Japan's three most unexplored areas, Shiiba Village / deep mountain settlements, nature and folklore

This report describes a trip to Shiiba Village, Higashi Usuki District, Miyazaki Prefecture, in early 2024 May.
Along with Shirakawa-go and Iya, Shiiba Village is known as one of the ‘three most unexplored places in Japan’. As it is called ‘unexplored region’, there remains an abundance of untouched nature, and people live in harmony with nature in a harsh environment.
This time, I decided to travel to Shiiba Village from Kumamoto City, where I live, for eight hours one way, using only public transport. The journey alone was quite exhausting, but the people were kind and warm, and I would like to visit the village again.
■Hinata City Station
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■Miyakomachi (bus stop)
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From here you can take a bus to Shiiba Village.
■ Shiiba Village Tourist Association
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Due to the disaster, buses stop halfway through the village, so if you wish to go to central Shiiba Village by public transport, you will need to book a taxi through the Tourist Association in advance (as of 2024 May).
■ Shiiba Folk Performing Arts Museum
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Let's travel together to ‘unknown Japan’.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)