Kazura-ya
Kazura-ya
祖谷の宿 かずらや
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Tucked away about a 10 minute walk from the famed Iya-no-Kazurabashi Vine Bridge in Nishi-Iya, the secluded Kazura-ya
is worth seeking out if wanting a little peace and quiet that is surrounded by nature.
With fantastic views of the mountains and forests of the Iya Valley, this charming inn is family owned and operated, and offers traditional style Japanese rooms, great local style meals, a relaxing hot-spring bath surrounded by their lush garden, and prices that won't break the bank.
And with fairly easy access, its no surprise that this place can often be booked out on weekends and even on weekdays.
The tranquil hot-springs (onsen)
at the Kazura-ya feature both indoor and outdoor baths that are enclosed in their well kept garden with views unto the mountains. The baths are not open to non-guests (unlike most area onsens) so there is little worry that they will be too crowded.
Meals are local style and feature seasonal vegetables
and dishes, including Iya's renowned "stone" tofu, amego
river fish, local potatoes, and sansai
mountain sprouts. There are two dining areas at Kazura-ya based on your preference, with one having standard tables and chairs with fantastic mountainside views, and the other with floor seating on tatami mats in a traditional-style room with classic irori
fireplaces.
Address:
Phone:
Website:
Price:
from ¥13,000 per night per person, includes dinner and breakfast
*Their website is only in Japanese, but you can book them English on TripAdvisor
or Booking.com
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Local Points
Kazura-ya
is located about a 10 minute walk from the Kazurabashi Vine Bridge.
In between the bridge and the inn is the Biwa Waterfall,
and across the road from Kazura-ya around the Iya Kazurabashi Camp Village
there is a walking path along the river where it is possible to access the Iya River in case you feel like splashing about in the water or just enjoy the views from the riverside.
A bit beyond the Vine Bridge are the scattered restaurants of the Kazurabashi Arcade and a bit up from there is the Visitors Center.
A bit beyond the Vine Bridge are the scattered restaurants of the Kazurabashi Arcade and a bit up from there is the Visitors Center.
Access by Car
Its pretty smooth to get to Kazura-ya
by car from Oboke
and the road is well maintained and two-laned almost the whole way.
By going eastward up over the hill via RT 45 from Oboke, it takes about 15 minutes to reach Central Nishi-Iya where the road merges with Rt 32 (to the right) and then another 5 minutes to get to Kazurabashi Junction where you need to drive straight through the intersection here. Soon after going over the broad bridge here, you will pass the big Parking Area & Visitors Center on the left. From here the road narrows and gets a bit curvy, so slow down and be careful of people walking to/from the vine bridge.
At the bottom of the small hill about 30 seconds after the parking area, go to the right towards Biwa Waterfall and follow the river (and do not go left over the bridge). This narrow road first goes past the Vine Bridge exit and then past the waterfall, but there will probably be no other traffic other than some people walking. About a minute after the waterfall, the entrance to Kazura-ya is on the right.
By going eastward up over the hill via RT 45 from Oboke, it takes about 15 minutes to reach Central Nishi-Iya where the road merges with Rt 32 (to the right) and then another 5 minutes to get to Kazurabashi Junction where you need to drive straight through the intersection here. Soon after going over the broad bridge here, you will pass the big Parking Area & Visitors Center on the left. From here the road narrows and gets a bit curvy, so slow down and be careful of people walking to/from the vine bridge.
At the bottom of the small hill about 30 seconds after the parking area, go to the right towards Biwa Waterfall and follow the river (and do not go left over the bridge). This narrow road first goes past the Vine Bridge exit and then past the waterfall, but there will probably be no other traffic other than some people walking. About a minute after the waterfall, the entrance to Kazura-ya is on the right.
Access by Bus
There are a few bus stops close to Kazura-ya.
The closest (but very confusing) is Kanjo Bus Stop
and we explain using this annoying stop under point 3
below.
And even though they are farther, you'll probably be better off using one of the other two bus stops with both being about a 15 minute walk, but both have short hills to climb (both ways), so it may not be so easy if you have large baggage or in bad weather (but it is a pretty walk.)
1 - The main Kazurabashi Bus Stop has four Shikoku Kotsu Buses per day which connect to Awa-Ikeda Bus Terminal and to JR Oboke Station. Buses from here also go deeper into the Iya Valley to the east for points in Oku-Iya.
2 - The Kazurabashi Yumebutai Bus Stop has three Shikoku Kotsu Buses per day which connect to JR Oboke Station (but these buses do not go to/from Ikeda). These 3 buses take an indirect route to/from Oboke that also goes in and out of Iyakei Gorge to Iya Onsen Mae Bus Stop where you can get to points like the Peeing Boy Statue.
- There are also some local municipal buses that go between JR Oboke Station and the Kazurabashi Yumebutai Bus Stop but these are mainly just large vans used mostly for school kids and go indirectly via back roads. One of these local buses per day goes to Kanjo Bus Stop (explained below).
3 - The Kanjo Bus Stop is terribly confusing, even though it lets off just in front of the Kazura-ya hotel. No buses go to here on Sundays .
-One very early bus comes to Kanjo Bus Stop from Ichiu Bus Stop at 7:26AM and then turns around to departs immediately back to Ichiu and onwards to Oboke Station (this is the only departure per day from here).
-A second bus comes in the late afternoon (arriving about 5:15pm to 6:15pm) from Oboke, but it travels an indirect route that takes nearly an hour, and the times for this bus change seasonally, and they also have different times on Saturdays, (and again, no buses go on Sundays). Please carefully check our Bus Timetables for the exact seasonal and daily operating times for Kanjo before attempting to use the local bus (van) for here.
And even though they are farther, you'll probably be better off using one of the other two bus stops with both being about a 15 minute walk, but both have short hills to climb (both ways), so it may not be so easy if you have large baggage or in bad weather (but it is a pretty walk.)
1 - The main Kazurabashi Bus Stop has four Shikoku Kotsu Buses per day which connect to Awa-Ikeda Bus Terminal and to JR Oboke Station. Buses from here also go deeper into the Iya Valley to the east for points in Oku-Iya.
2 - The Kazurabashi Yumebutai Bus Stop has three Shikoku Kotsu Buses per day which connect to JR Oboke Station (but these buses do not go to/from Ikeda). These 3 buses take an indirect route to/from Oboke that also goes in and out of Iyakei Gorge to Iya Onsen Mae Bus Stop where you can get to points like the Peeing Boy Statue.
- There are also some local municipal buses that go between JR Oboke Station and the Kazurabashi Yumebutai Bus Stop but these are mainly just large vans used mostly for school kids and go indirectly via back roads. One of these local buses per day goes to Kanjo Bus Stop (explained below).
3 - The Kanjo Bus Stop is terribly confusing, even though it lets off just in front of the Kazura-ya hotel. No buses go to here on Sundays .
-One very early bus comes to Kanjo Bus Stop from Ichiu Bus Stop at 7:26AM and then turns around to departs immediately back to Ichiu and onwards to Oboke Station (this is the only departure per day from here).
-A second bus comes in the late afternoon (arriving about 5:15pm to 6:15pm) from Oboke, but it travels an indirect route that takes nearly an hour, and the times for this bus change seasonally, and they also have different times on Saturdays, (and again, no buses go on Sundays). Please carefully check our Bus Timetables for the exact seasonal and daily operating times for Kanjo before attempting to use the local bus (van) for here.
To book your stay at Kazura-ya, it would probably be better to do so through a booking website that operates in English. You can find their listing here on Booking.com
or on TripAdvisor.
Or check their website (in Japanese):