日本三大秘境の一つ、徳島県祖谷地方

本施設は、東祖谷の落合集落に。一般的に集落は山の麓に形成され、さらに田畑が広がるというのがいわゆる「日本の里山の風景」ですが、祖谷の集落は山の斜面を切りひらかれ集落を形成しています。ここ落合集落は高低差約390メートルにも及ぶ集落で、江戸時代中期から後期に建造された古い民家が今も崖に張り付くように点在しています。

こうした古い民家は山村集落特有の構造と間取りを持ち、集落内をうねるように伸びる里道、周囲に広がる石垣や耕作地と相まって独特の景観を持っています。2005年には、このような歴史的景観の希少性が評価され、集落全体が重要伝統的建造物群保存地区（重伝建地区）に選定されています。

Iya region, Tokushima prefecture, one of Japan's three major unexplored regions

This facility is located in the Ochiai village of Higashiiya. Generally, villages are formed at the foot of the mountain, and the fields spread further, which is the so-called "Japanese satoyama landscape", but the village of Iya is cut off the slope of the mountain to form a village. The Ochiai village is a village with a height difference of about 390 meters, and old private houses built in the middle to late Edo period are still scattered on the cliff.

These old private houses have the structure and floor plan peculiar to the mountain village, and have a unique landscape combined with the undulating village road, the surrounding stone walls and cultivated land. In 2005, the rarity of such a historical landscape was evaluated, and the entire village was selected as an important traditional buildings preservation district (judenken district).

無色の時が流れる
平穏の山里、祖谷

祖谷はどのような場所か、祖谷に行けば何に出会えるのか。その問いには、もしかすると「なにもないがある」と答えるのが一番良いのかもしれません。それは、人が生きていく上で本当に必要なこと、人とそれをとりまくごく自然なものだけがあると言い換えられそうです。
朝靄に包まれた夜明け、山々を覆い尽くす雲海、青みがかった川、雪に閉ざされた無音の集落。かつて平家の落人たちが隠れ住んだ秘境の里といわれ、日本の三大秘境に数えられるほどに山深い祖谷は、数多くの着飾られた魅惑的な言葉で語られています。
しかし、様々に語られるこれら多くの祖谷の姿とは裏腹に、今でもこの地には日々確かに、普通に、自然の道理に従いながら、山村地域特有の伝統的な生活様式を受け継ぎながら暮らす人々がいます。

Quiet time, Peaceful mountain village, Iya

What place is Iya? Where should we go to see Iya?It may be the best answer for the questions that perhaps there is nothing.In other words, it stays that there are something to survive for people and only natural things surround it and them.
The dawn veiled in the morning haze, the mountains covered by the see of clouds, the bluish river, and the silent settlement in snow, these are in Iya.That is called the village of mysterious land where the fleeing Heike warrior lived in secret once. In addition, Iya is also very mountainous area which is one of the three undiscovered regions in Japan is expressed in many attractive and decorative words.
However, contrary to be expressed in various words, even now lots of people, who have inherited the traditional and peculiar lifestyle in a mountain region, live there with following the logic of nature every day.

今では失われかけた
日本の残像

いえ、ここに暮らす人々にとっては、伝統などといった重たい言葉で語ることでもなく、ただただそれは、大昔の先祖の代から日々続いている「日常」なのです。ゆるやかな時が流れ、平熱感漂う山里。それがほんとうの祖谷の姿であり、ともすれば今では失われかけた日本の残像ではないでしょうか。
日常の風景、あるいは「日常感」は、特別な言葉で表現されるものではなく、かといって、なかなか普段感じることが難しいものです。祖谷の山里を歩くと、まちでは出会えない普通の「日常」に触れることができます。気づけば何ともないおしゃべりが始まってしまうお母さん、自宅の畑でとれた野菜を手渡してくれるお父さん。祖谷を訪れる皆様に、私たちがそんな「無色のときが流れる、平温の山里、祖谷」を旅するお手伝いができたらと思っております。

Now almost lost Afterimage of Japan

For those people, it is not restricted much by tradition, but it is merely the "regular life" which has continued from their ancestors for generations.The time flows at a leisurely pace, and there is the mountain village in an atmosphere as per usual.It is an actual shape of Iya and that is why it is the Japanese original lifestyle which is gradually disappearing.
It is difficult for us to feel the “regular life” or to express the commonly seen scenes in daily Japanese life. If you walk along the mountain village of Iya, you can touch the common “regular life” in Iya, unlike your daily life.You will also meet the mothers who are friendly and love to chat, and the fathers who give you fresh vegetables in their gardens.
We hope we can help the travelers to Iya to feel the quiet time, peaceful mountain village and Iya.