Article

20307 ／きたあいきむら

Nagano Prefecture 南佐久郡

Kitaaiki Village

Landlocked valley, 130+ seashell items.

Tochibara Rock Shelter Site

Photo by MChew (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Daizen Falls

On a mountain of falls that freeze in winter,about 148 stone Buddhas have been set up.

The village says the mountain was opened as a sacred site by the Zen priest Daizen Sozu, and that Daizen Falls and another falls are named for him. There are about 30 stone Buddhas from the prefectural road to Daizen Falls, about 75 at the falls, 36 at Asama Falls and 7 more. In February the falls become a huge column of ice.

About 148 stone Buddhas in all
The whole mountain is a village-designated scenic spot
A huge ice column in February

02 ／ Tochibara Lion Dance

A female lion, two male lions and a hei-bearer,four in all, dance for the Shinmei shrine.

The village's seasonal guide lists the Tochibara lion dance among the events of October 28. Handed down since the Edo period, it is dedicated to the Shinmei shrine, and a female lion, two male lions and a hei-bearer, four in all, are said to dance it. It was designated a village folk cultural property in 1982.

Village lists October 28, dedicated to the Shinmei shrine
A female lion, two male lions and a hei-bearer
Village-designated folk cultural property, 1982

03 ／ Kyo-no-Iwa Kannon Hall

A Kannon hall in a rock shelter is said to have beenbuilt in the Muromachi period by the lord Yoda.

This Kannon hall at Kyo-no-Iwa is a temple on the Saku 33 Kannon pilgrimage. The Saku Wide Area Union records that Yoda, lord of Aiki, built it in the rock shelter of Kyo-no-Iwa in the Muromachi period. The village says the principal image is told to have been brought from Tennoji in Settsu Province, and lists a festival day on April 16 and 17.

Village-designated tangible cultural property, 1982
A temple on the Saku 33 Kannon pilgrimage
Village lists a festival day on April 16 and 17

Kitaaiki Village from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Now1974–78

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot November 2022)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles（全国最新写真（シームレス）／国土画像情報（第一期：1974〜1978年撮影））

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

No station in the village; 15 minutes by village bus from Koumi.

about 1,000 people
Rural district town

Nine-tenths of the village is mountain forest, and the Aiki River rises on Mount Ogura, 2,112 m high. The village office stands at 982 m, and the population is 648 (October 1, 2025). There is no station in the village; from the front of JR Koumi Station, the timetable shows 15 minutes by village bus to the Elementary School stop.

People living here: 752people
Area: 56.32km²
Households: 342households
Rent (average for rentals): —
Healthcare: 0 hospitals ／ 1 clinic

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —1 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Kitaaiki Village in Japan36.059°N 138.551°E

to KoumiLocal bus15min

Travel times follow 北相木村公式「北相木村営バス時刻表」（令和8年4月1日改正。ページは2026-04-02 更新。PDF『北相木村営バス時刻表令和8年4月1日改正』・作成 2026-03-12）。『北相木方面』の表で、小海駅発→小学校着が、平日・土曜日・日曜日・祝日とも15分（平日 7:15→7:30・8:55→9:10・11:20→11:35・15:20→15:35・16:25→16:40 ほか、土日祝 7:25→7:40・8:55→9:10・11:20→11:35・15:00→15:15・16:15→16:30） (checked 2026-10-21). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Kitaaiki Village

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.Lakes: National Land Numerical Information (Lake Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari. Prepared with the approval of the Director-General of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, using its Digital Map 25000 (Spatial Data Framework) and Digital Map 25000 (Place Names and Public Facilities). (承認番号平27情使、第585号)

North to south

7.8km

Nagano Prefecture: Minamiaiki Village, Koumi Town, Sakuho Town
Gunma Prefecture: Ueno Village

Kitaaiki Village isthis kind of town.

01Tochibara Rock Shelter Site, a National Historic Site centered on the Early Jomon period of about 11,000 to 9,000 years ago, yielded more than 130 sea shells and worked shell items, and tusk shells and cowries are thought to have been worn as ornaments
02The mountain of Daizen Falls has about 148 stone Buddhas in all, and the Tochibara lion dance is dedicated to the Shinmei shrine; the village has designated the whole mountain a scenic spot and the dance a folk cultural property
03The Kannon hall at Kyo-no-Iwa is a temple on the Saku 33 Kannon pilgrimage and a village-designated tangible cultural property, the village's designated properties also include a Katsushika Hokusai warrior painting at Dairyuji, and nine-tenths of the village, at the eastern edge of Nagano Prefecture, is mountain forest

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Kitaaiki Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗

From this town's themes