Kazurabashi, or how to play Indiana Jones in Japan

How does a journey begin? Often, for us, it starts with encounters of images gathered from books, the internet, and films... And it is this unpredictable mix that has brought us to the island of Shikoku, in the Iya Valley, to play the part of Japanese Indiana Jones on the Kazurabashi vine bridge!

After falling deeply in love with the island of Miyajima, we set off to explore a new island of Japan: Shikoku. Despite being one of the largest islands in Japan, it is not part of the typical routes connecting Tokyo to Hiroshima passing through Kyoto. To reach Shikoku Island and our ryokan, we had to change trains, crossing the sea on a bridge that alone justifies the trip, then weaving through mountains and valleys, passing through tunnels that felt like entering another world... Just like in a Miyazaki anime.

At last, the final stop of our train: Oboke, Shikoku. A part of Japan often forgotten by tourists, especially Western tourists as evidenced by the greeting at the ticket counter upon arrival:

But you are white!

What to say in response to such spontaneous words? A confused smile, a shrug. I sense a hint of curiosity. While checking me out from head to toe, including my backpack, the woman at the counter (one of the few who speaks English in the area) gives me the information I was looking for. Yes, there is indeed a bus that takes the only road into the village. Phew, I'll reach my hotel before nightfall. Although, when I say hotel, I should rather say ryokan. A word steeped in history in Japan.

To discover this part of our adventure in Shikoku, read the previous article: Ryokan: immersion in the traditions of Japan.

So it was the Kazurabashi suspension bridge that helped us set our sights on this often-forgotten part of Japan... Eager to play the Japanese Indiana Jones! From our ryokan, the road seems to naturally lead us to the goal of our stroll: a beautiful 45-meter bridge made of woven vines (reinforced with metal cables), suspended 15 meters above the crystalline Iya River.

Of the 13 bridges that once spanned the Iya Valley, only 3 remain, including Kazurabashi, the most well-known.

From afar, it seems so small. A crossing that takes less than a minute... But up close, it's a whole different story! The spacing between the logs on its base offers a beautiful view of the river: anyone (too) sensitive to heights should abstain... or risk ending up like that Japanese woman stuck in the middle of the bridge, arms wrapped around a vine, refusing to move and open her eyes!

The secret: the rhythm.

It's all about the confidence in your steps. With your gaze forward and steps following in distance and time with the regularity of Swiss clock hands, the bridge becomes a true stroll in the park. A nice walk!

With this sensation of crossing from one world to another, much like the enchanted forests that populate the Japanese imagination, as seen in Ghibli films.

In practice To reach Kazurabashi bridge:

The adventure of Kazurabashi was a great excuse: an excuse to step off the beaten track, to delve into an unknown region, to take railroads from another time, and also to step off the rails. An experience that will remain etched in our memories among our best moments in Japan (which is saying something given the huge crush we had on this country!).

As a fun fact, the Iya Valley is also famous for... its Manikin! Yes, Japan has its own Manneken-Pis! But this one absolutely surpasses the original in terms of landscape: perched atop a cliff, over two hundred meters high!

And finally, here's our video > which features some images of Shikoku (and the little trains that take us there, at 0:33), the Iya Valley and the beautiful Kazurabashi bridge (at 1:20).

To know the whole story of this adventure, I invite you to jump into another article where I tell you about our wonderful discovery of the ryokan world in the heart of Shikoku island.

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