valley (Tokushima Pref, Shikoku)
After we woke up in the early morning, we did a good breakfast and we set off to explore in the east direction along the mountain passes and Iya Valley. First stop we parked at a vantage point to see the Ochiai Village from a distance.
Ochiai Village 落合集落
It is a nationally designated Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
The village is formed on a steep slope, and the difference between the highest and lowest points is approximately 390 meters, making it the steepest among the designated areas.
Houses built from the mid-Edo period to the early Showa period (late 17th century to early 20th century), stone walls made by piling up stones one by one, and fields remain, providing not only nostalgic scenery but also high historical value in terms of the ingenuity used to form the village on the slope.
The entire village can be seen from the “Ochiai Settlement Viewing Point” on the opposite side.Buckwheat flowers blooming all over the fields are also a highlight.
Although the origins of the village are not known, the Iya region, including Ochiai Village, has legends of fallen Heike warriors and pioneer folklore.
Next we stopped at the Nagoro Scarecrow Village
In the Nagoro district of Higashi-Iya (East Iya), there are more than 300 scarecrow dolls doing farm work, chatting around the well, and many more. People around treat the dolls just like real people and provide each doll a basic resident information, which is one of the why the village becomes more lively.
Why does the scarecrow village have so many scarecrows? It started when Ms. Tsukimi Ayano, the original creator, made a scarecrow for her field. She watched the local people greet it, mistaking it for a human, because the scarecrow wore her father’s clothes. “It would be interesting if this sort of person existed,” she thought, and began creating scarecrows based on this idea. After this, the local people, who were inspired by her activities, started making scarecrows with her.
The highlight of this village has to be the fun found in seeing the number and different types of scarecrows. It's even more enjoyable if you go around after looking at the “basic scarecrow register.” This register can be found at a rest-stop near original creator Ms. Ayano’s family home, and contains each scarecrow’s name, personality, story, and more.
We recommend taking a photo of the wonderfully lifelike scarecrows, which really do seem as if they are moving and living their lives.
We drove on the narrow lanes along the valley and stopped at Oku-Iya Double Vine Bridges
Oku-Iya Double Vine Bridges 奥祖谷二重かずら橋
The Oku-Iya Niju-Kazura Bridge is a secluded bridge surrounded by beautiful scenery.
It is said that the bridge was built about 800 years ago by the Heike clan to go to Mt Tsurugi.
Because two Kazura bridges, one male bridge and one female bridge, cross side by side, they are commonly called “Otoko-bashi Onna-bashi” (male bridge and female bridge) and “Meoto-bashi” (married couple bridge), respectively.
Nearby is “Yaen,” where visitors can cross a mountain stream while pulling a rope, making it a representative sightseeing spot of Okusha.
The bridge is made from a native plant called “shirakuchikazura.
Finally we came to the chairlift station just beforeMount Tsurugi.
Mount Tsurugi 剣山
At 1,955m in height, Mt. Tsurugi is the second highest mountain in western Japan. However a climb to the top is not so difficult when going by the "climber's lift" to a trail high in the mountains followed by a one hour walk to the very top. On a clear day the view from the summit reaches out to the Pacific Ocean, the Seto Inland Sea, the Kii Peninsula and Okayama Prefecture on mainland Japan.
Breath taking beautiful scenries at the top.
We descended to the chair lift station and since we still had some time left before sun set, we decided to pay a visit to the west side of the house.
Statue of a Peeing Boy 祖谷渓「小便小僧」河崎良行
As a symbol of innocent courage, a statue of a peeing boy was constructed at the edge of the nearby precipice, the most perilous spot in Iya Valley. In the old days, it's said the local children would stand on this cliff and urinate into the ravine to show their bravado.
Lastly just before sunset, we stopped over at the Hinoji Valley - Iya River Bend Observation Point ひの字渓谷展望所
Hinoji Valley, nestled in the remote Iya Valley of Tokushima Prefecture, is a hidden gem renowned for its dramatic natural beauty. The Iya River Bend Observation Point provides visitors with sweeping views of the emerald-green Iya River as it snakes through the valley floor, surrounded by steep, forest-covered mountains. The valley's name comes from the unique shape of the river, resembling the Japanese hiragana character 'hi' when viewed from above. The observation point is a prime location for photographers and nature enthusiasts, offering stunning vistas, especially during sunrise and sunset when the sky is painted in vibrant hues. The surrounding area is rich in biodiversity, inviting exploration through scenic hiking trails. Visitors can immerse themselves in the tranquility of the Japanese countryside, experiencing the fresh air and gentle sounds of nature.
We returned back to the house soon after. The driving along the narrow and up/down of the meandering mountain lanes can really take quite a fair bit of tie to travel from point to point.
21-November : Iya Valley (Tokushima Pref, Shikoku) - Ine - Amanohashidate (天橋立) - Kyoto Kyotamba
Before we set off, we had a sumptuous breakfast with Shino San. There was an usual "flag lowering ceremony with Majulal Singapura played in the background. We took a few farewell photographs. was going to be a long drive covering almost 500km while visiting a few places along the way.
The Naruto whirlpools (鳴門の渦潮, Naruto no Uzushio) are tidal whirlpools in the Naruto Strait, a channel between Naruto in Tokushima and Awaji Island in Hyōgo, Japan.[1] The strait between Naruto and Awaji island has a width of about 1.3 km (0.81 miles). The strait is one of the connections between the Pacific Ocean and the Inland Sea, a body of water separating Honshū and Shikoku, two of the main islands of Japan. The tide moves large amounts of water into and out of the Inland Sea twice a day. With a range of up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft), the tide creates a difference in the water level of up to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) between the Inland Sea and the Pacific. Due to the narrowness of the strait, the water rushes through the Naruto channel at a speed of about 13–15 km/h (8–9 mph) four times a day, twice flowing in and twice flowing out. During a spring tide, the speed of the water may reach 20 km/h (12 mph), creating vortices up to 20 m (66 ft) in diameter.
The current in the strait is the fastest in Japan and the fourth fastest in the world after the Saltstraumen outside Bodø in Norway, which reaches speeds of 37 km/h (23 mph), the Moskenstraumen off the Lofoten islands in Norway (the original maelstrom) reaching 27.8 km/h (17.3 mph); and the Old Sow whirlpool in New Brunswick, Canada with up to 27.6 km/h (17.1 mph).
The whirlpools can be observed from the shore on Awaji island, from tourist ships, or from the Uzunomichi Walkway of the 1985 Ōnaruto Bridge spanning the strait. The suspension bridge has a total length of 1,629 m (5,344 ft), with the center span over the strait having a length of 876 m (2,874 ft) and a height of 41 m (135 ft) above sea level.
Sasayama Castle Oshoin 篠山城 大書院
Sasayama Castle Oshoin was built at the same time as the Sasayama Castle in 1609. Sadly, it was burnt down on January 6, 1944, but was rebuilt in March 2000 through the generous donations and enthusiastic wishes of the citizens of Tambasasayama.
Sasayama Castle Oshoin is a very large wooden building. Among similar existing buildings, it is comparable to the Ninomaru Goten Tozamurai in Nijo Castle, Kyoto. The palace of Nijo Castle is the highest class of building and was where the Shogun stayed when he traveled to Kyoto. That means that Sasayama Castle Oshoin has an exceptional scale and grandeur in a traditional architectural style considering that it was just an administrative palace for a feudal lord.
Amanohashidate Chairlift/Monolift
Amanohashidate (天橋立) is a pine-covered sandbar that spans the mouth of Miyazu Bay in the scenic, coastal region of northern Kyoto Prefecture. Viewed from the mountains at either end of the bay, the Amanohashidate Sandbar (which roughly translates to "bridge in heaven") looks like a pathway between heaven and earth. The scene has been admired for centuries and is ranked among Japan's three most scenic views.
Ine Fishing Village
Ine (伊根) is a town located around the Ine Bay in northern Kyoto Prefecture, about 15 kilometers north of Amanohashidate. This working town has a long and rich history as a fishing village and is regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in Japan.
The unique aspect of Ine are its funaya. Literally meaning "boat houses", these traditional waterfront buildings contain garages for boats on their first floors and residential space on the upper floors. Today there over 200 funaya remaining along the bay. Some of them now serve as lodgings where visitors can stay the night, but due to their popularity it is often difficult to make reservations
Ine fishing village was the last stop. It was sunset and we stopped over at a FamilyMart along the way to grab coffee and some snacks.
We completed our driving journey for the day at Kyoto Kyotamba and stopped to rest for the night at Fairfield by Marriott hotel by the highway.
22-November : Kyoto Kyotamba - Kayabuki No Sato (美山かやぶきの里) - Kyoto
We checked out early in the morning from Fairfield by Marriott Hotel and drove an hour to
Kayabuki No Sato (美山かやぶきの里).
The thatched village or Kayabuki no Sato is the most visited attraction in Miyama. Almost the whole village is composed of old thatched houses and is carefully maintained as a cultural heritage site. You can walk around the village and enjoy the atmosphere and the breathtaking views of the thatched roofs with a mountain backdrop. To get the best sense of the area and avoid the crowds, we recommend getting here early in the morning or visiting later in the day. Staying in one of the accommodations within the village will give you the most authentic taste of village life.
There are 2 cafes (Cafe Gallery Saika and Cafe Milan) and 2 B&B (Matabe thatched B&B and B&B Hisaya) in the village. Almost all houses in the village are private houses used as living place of villagers.
We started our journey again into Kyoto. Our first stop was the Togetsukyō Bridge 渡月橋
The Togetsu-kyo Bridge has been a landmark in Western Kyoto’s Arashiyama District for over four hundred years. The wooden bridge spans the Katsura River in front of Arashiyama Mountain, offering incredible views. The spring cherry blossoms and fall colors draw large crowds, as the scenery is spectacular.
The bridge has often been used in historical films. It is also the site of an important initiation for local children. Young boys and girls (the latter clad in kimono) first receive a blessing from a local temple and then make their way across the bridge under orders to do so without looking back. If one ignores this instruction, it is said to bring bad luck as a result, so the stakes are high!
As we walked along the river together with the massive tourists crowd, we came to the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest 嵐山竹林の小径.
The paths that cut through the bamboo groves make for a nice walk. The groves are particularly attractive when there is a light wind and the tall bamboo stalks sway gently back and forth. The bamboo has been used to manufacture various products, such as baskets, cups, boxes and mats at local workshops for centuries.
It was too crowded and touristy. We entered into the nearby Tenryu-ji 天龍寺
Ranked among Kyoto's five great Zen temples, Tenryuji is the largest and most impressive temple in Arashiyama. Founded in 1339 at the beginning of the Muromachi Period (1338-1573), the temple is one of Kyoto's many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In addition to its temple buildings, there are attractive gardens with walking paths.
It was getting rather late with all the crowdedness and slow-moving crowds. We decided to visit another attraction before we called it a day.
Nijō Castle 元離宮二条城
Nijo Castle (二条城, Nijōjō) was built in 1603 as the Kyoto residence of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo Period (1603-1868). His grandson Iemitsu completed the castle's palace buildings 23 years later and expanded the castle by adding a five story castle keep.
After the Tokugawa Shogunate fell in 1867, Nijo Castle was used as an imperial palace for a while before being donated to the city and opened up to the public as a historic site. Its palace buildings are arguably the best surviving examples of castle palace architecture of Japan's feudal era, and the castle was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1994.
Nijo Castle can be divided into three areas: the Honmaru (main circle of defense), the Ninomaru (secondary circle of defense) and some gardens around them. The entire castle grounds and the Honmaru are surrounded by stone walls and moats.
Finally we drove to check in to our BNB house in Kyoto. Will be staying here for 2 nights.
23-November : Kyoto
We woke up early and drove the car to the central Kyoto where we will be joining a l
ocal day tour to bring us to visit the local temples/shrines.
We signed up with Klook who will bring us to visit the following sites in Kyoto:
Kinkaku-ji
Kiyomizu-dera
Ninenzaka
Ishibe koji road
Yasaka Shrine
Fushimi Inari Taisha
Senbon Torii
Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺
Kinkakui also known as Golden Pavilion, is another most popular tourist destination in Kyoto. Founded by Yoshimitsu, the third shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate Dynasty in the late 14th century, it is now an untypical Zen Buddhist Temple. It was burnt down by a training monk in 1950, which became an inspiration for Yukio Mishima’s renowned novel “Golden Pavilion,’ also later made into an excellent film, “Conflagration.”
Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺
Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社)
Yasaka Shrine, once called Gion Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in the Gion District of Kyoto, Japan. Situated at the east end of Shijō-dōri, the shrine includes several buildings, including gates, a main hall and a stage.
Fushimi Inari Taisha (伏見稲荷大社) Senbon Torii (千本鳥居)
Dedicated to Inari, the deity of a good harvest and success in business, Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head of all of Japan's Inari shrines. The seemingly endless path of vibrant orange torii gates that line the approach to Mt. Inari makes for an impressive setting and is one of the most famous images of Japan.
There are five deities, or kami, worshipped at Fushimi Inari Taisha. Over 30,000 shrines across Japan are dedicated to Inari deities. They are enshrined on company premises, building rooftops and sometimes on private land. Fushimi Inari Taisha is both a shrine of the people and of the Imperial Court, and emperors often made donations here in ancient times.
Finally we have come to the end of the day tour, exhausted and hungry.
We went back to the train station and bought some food stuff from the Don Quijote store there and drove back to the house to cook a simple dinner, pack our luggages and retired early.
24-November : Kyoto - Nara
Today we shall depart Kyoto to a nearby city called Nara and will stay there for 3 nights.
Early morning 7.45am, we drove off but before we left Kyoto, we visited another site in Kyoto.
To-ji Temple 東寺
Toji Temple (東寺, Tōji), literally "East Temple", was founded at the beginning of the Heian Period just after the capital was moved to Kyoto in the late 700s. The large temple, together with its now defunct sister temple Saiji ("West Temple"), flanked the south entrance to the city and served as the capital's guardian temples. Toji Temple is one of Kyoto's many UNESCO world heritage sites.
About thirty years after the temple's establishment, Kobo Daishi, the founder of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, was appointed head priest of Toji, and the temple became one of the most important Shingon temples besides the sect's headquarters on Mount Koya. Kobo Daishi also added many of the large wooden buildings that stand on the grounds today.
We drove southwards to Nara.
Hōryū-ji 法隆寺
Horyuji Temple (法隆寺, Hōryūji) was founded in 607 by Prince Shotoku, who is credited with the early promotion of Buddhism in Japan. Horyuji is one of the country's oldest temples and contains the world's oldest surviving wooden structures. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1993. Horyuji's temple grounds are spacious and separated into two main precincts, the Western Precinct (Saiin Garan) and the Eastern Precinct (Toin Garan).
Heijō Palace Site Historical Park 平城宮跡歴史公園
During most of the Nara Period (710-794), Nara served as the capital of Japan and was known as Heijo-kyo. The Heijo Palace extended about one kilometer wide and one kilometer long and served as the site of the emperor's residence and government offices. For its great historical and cultural importance, the palace site is included as one of the World Heritage Sites of Nara.
Although the palace once stood as the majestic center of the ancient capital, all of its original buildings were eventually lost, with the exception of a single hall that was moved in the 8th century and now stands at Toshodaiji Temple. When the capital was moved away from Heijo-kyo in 784, Heijo Palace and a large part of the city were abandoned as officials and other citizens flocked to the new capital. The temples on the outskirts of the former capital, however, retained their importance, and the city of Nara eventually resumed its growth around these temples, while the palace grounds were used for nothing but rice fields.
After visiting the Heijo Palace site, we decided to explore a nearby local groceries chained store called 生鮮＆業務スーパー ボトルワールドOK (https://bw-ok.co.jp/)
Bottle World OK Co., Ltd.
Surprised to find the local produce here cheaper than those you find in Aeon Big or Don Don Donki in Japan.
We bought some groceries and proceeded to check in to our BNB house in Nara. We also cooked our dinner at the kitchen with the wagyu beef and other groceries which we bought from the groceries store earlier. It was a nice 2-storey house that sleeps 7 pax and an available parking lot next to the entrance.
After dinner, we drove to a nearby Aeon Big store 5 mins drive away for shopping before we retired for the night.
25-November : Nara-Iga-Nara
Today we made a day trip to Iga and back to Nara again to visit some sites.
It started drizzling in the early morning when we set off from Nara. Luckily we brought umbrellas with us from the house.
Iga Ueno Castle 伊賀上野城
Iga Ueno Castle is located on a hill at the northwestern corner of plateau formed by the Kizu River and Tsuge River, in the center of the city of Iga. The city itself is located in
a mountainous basin on an important route connecting the ancient capital cities of Nara and Kyoto with the Ise Grand Shrine and provinces of eastern Japan. Iga Province was a small province separated from neighboring provinces on all sides by mountains. Inhabitants maintained autonomy from outside control through reliance on asymmetric warfare tactics, which later came to known as ninjutsu. From around the 1460s until their conquest by Oda Nobunaga in 1581, these warrior families, later known as ninja, self-governed the province as the Iga ikki, with a headquarters at the site of where the castle now stands.
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