Woke up this morning around 4 am but went back to sleep until my alarm went off at 6:45.  Got ready and had some udon and tempura for breakfast with some iced coffee at the hotel buffet.

We then checked out and caught an Uber to the Toyota Rent a Car office near the station.  Got the same car as last year in Hokkaido, Toyota Corolla Touring.

After inspecting the car,  we headed out, first stopping at a Michi no Eki on the way for a drink and bathroom break.   This one had a large market with a lot of food for sale. 

We then carried on to Naruto Park on the northeast tip of the island.   Unfortunately,  we were right in the middle of the high and low tides so we couldn’t see the whirlpools but they did have a walkway under the large bridge that goes to Kobe. 

After the walk we headed back on the road  to head to our hotel in the Iya Valley.   Took the Tokushima expressway for a while before turning off to the road towards Kochi.  Lots of tunnels but the longest was only 2.4 km. 

We stopped at a roadside area that had a 7-Eleven for a light lunch.   I tried a very good breaded egg yolk in ground meat snack,  which was kind of like a scotch egg.

We then carried on,  now alongside a gorge with little villages on the edge.   A bit dicey driving as the roads we narrow and there were some big trucks coming the opposite way that seemed to be going way faster than the 40 km speed limit!

We then turned up a road to head to the hotel that was going uphill with some crazy switchbacks.  There was a tour bus ahead of us that let us pass in the sole “passing” lane,  which was more like half a lane so the passing, while still taking winding corners was a bit nerve racking!  Thankfully,  no tour busses or large trucks were coming the opposite was during the turns.

We then stopped and took a few photos at a pullout after we got to the top and started heading down.

A few minutes later we arrived at our hotel. 

Checked in to our large suite.

After getting to our room we headed to the outdoor onsen,  which you take a little cable car up to.  

After the onsen,  relaxed in the room for a bit with an Asahi before getting ready for dinner.

Went for our Iya Tasting menu dinner at the hotel restaurant, which had a number of courses with local ingredients including soba noodles.

After dinner we booked the night tour to go to the Vine bridge and the Biwa Waterfall that are just down the road from the hotel.   Just a 30 minute tour on a little bus run by the hotel.

After the tour another trip to the indoor onsen before bed.