About 95% of the Village is covered with forests, and the density of forest roads per area is the highest in No.1 in Japan.
As for the Sightseeing spot, you can Unfolds the beautiful scenery of the mountains and the rice terraces at the mouth of the river, which was selected as a One of the 100 best terraced rice paddies in Japan.
Historically, the village culture in the mountains that has continued since the Heian period still remains strong, and traditional slash-and-burn agriculture has been inherited.
In Gourmet food, Locally produced shiitake mushrooms are exquisite, thick and aromatic in taste.
In addition, game dishes are also popular, and you can enjoy local cuisine that uses plenty of Delicacies of the mountains.
Access is about 2 hours by car from Miyazaki Airports and Kumamoto Airports, and one of the attractions is that you can spend a relaxing time away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Enjoy a relaxing trip in Morotsuka Village, Miyazaki Prefecture, where the blessings of forests and traditional culture live.
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🎨 Announcement: The Late Sukenori Miroku – Exhibition “Morotsuka Kagura, the Forest’s Gifts, and Its Spirits” 🌲✨
From Friday, July 18, the Library Corner at Shiitake no Yakata 21 will host
an exhibition by the late Sukenori Miroku (Miroku Sukenori)
titled “Morotsuka Kagura, the Forest’s Gifts, and Its Spirits.”
This exhibition presents nine works in total, including two paintings depicting kagura that are planned to be donated to Morotsuka Village.
Please take this rare chance to see these precious pieces that are not often on view 👀🍃
📅 Exhibition period: Friday, July 18 – Tuesday, July 29
🕙 Opening hours: 10:00–17:00 (※Last day closes at 15:00)
🏛 Venue: Shiitake no Yakata 21, Library Corner
🎟 Admission: Free
❗️Note: Closed on Wednesday, July 23.
📞 Inquiries: Morotsuka Village Office, Board of Education, Education Division
TEL: 0982-65-0072
👤 About Sukenori Miroku
Mr. Miroku was an artist who expressed local spiritual culture through motifs of kagura and nature-based faith. He continued to render the forest’s resident spirits and his respect for Morotsuka Village’s nature and kagura with a delicate touch. This exhibition offers a valuable opportunity to encounter his artistic legacy and spirit 🖌️🌿
👣 Spend a peaceful moment in a space where nature and art resonate together 🍀
We warmly look forward to your visit!
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🍄 July 7 is "Dried Shiitake Day" 🍄
To celebrate, we will hold the "Dried Shiitake Fair" on Saturday, July 5!
📍Venue: Morokko House parking lot
🕘Time: 9:00–16:00
✨Event highlights✨
- Freshly grilled! Complimentary dried shiitake
- All-you-can-stuff dried shiitake and wood ear mushrooms!
- Tasting of Morotsuka Village oolong tea "Seikomasucha" 🍵
- Local specialties and summer vegetables will also be on sale 🍅🥬
This is an event everyone from children to adults can enjoy!
Come with your family and friends and join us 😊
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Meeting the "Flower That Brings Happiness," Kirengeshoma — Summer Hikes up Mt. Kurodake
Around Obon, the elusive Kirengeshoma begins to bloom quietly in the mountains 🌼
Listed as Vulnerable (Category II) on the Ministry of the Environment’s Red List and thrust into the spotlight by an NHK morning drama, this flower is said in local lore to bring happiness to those who see it.
Kirengeshoma once grew in large colonies around Morotsuka Village and Mt. Kurodake, but its numbers have drastically declined due to deer browsing.
Now, it survives only in limited areas where local residents continue conservation efforts.
Mt. Kurodake is designated an Important Habitat by Miyazaki Prefecture, and besides Kirengeshoma it shelters many rare Kyushu mountain plants and wildlife, making it a precious natural treasure.
On this hiking tour, local guides will accompany you, pointing out rare plants and offering nature interpretation so you can fully savor the rich forest.
🟡 Tour Overview: Mt. Kurodake Hike
📅 Date and Time: Saturday and Sunday, August 23–24, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
📍 Meeting Point: Obarai Community Center (escort from Shiitake no Yakata 21 available)
🎒 Eligibility: Ages 3 and up (minimum 4 participants to run / maximum 10)
💰 Fee: Adults ¥5,000 / Children ¥4,000 (lunch and guide fee included)
📝 Registration Deadline: Saturday, August 16
Hike Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ (suitable for beginners to intermediate hikers)
🌱 Please wear comfortable clothing and hiking boots or non-slip athletic shoes.
A special summer day to meet the elusive flower.
We look forward to your participation!
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July 7th is Tanabata 🎋🌌
In front of Morotsuka Village Central Community Center, tanzaku with wishes and cute Orihime and Hikoboshi figures made from origami are hung on bamboo branches 🌟
Just looking at them warms the heart 😊
Why not write a lovely wish of your own? 💫
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★☆★The 26th Kyushu Tamaire Championship in Morotsuka★☆★
The 26th Kyushu Tamaire Championship will take place at Morotsuka Village Gymnasium on Sunday, June 29.
The tournament will be held🌟
“Just a ball toss? Yet not just a ball toss.”
The basket you aim for stands over 4 m high😮
Entries are open for the General Division and a Beginner Division for newcomers🔰.
※From 2025 onward there will be no Ladies Division; entrants should register in the General Division.
■Event Schedule
Sunday, June 29, 2025
09:30 Opening Ceremony
10:00 Competition Starts
16:00 Expected Finish
Venue: Morotsuka Village Gymnasium
Participant Parking: Morotsuka Village Sports Park Baseball Field
■Inquiries
For tournament matters: Morotsuka Village Board of Education
TEL 0982-65-0072
For entry questions: Morotsuka Village Tourism Association
TEL 0982-65-0178
※Entry deadline: Friday, June 13.
For applications and details, please check the Kyushu Tamaire Championship page on Morotsuka Navi.
We look forward to many entries😊
About the Kyushu Tamaire Championship
In 1990, the All Japan Tamaire Association (commonly AJTA) was founded in Wassamu, Hokkaido as a group promoting new sports that anyone can join easily.
In 2000, AJTA Kyushu was established here in Morotsuka Village as the Kyushu branch of the All Japan Tamaire Association. Embracing AJTA’s tamaire spirit and promoting exchange with urban areas to revitalize the region, it continues as part of Morotsuka’s community development centered on the whole-village forest park.
Today AJTA Kyushu consists of volunteers who cherish the tamaire dream. In addition to running the Kyushu Tamaire Championship (held every summer in Morotsuka Village) as a stepping stone to the national tournament, the association works to popularize this easy-to-learn yet deep tamaire sport as a recreational activity for village residents.
About All-Japan Tamaire Rules
The competition divides into two divisions, General and Beginner, to compete for the title of Kyushu Tamaire Champion.
“All-Japan Tamaire” is a timed race in which teams of four to six players compete to place a total of 100 balls (99 Ajata balls and 1 Anchor ball) into the basket as quickly as possible.
AJATA Rules: All-Japan Tamaire Championship Competition Regulations
●Basic Rules
“All-Japan Tamaire” is a timed race in which teams of four to six players compete to place a total of 100 balls (99 Ajata balls and 1 Anchor ball) into the basket.
1. Teams must consist of four to six players; lacking even one person results in disqualification.
2. To prevent false starts, players begin facing backward. (Starter gun start)
3. Ajata balls must be placed first; the Anchor ball must be placed last. Placing it earlier causes disqualification.
4. Failing to put all 100 balls in the basket results in disqualification.
5. Using rods or other tools, or tossing from piggyback positions, will result in disqualification.
6. A ball resting on the rim of the basket is counted as safe. If an Anchor ball knocks a ball resting on the basket rim, it is still safe.
7. Anyone other than the players touching the Ajata balls leads to disqualification.
8. Other matters of match operation will be announced at the managers’ meeting.
The above rules were officially adopted on April 15, 1996, and partially revised in 2010; all championship tournaments are conducted based on these Ajata rules.
●Participants
Number of registered players: up to 8; number competing: 4 to 6 players
Gender: mixed or single-gender teams accepted
Age: Junior high school age and older
(Teams composed only of junior high students are not permitted unless at least one adult participates on the team.)
●Equipment
1. Ajata Court
Mark a 6 m diameter Ajata circle with line tape.
Position the Ajata basket at the center.
2. Ajata Basket (approved)
Height: 4 m 12 cm with steel base (association’s recording site lowest temperature −41.2°C)
Basket diameter: 44 cm; depth: 44 cm (association location approx. 44° N)
3. Ajata Balls (approved)
Outer fabric cover with resin particle filling
• Ajata balls (99)…80 g ±2 g
• Anchor ball (1)…250 g ±5 g
4. Ajata Shoes
Indoor athletic shoes must be worn.
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🍵 Yamashigi kama-iri tea 🍵
The delicious season for new tea 🍵
Kama-iri tea grown at Yamashigi Forest is ready!
Yamashigi Forest is an old farmhouse set in woodland over 600 meters above sea level
This farmhouse, more than 140 years old, prospered as a key transit point in the days before cars.
Travelers and freight once moved along exposed ridgelines with good views rather than the low river valleys.
We picked the tender new shoots that grew up strong at Yamashigi Forest and made them the traditional way to create this “Yamashigi kama-iri tea” 🍵
It is made only from the first flush.
During Golden Week every tea-growing household turns its attention to picking the leaves.
The few tea mills in the village run full time from morning to night.
Yamashigi kama-iri tea was produced amid that bustle.
The kama-iri tea arrives at your home as a “boxed” product that has never left Morotsuka once it was packed.
(In reality it arrives in a bag.)
Kama-iri tea is a method the people of Morotsuka have kept alive for generations.
It was brought long ago from China and now survives in pockets across Kyushu.
Apparently it makes up only about 0.02% of the tea distributed nationwide.
The tea offers a gentle sweetness and a slightly toasty aroma.
After the water boils, wait a moment before pouring, drink quickly, and from around the third cup the leaves open fully and the “kama-ka” aroma drifts out.
Kama-iri tea is popular in Morotsuka Village but remains rare across the country. 🍵
You can buy it from the online shop Morotsuka Store, at the Donko-tei Storefront, or at Morokko House.
※Stock is limited, so please order early 🙇♀️
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🌳Old Farmhouse in the Forest Series🌳
Yamashigi Forest
A 140-year-old farmhouse stands on a sky-high site at 650 meters above sea level.
There are two buildings: Shitashigi, built in the Taisho era, and Nakashigi, built in the Meiji era.
A gentle forest breeze 🍃 flows through, making this a pleasant place to be.
Nearby you will find tea fields, bamboo groves, and orchards,
and a variety of hands-on activities let you experience mountain village life.
Capacity: 2 buildings, 15 people each, total 30 people
Facilities: Goemon bath, kamado hearth, irori sunken hearth
*The Goemon bath and kamado hearth are available only in Shitashigi.*
◎Experiences
📍Tea picking and pan-roasted tea making
The tea fields in the valley have their picking season every May.
Around that time, Yama Gakkou offers tours where you can pick tea and make pan-roasted tea.
Pan-roasted tea grown in Yamashigi Forest is also sold as Yamashigi Tea at places such as Donko-tei and Morokko House.
📍Ume picking and ume preparations
The two plum trees have long been indispensable to daily life.
In Morotsuka, households prepare ume (plums) for year-round consumption.
Learning these ume preparations is a popular part of the Yama Gakkou tours.
Ume syrup and pickled ume are both big hits.
📍Yuzu harvesting and yuzu processing
From autumn into winter, yuzu take center stage. Whether picked green or after they turn yellow,
they each serve a wonderful purpose.
This is another staple of the Yama Gakkou tours held at Yamashigi Forest.
You can harvest yuzu, make yuzu kosho, take a yuzu bath, and more…
Enjoy yuzu to the fullest with no part wasted.
*For accommodations and experiences, please contact Morotsuka Village Tourism Association in advance.*
Contact
Morotsuka Village Tourism Association (Shiitake Hall 21)
Phone number: 0982-65-0178
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🌸Spring Mountain School — Now Accepting Participants🌸
~A casual hands-on experience in traditional pan-fried tea picking and hand-rolling🍵~
On Saturday, May 10th, we will hold a hands-on tour to make traditional pan-fried tea by hand-picking and hand-rolling
the pan-fried tea that has long been handed down in Morotsuka Village.
This rare tea, accounting for only about 0.02% of Japan’s production,
invites you to try making it by hand-picking and hand-rolling in an atmospheric
traditional house.
《Pan-Fried Tea Experience in Morotsuka Village, Miyazaki Prefecture》
◎ How to make handmade pan-fried tea🍵
1. Tea picking
Pick one bud and two leaves. Start at the tip of the new shoot and pick the second or third leaf from the top.
2. Initial pan-frying
Heat the pan, add the fresh leaves, and stir-fry while mixing to prevent burning.
Heat the pan until you hear a popping sound the moment the fresh leaves hit it.
3. Hand-rolling
Spread the leaves on a mat to cool, then press down with your body weight and roll vigorously.
If clumps form, break them apart (untangling the balls).
4. Drying and final frying
With the heated pan, rub the tea leaves against the bottom of the pan with your hands while frying.
As the moisture gradually evaporates and the leaves begin to dry, stop rubbing and dry the leaves while stirring them by hand so they do not burn.
Why not take this chance to experience making pan-fried tea, something you rarely get to taste?
We look forward to your participation 🤗
*For applications and more details, please check Morotsuka Navi.*
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Akebono azalea
Blooming from mid-April and, if the season is long, into early May, the Akebono azalea
is a very large deciduous broadleaf shrub in the rhododendron family that grows on rocky cliffs above 1,000 meters. Among high-mountain azaleas, it is the earliest to bloom.
It grows wild in clusters near the west trailhead of MtMorotsukayama, and the sight of vivid pink flowers carpeting the spring mountains is spectacular.
The Akebono azalea colony on MtMorotsukayama is located about a five-minute climb above the west trailhead torii gate⛩️. Because you can enjoy it without a full-scale climb, many people from around Kyushu visit to see this nature🍃.
The Akebono azaleas on MtMorotsukayama are coming into their best viewing period!
Everyone, please come and enjoy the flowers😊
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Akimasu Observatory
◎First Viewing Point
Akimasu Observatory has a first viewing point and a second viewing point.
At the first viewing point, the surrounding trees 🌳 have grown tall so the view is no longer clear,
but you can enjoy a pleasantly open space♪
◎Second Viewing Point
This 1,000 m–high panoramic platform offers a full 360° view, letting you see from Nobeoka as far as Aso in the distance.
On clear days you can also spot Hyuga-nada and Mt. Osuzu, and even the Asahi Kasei smokestack with the naked eye.
Facing the direction of the rising sun, it also attracts visitors who come to watch the first sunrise of the year 🌄.
*All photos were taken from the second viewing point.*
(Photographer: Masahiro Aya)
With little light from buildings and a clear sky, some visitors come to photograph the starry night 🌟.
◎Parking
If you do not turn toward the viewing points and continue straight, you will find a parking area 🅿️ at the end.
Why not come to Akimasu Observatory to capture seasonal panoramic photos 📷 throughout the year? 🤗
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