The Iya Valley area in Tokushima Prefecture is a secluded place, where legend holds that the defeated soldiers of the Heike clan hid from their pursuers deep in the mountains in the 12th century. This valley is famous even now for the traces that have come down to us, symbolized by the Iya-no-Kazura Bashi Vine Bridge.
The defeated soldiers wove a suspension bridge, 45 meters long and 2 meters wide, over the Iya River, with a plant called hardy kiwi (actinidia arguta), so that the bridge could be cut at any time in order to evade their pursuers. You can actually cross this bridge; there are gaps between the planks large enough for your leg to go clean through, and the bridge swings and sways with each step you take, allowing you to experience a thrill that may even instinctively make your knees weak.
See silky wisteria in the spring, fresh greenery in the summer, red leaves in the fall, and snowscapes in the winter. The scenery of the four seasons that color the bridge is breathtakingly beautiful.(This information is as of March 2018)
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