The Tourist's Guide to Infuku no Kuni

Also known by its translation of "the hidden country", Infuku no Kuni is a huge forest inhabited by the tiniest of people!

image

The Forest

Infuku no Kuni
Population: 31.3 Million inchlings
Exports: Timber, minerals, and wild game
Imports: Processed materials & brave adventurers

Deep, dark, rough, and mazelike. The only beaten trails through the old-growth forest fit for the "Big Folk" are the old trade-ways to the capital of Aoi no Sato, as the inchlings prefer to stay up in the branches and off the forest floor.

The Inchlings

Average Inchling
Height: 3cm (e.g. Warhammer 40k mini)
Weight: 0.347g (e.g. large raindrop, pea)
Deadlift: 20.8g (e.g. AA battery)
Jump height: 50cm (exactly as high as a human, but with zero fall damage)
Required food: 1.5g/day (e.g. 1 peanut or 40 grains of rice)
8-tatami apartment: 6cm x 6cm, 4cm ceiling height (cf. 7.6cm x 7.6cm post-it note)

image

Inchlings resemble humans, but (as their name implies) stand at a mere sun in height (about 3cm or 1.2in) - a 60th the height of a human!

Being somewhat spiritual beings, they are famous for their ability to hide in plain sight beyond even what can be explained by their stature. The miniscule people fled to the forests long, long ago, hiding in the roots and inside the mushrooms, and at times they have been so skittish that some outsiders have questioned whether or not they even existed.

Infuku no Kuni is not a land that lends itself to human settlement, but for the inchlings even a mere apple tree represents a feast to end all feasts. What feeds a human could feed a hundred inchlings, and the inchling is a mere forty grains of rice! Thus the inchlings spread themselves throughout the forest, growing in numbers up in the safety of the treetops until even the accountants had no choice but to give up counting them all.

The isolation ended during the shogun's peace, with the inchlings opening themselves up for trade with other peoples and even the occasional tourist.
However, the peace broke upon the shogun's death, and so did the courage of the inchlings. The immediate response from many was a call for hiding away yet again, and perhaps that's how things would have gone were an old prophecy not fulfilled:

When the law falls and the hidden country slips back into darkness, the betrayed king once-wounded will rise again to pull it into the light.

Long thought a riddle, the sudden appearance of a wounded Oda Nobunaga in Aoi no Sato shortly after the Shogun's death now has the inchlings convinced that he is the ruler destined to lead the inchlings out of the forest.

Beast-Riding

image

For those inchlings brave enough to try, and skilled enough not to get eaten, any animal can be a mount!

Tourism

image
Sukuna-san enjoying the mud baths of Yodomi.

While Infuku no Kuni's own culture is often too small to be appreciated by Big Folk, within those 31 million inchlings are some that would gladly explore the outside world if given the chance. Most are never noticed by the Big Folk!

The Points of Interest

Aoi no Sato

Aoi no Sato
Population: 3.6 Million
Land area: 400 hectares
Population density: Equivalent to 3,000 humans/km^2
Radius: 1150 meters
Tallest Tree: The Great One (102 meters)
Tallest Building: Infuku no Tō (13.8 meters, 154 floors)
Tallest Big Folk Building: Aoi no Sato Trading Post (4 meters, 1 floor)

image

Below in the thick undergrowth lies the humble home of Oda Nobunaga, leader of the hidden country. Converted from the old trading post and its sleeping quarters, refurbishing is ever in progress.

Above, suspended in the treetops, lies one of the wonders of Aishiji! One of the most densely-populated areas in the country, if not the world, Aoi no Sato is the bite-sized city that never sleeps.

While larger visitors will likely find their stay rather limited, inchlings know that the art and culture of the city more than makes up for its lack of stature.

The Labyrinth

image

Centuries ago, the once-human sennin Gaigyakkusu is said to have gone mad: he built himself a grand tower 108 stories high and hid the entire thing away in the spirit realm, its master included.

You can still find its entrance today, as a lonely torii that moves every new moon. The inchlings keep track of its movements, which repeat on a strict 108-year schedule, but leave actual exploration for the Big Folk.

Dozens of brave adventurers brave the labyrinth every year, but only a handful have returned alive. They keep the legend alive: the yokai of the spirit realm may be dreadful, but there is also treasure inside, more gold and jade than one could ever imagine!

Edit

Pub: 22 May 2026 23:29 UTC

Edit: 22 May 2026 23:54 UTC

Views: 14