HappyRaft Access

The Happy Raft base is located on a beautiful bend of the Yoshino River at Iwahara, Ootoyo-cho, right in the the middle of Shikoku. We’re just inside Kochi-ken, maybe 2 minutes drive upstream from the border with Tokushima-ken.

A train station, JR Tosa-Iwahara, is right next door, so it’s easy to reach us by train. If you’re driving, it takes around 4 hours from Osaka, 3 hours from Kobe, or 2 hours from Okayama or Tokushima city.

Our base is a great place to hang out, picnic, barbeque or camp, so you can really make a trip of it when you come down for some rafting or canyoning. Check out the maps on this page and read the directions below for more information about how to get here.

Access by Car

From the Kansai region, take the Hanshin Expressway 3 from Kobe to the Akashi Bridge. Follow the expressway down through Awaji Island and onto Shikoku at Naruto. The highway continues from Naruto as the Takamatsu Expressway, so keep going for just a little bit and then get off the highway at Itano IC. Follow the signs to another highway interchange, Aizumi IC on the Tokushima Expressway, and get back on the highway there heading west to Matsuyama and Kochi. You’ll drive on for about an hour before exiting the highway again at Ikawa-Ikeda IC.

Turning left at the traffic lights as you come off the expressway, follow Route 32 around Ikeda, over a bridge, and then south towards Kochi – you’ll be following the Yoshino River upstream from here. Perhaps 35 minutes later, you’ll cross the border into Kochi-ken, and then the next bridge on your left, a big red one, will have a sign directing you to JR Tosa-Iwahara station. Cross that bridge, turn left, go past the train station, and turn into a driveway leading down to the river and the Happy Raft carpark. You made it!

From the Okayama region, take the Sanyo Expressway until the turn-off for the Seto Chuo Expressway. Follow that highway south and cross the Seto Bridge to Shikoku. Upon reaching Shikoku, you’ll soon come to Sakaide, where you need to turn west and follow the highway going to Matsuyama and Kochi. As you cross from Kagawa-ken into Ehime-ken, look out carefully and follow the signs at the Kawanoe Interchange that point to Kochi. Once you’re on the Kochi Expressway, go past Shingu IC and get off maybe 20 minutes later at Ootoyo IC.

Turning right at the traffic lights as you come off the expressway, and then left at the lights as you come out of a tunnel, follow Route 32 north towards Ikeda – you’ll be following the Yoshino River downstream from here. Perhaps 15 minutes later, you’ll cross a couple of bridges and pass JR Toyonaga station. Keep going for maybe 5 more minutes to see another big red bridge on your right, with a sign directing you to JR Tosa-Iwahara station. Cross that bridge, turn left, go past the train station, and turn into a driveway leading down to the river and the Happy Raft carpark. You made it!

From the Hiroshima region, take the Shimanami-kaido Expressway across from Honshu to Imabari on Shikoku. Take local roads to Iyo-Komatsu IC on the Matsuyama Expressway, then turn east as you get back on the highway, heading for Tokushima and Kochi. As you go past Mishima-Kawanoe IC, look out carefully and follow the signs at the Kawanoe Interchange that point to Kochi. Once you’re on the Kochi Expressway, go past Shingu IC and get off maybe 20 minutes later at Ootoyo IC.

Turning right at the traffic lights as you come off the expressway, and then left at the lights as you come out of a tunnel, follow Route 32 north towards Ikeda – you’ll be following the Yoshino River downstream from here. Perhaps 15 minutes later, you’ll cross a couple of bridges and pass JR Toyonaga station. Keep going for maybe 5 more minutes to see another big red bridge on your right, with a sign directing you to JR Tosa-Iwahara station. Cross that bridge, turn left, go past the train station, and turn into a driveway leading down to the river and the Happy Raft carpark. You made it!