Evasjapan

A colorful valley lies underneath white clouds. The mountains of central Shikoku have been rich in all kinds of vines. Over the centuries people have built bridges with vines. Legend says that the fleeing warriors of Heike had used vines to build bridges as vine bridges could be easily cut off to prevent the entry of the Genji warriors when they came to the valley in pursuit. The most famous vine bridge is the “Iya no Kazurabashi” with a height of 14 meters. It is also one of the three unusual bridges of Japan. Going deeper into the valley from Iya, in Higashi-iya-sugeoi, there are two vine bridges found side by side. One is called Otokobashi (male bridge) and the smaller one is called Onnabashi (female bridge). The two are commonly called Niju-kazurabashi.

It is hard to believe that there is a tropical island only two and a half hours away from Tokyo. Visitors can hike, camp, dive, swim, sunbathe or enjoy the natural hot springs on Shikinejima Island.