Experience the best of Miyoshi

Miyoshi occupies the mountainous western edge of Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, where the Yoshino River cuts steep gorges through the interior. Awa Ikeda, the town on the river, is the main centre, and from it narrow roads climb into the Iya Valley, a deep, forested valley of hillside hamlets that long stayed remote.

The Iya Kazurabashi, a bridge woven from wild vines, hangs over the river in the valley, one of the few such bridges still standing, and it is rebuilt every three years. The Oboke and Koboke gorges on the Yoshino offer boat trips and white-water rafting below cliffs, in blue-green water. Legend says that Heike clan survivors, defeated in 1185, hid in these valleys.

Iya soba, buckwheat noodles from the valley's steep fields, grilled river fish and mountain vegetables are the traditional food, eaten in farmhouse-style restaurants. Autumn colours the gorges red and gold, and winter brings snow to the high ridges.