Shimoguri no Sato is a hamlet of houses and fields on a steep slope at 800–1,100 m in Kamimura, in the city of Iida. It is known as the "Tyrol of Japan" and is one of the "100 Best Villages of Japan". People still live here and farm these fields; it has not been developed as a tourist site.
You can drive in, but the road is narrow and vehicles 7 m or longer cannot enter. The Tenku-no-Sato viewpoint above the hamlet is about 20 minutes on foot from the Hanbatei car park. About 14 km further up the Minami Alps Echo Line is Shirabiso Kogen at 1,900 m. This page covers the road rules, parking, the walk, current closures and the winter closure.
Shimoguri no Sato at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Shimoguri, Kamimura, Iida, Nagano Prefecture; 800–1,100 m. Fields slope at up to 38 degrees |
| Road rules | Vehicles 7 m or longer cannot enter. Uphill traffic has priority when passing on the slope. Do not stop on the shoulder. To take photos, park somewhere wide and walk |
| Parking | The car park in front of Hanbatei. Walk to the viewpoint from here |
| Viewpoint | Tenku-no-Sato viewpoint (Ogibira lookout). About 20 minutes on foot from Hanbatei, on a path of about 800 m |
| Shirabiso Kogen | About 14 km from Shimoguri on the Minami Alps Echo Line. 1,900 m; 100 free parking spaces. The road from the Yahazu Tunnel side has been closed since 24 April 2026 |
| Winter | The Minami Alps Echo Line (Odaira gate–Shirabiso Kogen–Shimoguri gate) closes in winter. Last winter: 14:00 on 25 November 2025 to 14:00 on 13 April 2026 |
| Nearest IC | Iida IC on the Chuo Expressway: about 40 km to Shimoguri, about 1 hour 15 minutes to Shirabiso Kogen |
Map and where to park
- 1Yahazu tunnel
- 2Hanbatei car park, Shimoguri
- 3Tenku-no-sato viewpoint
- 4Shirabiso highland (Amanogawa lodge, 100-car park)
Iida IC → 1 → 2 (park here and walk to 3) → 4 (Shirabiso; no access from the tunnel side)
The map could not be loaded. Use the junction-by-junction directions below.
The map shows the road from Iida IC through the Yahazu Tunnel and along Route 152 to Hanbatei at Shimoguri. Beyond Hanbatei, the Minami Alps Echo Line continues to Shirabiso Kogen.
The municipal road that climbs directly from the Yahazu Tunnel to Shirabiso Kogen is closed. To reach Shirabiso Kogen, go through Shimoguri.
Park at Hanbatei and walk
Park in front of Hanbatei. Roads in the hamlet are narrow, and a car on the shoulder blocks local traffic and other visitors. The rule for photographs is to park somewhere wide and walk. Gardens and fields are private land, so stay out of them.
Driving the narrow slope: uphill has priority, and 7 m or longer cannot enter
The road to Shimoguri is a narrow climb up a steep mountain slope. Vehicles 7 m or longer cannot enter. When passing on the slope, uphill traffic normally has priority. Where the road narrows, check for oncoming cars before you go on, and give way to each other. Keep your speed down, and use your lights on both cars and motorcycles. Never stop on the shoulder near a bend.
What to see and walking times
The Tenku-no-Sato viewpoint is about 20 minutes on foot
The view seen in photographs of the "Tyrol of Japan" is from the Tenku-no-Sato viewpoint (Ogibira lookout). It is about 20 minutes on foot from the Hanbatei car park along a forest path.
Local people built the path, about 800 m long, in 2009. Parts of it are narrow and dangerous, so watch your footing.
You can also walk with a local guide from the Shimoguri no Sato guides' association. Book at least 14 days ahead. Course A, a return walk to the viewpoint, takes about 80 minutes, covers about 2 km and costs ¥3,000. Course B adds a walk through the hamlet, takes about 120 minutes, covers about 4.4 km and costs ¥4,000. The fee is per guide per walk, and one guide takes up to about 20 people.
Shirabiso Kogen is about 14 km via Shimoguri
About 14 km up the Minami Alps Echo Line (Oikeyama Forest Road) from Shimoguri is Shirabiso Kogen at 1,900 m. It is known as an "Alps lookout": the Southern Alps stand directly in front of you, and the view reaches the Central and Northern Alps.
Shirabiso Kogen Amanogawa, a restaurant and inn, has 100 free parking spaces, with no booking needed. Sleeping in your car is allowed, but the car park closes from 19:00 overnight. Amanogawa closes for winter (December–March); in 2026 it reopened on 14 April. A mountain auto campsite nearby has 15 sites. Individual sites cost ¥4,400 each including tax, and it closes on Wednesdays.
The hamlet, buckwheat fields and the Shimotsuki Festival
Shimoguri grows buckwheat, which has white flowers from late August into September. In the old-calendar month of Shimotsuki, the Shimotsuki Festival (a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property) takes place in each district of Toyama-go. Shimoguri also has the Shimoguri Kake-odori dance, performed at its 15 August festival. Binshima and Irodo, about 15 km further on, are trailheads for Mt Hijiri and Mt Tekari.
Open season and road restrictions
The municipal road from the Yahazu Tunnel to Shirabiso Kogen is closed
The road from the Yahazu Tunnel up to Shirabiso Kogen on Municipal Road Kamimura Route 1 has been fully closed since 24 April 2026 because of a slope collapse. No reopening date has been set. You also cannot drive down from Shirabiso Kogen to the Yahazu Tunnel side.
Follow the detour signs and take the Oikeyama Forest Road up from Shimoguri no Sato to Shirabiso Kogen.
The Minami Alps Echo Line closes in winter
The Minami Alps Echo Line closes in winter between the Odaira gate, Shirabiso Kogen and the Shimoguri gate. The closure runs from about the 8 km point at Odaira on Kamimura Route 1, past Shirabiso on the Oikeyama Forest Road, to the junction above Shimoguri Lodge.
Last winter's closure ran from 14:00 on 25 November 2025 to 14:00 on 13 April 2026. Shirabiso Kogen Amanogawa also closes from December to March. Last year the first snow at Shirabiso Kogen fell on 3 November, and the road surface freezes in the early morning.
No through road at Jizo Pass, and the old Kami-Iida Line is closed until 30 November
Route 152 near Jizo Pass, on the border between Oshika Village and Toyama-go, has no through traffic for the time being. You cannot reach Shirabiso Kogen from the Oshika side. Detour from Michi-no-Eki Toyooka Marche (a roadside station) on Prefectural Routes 18 and 59, a drive of about 1 hour 30 minutes.
On the Iida side, the old road on Prefectural Route 251, the Kami-Iida Line (Kamimachi–Akaishi Tunnel–Yahazu-kami), is closed from 1 July to 30 November 2026. Use the road through the Yahazu Tunnel. Parts of the Akaishi Forest Road are also impassable.
Best seasons and crowds
| Season | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Late August–September | Buckwheat flowers at Shimoguri |
| Early–mid October | Autumn colour (white birch) on the Shirabiso Kogen Echo Line. Take care: drivers distracted by the view risk hitting oncoming cars or going off the road |
| Mid–late October | Autumn colour at Shimoguri no Sato |
| Late October–early November | Peak autumn colour across Toyama-go |
| Winter | The Echo Line is closed. Snow in the hamlet of Shimoguri |
The timing and intensity of autumn colour change from year to year. The road at Shimoguri is just as narrow in the autumn-colour season. The more cars you pass, the more the rules matter: uphill has priority, and no stopping on the shoulder.
Getting there and fuel
From Iida IC on the Chuo Expressway, drive south on Route 153 and take Prefectural Route 251 (Kami-Iida Line) through the Yahazu Tunnel on the Sanen-Nanshin Expressway. Follow Route 152 to Kamimura, then climb to Shimoguri no Sato. Iida IC to Hanbatei at Shimoguri is about 40 km. Iida IC to Shirabiso Kogen takes about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Fill up in central Iida before you go. Car navigation may suggest the Akaishi Forest Road, but use the road through Shimoguri no Sato and Hanbatei.
Without a car
Shirabiso Kogen is about 1 hour 15 minutes by taxi from Iida Station. To rent a car instead, you need an International Driving Permit or other accepted licence.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take a large vehicle?
Vehicles 7 m or longer cannot enter. Even for ordinary cars the road is narrow, and uphill traffic has priority when passing on the slope.
Can I drive to the viewpoint?
No. Park at the Hanbatei car park and walk about 20 minutes along the forest path.
Which road goes to Shirabiso Kogen?
Only the road via Shimoguri no Sato, up the Minami Alps Echo Line (Oikeyama Forest Road). The road up from the Yahazu Tunnel on Kamimura Route 1 has been closed since 24 April 2026, and there is no through road at Jizo Pass on the Oshika side.
When is the autumn colour?
It usually peaks in mid to late October at Shimoguri no Sato and in early to mid October on the Shirabiso Kogen Echo Line. Timing and intensity change from year to year.
Can I go in winter?
The Minami Alps Echo Line to Shirabiso Kogen closes in winter (last winter: 25 November–13 April). Shirabiso Kogen Amanogawa also closes from December to March.
Related guides
Sources & verification
Last verified: 2026-11-02
Updates and corrections
- English guide to driving to Shimoguri no Sato and Shirabiso Kogen, with road rules, parking, current closures and the winter closure.
All sources (16)
- Toyama-go Tourism Association (Minami Shinshu Tourism) (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-10-27
- Go NAGANO (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-10-27
- Go NAGANO (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-10-27
- Toyama-go Tourism Association (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-11-02
- Toyama-go Tourism Association (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-11-02
- Toyama-go Tourism Association (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-11-02
- Iida City (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-11-02
- Toyama-go Tourism Association (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-10-27
- Toyama-go Tourism Association (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-11-02
- Shirabiso Kogen Amanogawa (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-10-27
- Shirabiso Kogen Amanogawa (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-10-27
- Go NAGANO (official page, in Japanese) · 2026-10-27
- OpenStreetMap (map positions and route; © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL; route calculated with OSRM) · 2026-10-25
- Toyama-go Tourism Association: first snow, 2025 · 2026-10-27
- Shirabiso Kogen Amanogawa: campsite · 2026-10-27
- Shirabiso Kogen Amanogawa: 2026 reopening notice · 2026-10-27
