Shiiba Village is a mountain village surrounded by nature and mountains exceeding 1,000 meters in altitude. Approximately 96% of the village area is covered in mountain forests and there are many slopes, and the area is called one of the three most secluded places in Japan.
The homes and fields nestled in the mountains embody the wisdom and ingenuity required to live among steep slopes. Tonegawa Village is noted for the beautiful stone walls and Shiiba-style long and narrow homes found there, and there are buildings at the top of the village that you can look inside. There, you can join a yoga session while enjoying the beautiful mountain views, or try your hand at making Nadofu, a traditional food of Shiiba. There are many other workshops and events you can join to experience the mountain village lifestyle, including making Konyaku, trekking, mushroom and wild vegetable gathering, and e-mountain bike riding.
Another highlight of the village is the nearly 100 stepped rice terraces along the Kyushu mountain ridge at an altitude of 450 meters. A sight you can only see in Shiiba, they are known as the Rice Terraces of Sennin, as well as the Machu Picchu of Shiiba, because they seem to float in the sky.
Traditional customs and culture have also long been carefully preserved here. Among them is the Shiiba Kagura dance, a performance that is designated as a Japanese important cultural heritage. Incidentally, Shiiba Village uses a localized version of slash-and-burn agriculture on a small, sustainable scale, unlike the way the method is applied elsewhere in the world. Here, the slash-and-burn approach leads to higher yields of such crops as buckwheat, without the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and ultimately leads to revitalization of the forest over the long term rather than damage to it. This method can only be seen in Shiiba. 
In recognition of this novel approach to farming and cultural tradition, Shiiba was designated a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2015 along with the neighboring communities of Takachiho Town, Hinokage Town, Gokase Town, and Morotsuka Village.