Shinjo Village

Fire-prevention channels flank the road.

Gaisen-zakura Dori, Shinjo-juku

Photo by Aimaimyi (CC BY-SA 3.0)

01 ／ Weeping Chestnut Habitat

The prefecture's account: this is the only placein western Japan where the weeping chestnut grows wild.

A rare chestnut whose branches grow very long and hang down, bearing nuts. The ones in Nagano and Gifu are national natural monuments, and the prefecture explains that this is the only place in western Japan where it grows wild. Legend says that when Retired Emperor Gotoba stopped here and wished for chestnuts, the branches drooped down.

Prefectural natural monument (designated April 1, 1956)
Two habitat sites in Toshima
Legend of Retired Emperor Gotoba (prefectural commentary)

02 ／ Wakihonjin Kishiro Residence

The house that served as a wakihonjin on the Izumo roadhas rings at its entrance pillar for tying horses.

The house of the Kishiro family, who served as wakihonjin (secondary inn for daimyo) at Shinjo-juku, where the Matsue domain's honjin and wakihonjin stood during the alternate-attendance journeys. Its trade name was "Mukaibabaya"; built in the last years of the Edo period, with a three-row, six-room plan. A horse-tying ring is on the entrance pillar and a sword rack remains in the toilet. A Shinjo Village cultural property, open to the public.

Trade name "Mukaibabaya"
Large house with a three-row, six-room plan
Shinjo Village cultural property (Okayama tourism site)

03 ／ Himenomochi

A glutinous rice barely harmed in a cold-summer yeargave its name to a village ordinance.

Himenomochi glutinous rice is grown across the whole village. In 1980, when a cold summer and long rains badly damaged ordinary rice, it suffered almost no damage, and more farmers took it up. The village worked to brand it and, in September 2015, enacted the Shinjo Village Himenomochi Promotion Ordinance.

Cold summer and long rains in 1980
Ordinance enacted in September 2015
Clear headwater of the Asahi River and big day-night temperature gaps (village tourism site)

Living here

Cool in summer, and snow can exceed 1m in winter.

about 1,000 people
Rural district town

At the northwest edge of Okayama Prefecture, the village borders Hino and Kofu towns in Tottori Prefecture. The elevation near the village office is about 470m. There is no railway station; the Maniwa city community bus "Maniwa-kun" takes about 40 minutes from Chugoku-Katsuyama Station to Shinjo Village Office.

People living here: 813people
Area: 67.11km²
Households: 331households
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.

Shinjo Village in Japan35.179°N 133.568°E

to Chūgoku-KatsuyamaLocal bus40min

Travel times follow 村公式「交通アクセス」（vill.shinjo.okayama.jp/index.php?id=86）の「JR姫新線中国勝山駅から真庭市コミュニティバス40分新庄下車」。県の観光WEB（脇本陣木代邸 detail_11711）も「JR中国勝山駅から梨瀬行きバス約40分『新庄村役場前』下車、徒歩約5分」。真庭市公式「まにわくん♡について」（2026-03-18 更新）の「【幹線】新庄・久世ルート時刻表（令和8年4月〜）」（uploaded/attachment/39115.pdf）で、中国勝山駅→新庄村役場前が 8:17→8:56（39分）・12:19→12:59（40分）・16:51→17:30（39分）・19:02→19:41（39分） (checked 2026-09-30). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Shinjo Village

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

12.0km

Okayama Prefecture: 真庭市, 新見市
Tottori Prefecture: 江府町, 日野町

Shinjo Village isthis kind of town.

01Gaisen-zakura Dori in Shinjo Village was the center of Shinjo-juku, a post town on the Izumo road. Its cherry trees were planted in 1906 to commemorate victory in the Russo-Japanese War, and channels built as fire prevention run along both sides, their murmur chosen among Japan's 100 Soundscapes.
02Toshima has the weeping chestnut habitat, a prefectural natural monument, which the prefecture explains is the only place in western Japan where the tree grows wild. The Kishiro house, which served as a wakihonjin at the post town, is a village cultural property, and the glutinous rice Himenomochi grown across the village has a promotion ordinance.
03A village at the northwest edge of Okayama Prefecture on the Tottori border, in the headwaters of the Asahi River. There is no railway station; the Maniwa city community bus takes about 40 minutes from Chugoku-Katsuyama Station.

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Shinjo Village official site ↗Wikipedia ↗