Shiiba Village

Shiibahidden regionHeike legendslash-and-burnGIAHS

Miyazaki · Shiiba

32.5043°N, 131.1601°E

Shiiba is counted with Shirakawa-go and the Iya valley as one of Japan's three great hidden regions, and the reason is the terrain: steep mountains, almost no flat land, and settlements strung along contour lines above the valleys. It is about two hours by road from the nearest airport and there is no railway.

The village's story is that Heike survivors fled here after 1185 and that Nasu no Daihachiro, sent by the Genji to finish them, fell in love with the Heike princess Tsurutomi instead. The Tsurutomi house, a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, stands in the village as a parallel-plan farmhouse of a type found nowhere else. Shiiba also still practises slash-and-burn cultivation, one of the last places in Japan to do so, and it is part of the GIAHS agricultural heritage listing made in 2015.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Village accessible year-round | Tsurutomi residence and facilities keep their own hours

Closed: Mountain roads affected by weather — confirm before travelling

Entrance Fee

Free to visit | Tsurutomi residence and museums charged separately

Best Season

Late April–May and October–November | Winter for the night kagura

Visit Duration

A full day | Overnight recommended

Getting There

Access Information

Shimofukura, Shiiba, Higashiusuki District, in the mountains of northern Miyazaki. Car essential; about 2 hours from Aso-Kumamoto Airport or a long drive from Miyazaki City, with no rail access. The Tsurutomi residence, designated as the Nasu family house and a national Important Cultural Property, stands in the village and operates alongside an inn. Shiiba is part of the Takachihogo-Shiibayama Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry System, designated a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in December 2015. Slash-and-burn cultivation is still practised. Confirm road conditions before travelling.

Insider Guide

Premium

**It is a long drive with no railway.** Two hours from Aso-Kumamoto on mountain roads. Fuel, food and time need planning before you commit. **The Tsurutomi house is the fixed point.** A nationally designated parallel-plan farmhouse tied to the Heike and Genji legend, with an inn attached, which is the practical base. **Slash-and-burn is still practised.** One of the last places in Japan. It is farming, not a demonstration, and the burns are scheduled by the farmers. **The kagura runs in winter.** Shiiba's night kagura is performed in the settlements from late November through the winter and is the reason many people come. **Stay the night.** Day trips here are mostly driving. The village makes sense at the pace of an overnight stay.

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