Guides
Village rules, curfew, and night
The village has a posted code. Official Japanese copy confirms “do not approach strangers” and “do not search for what was lost.” Press and guides add a curfew after 11 p.m. Two of the eight rules are still single-source.
Last verified: 2026-10-28. Checked against public sources listed below.
| Fact | Value | Status | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Curfew | Do not go out after 11 p.m. / 23:00 | Media | 4Gamer, Noisy Pixel, Shacknews, community rules page |
| 2. Cooperate | Work for the village’s benefit | Community-1 | villageintheshade.com rules page only |
| 3. Strangers | Do not approach strangers | Official | nippon1.jp system page; 4Gamer |
| 4. Secrets | Do not reveal others’ secrets | Media | Noisy Pixel; community rules page |
| 5. Stay in the village | Do not leave the village | Media | Steam description; 4Gamer; community rule numbering |
| 6. Mountain voice | Do not answer the mountain | Media | 4Gamer and community rules; wording is a working translation |
| 7. Lost things | Do not seek what was lost | Official | Nippon Ichi system page; community rule numbering |
| 8. Wishes | Wishes have a matching price | Community-1 | English community rule page only; unofficial working translation |
Game screenshots: © Nippon Ichi Software, Inc. / NIS America, Inc. Source: official Steam listing.
The eight lines, by confidence
Official system page (two full lines): do not approach strangers, and do not search for what was lost.
4Gamer also prints the curfew after 23:00, do not leave the village, and do not answer the voice from the mountain.
The English community page adds “cooperate for the village” and “a wish needs a matching price.” Those two are not in the official sentences I could read.
What the night is like
The official midnight page confirms a flashlight, unfamiliar dropped items and unexplained presences. It does not name cattle bones, doll heads or magatama in its text; specific item examples come from community guides.
A Steam review and a community yokai table say apparitions vanish at 5 a.m. and that missing the curfew sends you home. That is player-reported, not a patch note.
Salt on a yokai shelf, wooden tags, and a straw doll are described by one Traditional Chinese guide. Single source.
Sources and verification
Source review updated 2026-10-28. Publisher statements and store listings may share a source; two links alone do not establish independent confirmation. Unless an independent cross-check is explicitly identified, treat a named publisher or store claim as a single-source statement. Access restrictions and disagreements are marked in the article.
- S4: Nippon Ichi Software — systems and village ruleshttps://nippon1.jp/consumer/honogurashi/system.html
- S29: 4Gamer — village rules and game systemshttps://www.4gamer.net/games/933/G093331/20260210068/
- S30: Gamer.ne.jp — product and system announcementhttps://www.gamer.ne.jp/news/202602130005/
- S42: VillageInTheShade.com — fan guide to village ruleshttps://villageintheshade.com/village/rules
- S22: Noisy Pixel — editorial reviewhttps://noisypixel.net/village-in-the-shade-review/
- S23: Shacknews — editorial reviewhttps://www.shacknews.com/article/151116/village-in-the-shade-review-score
- S37: AppMedia — community progression charthttps://appmedia.jp/honogurashi/80254495
- S1: NIS America — official game websitehttps://nisamerica.com/village-in-the-shade/
- S20: Gematsu — Western release announcementhttps://www.gematsu.com/2026/08/village-in-the-shade-launches-october-27-in-the-west
- S35: Ludens — community yokai guidehttps://guide.ludens.com.tw/honogurashi/yokai/
Questions
What happens at 11 p.m.?
Reviews say you should be indoors. The punishment is described by players as a send-home, not a game over.
Are there eight rules or three?
Steam’s short blurb is shorter than the Japanese “eight precepts.” This page lists eight and marks the weak ones.
Can I turn the night off?
Yes, by choosing Peaceful Life Mode at the start.
What is the mountain voice?
A rule says not to answer it. Yoh’s profile says she can hear it. The story explanation is not on the character page.
Is breaking a rule permanent?
No official line says a broken rule is a permanent miss. Achievement guides claim the precept achievements are not missable. See achievements.
Updated 2026-10-28.