Trekking Recommendations!
Trekking Information
Working with the Community
Otoyo Town in Kochi Prefecture is the birthplace of “"marginalized communities,"" and since the establishment of HappyRaft in 2004, we have been able to make it this far thanks to the cooperation and understanding of the local people. With the hope of contributing to the revitalization of the area that has been so good to us, we started the “"Kiriishii Trekking"" in 2019 as a joint project with the local people. The guides are all villagers. We hope you will enjoy the beauty of the “Kiriishi Valley” and the original landscape of the satoyama where time flows slowly.
Course Introduction
There are two different courses that highlight the “Kiriishi Valley”. The long course takes about two hours, and the short course takes one hour. For the Long Course, you park your car at the foot of the mountain (at a special parking lot located a minute's walk from HappyRaft Base) and start walking from there. For the short course, park your car at the parking lot in the middle of the long course and walk from there to the top half of the mountain. Each course includes an optional course, which allows you to customize the time and distance of the walk to suit your own physical strength and time.
Main attractions
The best thing about this course is that you will almost certainly be the only one walking it. The village has spent a lot on remaking some old walking trails that had fallen into disrepair. Buying a trekking course map will help to support trail maintenance.
The back of the trekking map tells the story of the beginning of Tosa Iwahara Village, the 88 stone Buddhas, Iwahara Kagura, Iwahara Shrine, etc. before you start walking, you may experience a time slip
Four view spots
- ① View spot looking up the “Kiriishi Valley” from below.
- ②A view spot on the rocks of the “Kiriishi Valley”.
- ③A view spot where you can look down on Tokushima Prefecture (Aruse area), Kochi Prefecture (Iwahara area), and the Yoshino River all at once (optional course)
- ④Iwahara Shrine (Optional Course)
Conditions of Participation, Fees, and Other Information
| Conditions of Participation | Participants must purchase a trekking course map at the Happy Raft base. Participants are free to explore the course on their own. No guide will be provided. |
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| Price |
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| Tour period | March to November (Please call HappyRaft if you are outside this period. We will do our best to accommodate you). |
| Trekking Map Sales Location | |
| What to bring and wear | Please make sure to bring comfortable shoes and clothes for the walk. |
Precautions
- About using a car navigation system If you are using a car navigation system, please search for “"Tosa-iwahara Station (JR Dosan Line)"".
If you search by phone number, address, or HappyRaft, you will be directed to the old address of HappyRaft or a mountain road.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q、I'm coming from far away and I'm not sure whether to take a day trip or stay overnight.
I recommend staying here!
The guest house is a renovated old house in the mountains, where you can spend time in nature completely different from your daily life.
After trekking, spend a relaxing time at the guesthouse.
The next day after a lot of fun and drinking, wake up to the sound of birds chirping, take a walk around the inn, try rafting, or play in the nearby river.
You can meditate or read in the great outdoors. If you’ve come all this way, trekking alone is not enough. Please enjoy the surrounding wilderness as well!
Q、Is a tour guide provided?
No guide is provided. We sell trekking maps and undertake physical condition check for those who enter the mountain, but we do not provide guide service. Please understand. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We will answer as much as we can.
Q、Can I take out insurance?
This is not a tour organized by us, so please prepare by yourself.
Q、Where and when can I buy a trekking map?
You can purchase them at HappyRaft. You can purchase trekking maps anytime during our business hours.
Please come at your convenience. After purchasing, please enjoy your trekking at your own pace.
