Budget
There are no youth hostels in Iya — the nearest are in Oboke and Ikeda, outside the entrance to the valley — but it's an excellent place for camping.
Although there are no signs marking it as an official camping site, a tent can be discreetly pitched in the woods near the lake beside La Fôret Tsurugi's baths. It is also possible to use the herbal baths here ¥500.
Meoto-no-Ike
At Mi-no-Koshi, there is limited camping available along the side of the trail to Mt Tsurugi near the upper chair-lift station. Alternatively, ask nicely for permission to borrow a patch of lawn from one of minshukus — and show your gratitude by eating a meal or two there. Meoto-no-Ike 夫婦ã®æ± is the nearest official campground, 2km up Route 438 toward Sadamitsu.
Iya Kazurabashi Camp Village
ç¥è°·ãããæ©ãã£ã³ãæ iya kazurabashi kyanpu-mura tel. +81 090 1571 5258. an excellent little campground in west iya, on the south side of the river a 10-minute walk mostly uphill from the vine bridge. ¥500 gets you a patch of grass for the night, with beautiful views of the valley. toilet facilities and hot water shower are provided. staying here entitles you to a discount at the hikkyo no yu onsen, bringing the cost down to a more reasonable ¥700. pick up a discount coupon from the caretaker of the campsite.
Oku-Iya Kazurabashi Camping
奥ç¥è°·ãããæ©ãã£ã³ã. a rather basic, but magnificently placed campground located across the oku-iya vine bridges at the eastern end of the valley. entry is ¥300 per person, plus the ¥500 to cross the bridge to the campsite only once if you stay for more days. there is a separate cargo pulley system, so you can shift your supplies across the river without carrying them on your back across on the precarious vine bridge. there are only very basic toilet facilities and no showers. you can ask the owner of the minshuku across the road to use their bathroom for a small fee about ¥300.
Top end
Hotel Iya Onsen
About as far away from it all as you can get in Japan, located along a small ravine branching off from the west end of the valley and famous for the cable car that takes guests to the hot spring baths. But there's a price to pay: ¥14000 and up per head, to be precise.
Hikkyo no Yu
A large and lavishly appointed onsen hotel right next to the tunnel entrance to West Iya...but it might as well be anywhere, there aren't really even any valley views. For non-guests, entry into the baths costs a steep ¥1000.
Hotel Kazurabashi
A traditional ryokan with hot spring baths. Most guest rooms have mountain views, as does the open-air bath above the hotel reached with a cable car. Dinner and breakfast are top-end kaiseki cuisine using local ingredients.
Midrange
There are a number of simple minshukus in West Iya and Mi-no-Koshi. The basic bed-only sudomari ç´ æ³ã¾ã rate starts at around ¥3500 per person, higher with dinner and/or breakfast.