Airplanes are the worst. I hate flying and avoid doing so as much as possible. But to compound my suffering, the day I flew down from Tokyo to Shikoku was also the day a typhoon was heading there, too. So, as the plane was being buffeted in midair, and I sat clutching the arms of my seat for dear life, I found myself wondering -- even if I did make it safely to Tokushima Prefecture, what on earth would I be able to do there in this kind of weather?
A lot, I was to find out.
After landing at Kochi Airport, the scenic bus trip east along narrow, twisty roads clinging to mountainsides high above roaring torrents was like a rest cure. Finally, an hour and a half later, we reached our destination, the small town of Iya hidden deep in the heart of this forested island.