In the middle of August there is a holiday here season here in Japan known as O-bon. O-bon is the ‘festival of the dead’ some say; it is when the spirits of ancestors are said to return to the Earth. It also happens to be pretty much the craziest time of year here in Tokushima. It is when the Awa-Odori, a giant street-dancing festival is held. The population of Tokushima probably triples during the festival and the city gets very congested. After Andy and I had had a couple of nights of festival fun we decided to escape the mayhem and go camping.
We headed for the cool of the mountains near Mount Tsurugi, Tokushima’s highest peak at a little under 2000m. Andy was a little surprised by how windy and steep the road was. Nonetheless it was a smooth and uneventful trip. We arrived in time to have soba noodles (the local specialty) for lunch at a restaurant at the foot of the mountain.
Following lunch we journeyed a little further to our campsite destination, Oku-Iya Kazura-bashi (the Oku-Iya vine bridge). There are actually two vine bridges at this location, as well as a pulley-cart for crossing the river. The story behind these bridges (and the main vine bridge, Kazura-bashi) is that they were constructed of vines so that they could be easily slashed down if a rival clan threatened to attack.
It was a steep walk down to the bridges. Crossing the bridges was a challenge too. Yoko accompanied Reni over the larger of the two bridges while Andy and I lugged bags, camping gear and Syd across the smaller bridge nearer the campsite. It took a fair bit of concentration to get across; some ladies waiting on the other side actually applauded my effort when I reached the other side.
Once we’d set up camp we went down to the river to explore a little. Syd and Reni were instantly delighted by the surroundings; there were so many rocks for them to make splashes with! (It never ceases to amaze me how relaxed and happy people can become when surrounded by a pleasant natural environment.)
After the novelty of the rock splashing had worn off a little and both boys had managed to fall into the water we went to a nearby hot-spring resort, Iyashino Onsen. It was Andy’s first experience of communal bathing so i had to show him the ropes (not on the soap) a little. The onsen was quite new and very pleasant. There was an outdoor bath too where you could sit and enjoy the clean, cool mountain air.
The following day Andy and I got up early and went exploring and taking photos for a while. Following breakfast we packed up camp and went back to the onsen. This time we didnt go for a bath but rather to ride a monorail that runs through the surrounding forest.
Yoko and the boys set off first, then Andy and I followed in the car behind. It was very relaxing riding through the cool forest; so relaxing in fact that both of us just about nodded off! After a steep climb to the highest vantage point we returned downhill to the monorail station, the ride taking about an hour to complete. We finished our trip with some lunch at the onsen’s restaurant before returning to Tokushima. It was a smooth, fun-filled trip for all.
