Usuge, which means “balding,” gets its names for its sparse tree cover since the past. Despite the name, however, this district is perhaps the most breathtaking spot in Chiburijima. The shrine is right at its entrance.

Down the hill and along the road are telephone poles. Be sure to look for the “jamaki” or straw “snakes” behind them. The jamaki in Usuge are made in a different location and are then carried to the shrine. On the way there, the people perform a “shishimai” or lion dance, where they even bite each other at spots of the head or body that are in ailing condition.

Incidentally, there are kettles lined along the road for grave visits. On the evening of Obon (an event commemorating the deceased that is held in mid-August), crowds of people trek towards the hilltop graveyard. Families bring their own kettle, and this is how all these kettles came to line up the road.