Our 3D2N stay in Iya Valley is coming to an end. Savouring every last moment of our stay, literally. The temperature got really cold, down to a single digit. Instead of going out to the outdoor onsen, we opted for the indoor one instead to warm up our cold and achy bodies. I blame the hike, but inside, I'm glad that I got to get some exercise at Mount Tsurugi. [Refer to our Mt Tsurugi post].
Breakfast was a good spread. That got me energised for our very long drive - but I have planned it out such that we will stop at regular intervals to stretch our legs. Estimated road time is 3hr 50min to get back to Kobe Sannomiya where we will return our car.
After checking out, we drove to a few spots I wanted to check out. We set off at 9am.
Look @ ひの字谷渓
Arrived 9:10am - Depart at 9:20am.
As Matsuo River bends around this section of Iya Valley, it forms a horseshoe shape, similar to the Japanese character 'Hi' ひ.
Visit @ the Statue of the Peeing boy
小便小僧像
Arrived 9:30am - Depart at 9:45am
Perched 200m above the river bed, there lies a statue of a young boy posed as if he is peeing (or peed) into the valley below. It is said that passersby would climb over to mimic this act. The railings placed around the statue are meant to deter others. Or did it not?
Further down the road, there is another well-known ryokan The Iya Onsen Hotel [link] which has a cable car to take you down into the gorge to soak in open baths, fed with hot water straight from the source.
Toilet break @ Iya Valley Observatory
祖谷渓展望台
Arrived 9:55am - Depart 10:10am
All that soup that I drank earlier filled my bladder, and no, I wasn't about to mimic the Statue of the Peeing boy. The view from here is just as great as the other places, but if you wanna give this a miss, you're not missing out on much.
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