Izumo, Shimane
The Road West of Izumo
West out of Izumo and back on the same bus line — a shrine where you clap four times instead of two, dark buckwheat noodles, a stone lighthouse you can climb, and a west-facing beach at sundown.
4 stops · one day
The route
- 01
Shimane · Izumo · From Izumo-shi Station · ~25 min · Better early
Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine
Go for the etiquette and the order, not only the giant rope.
What to look for
- Bronze Torii — the bronze gate that marks the start of the inner precinct
- Pine Approach — an avenue of old pines along the way in
- Haiden Worship Hall — the hall where visitors actually pray, short of the sanctuary
- 02
Shimane · Izumo, Taisha · From Izumo-shi Station · ~25 min
Izumo Soba
Both ways of eating one noodle, on the shrine's own approach.
What to look for
- Izumo-taisha-mae Station — the Taisha Line terminus, a Western-styled hall with stained-glass-like windows opening straight onto the approach
- Uka-bashi great torii — the first torii, standing at the river end of the approach and listed as a registered tangible cultural property
- Shinmon-dori tourist information centre — the street's public information office, where the shrine's guided walks start
- 03
Shimane · Izumo Hinomisaki · From Izumo Taisha bus terminal · ~20 min
Hinomisaki Shrine and Lighthouse
A red two-level shrine and a climbable stone lighthouse on the same headland.
What to look for
- The two-storey gate — the vermilion romon at the entrance, one of the designated buildings
- Hishizumi-no-miya — the lower hall for Amaterasu, lacquered red under a broad hipped roof
- Kami-no-miya — the upper hall for Susanoo, up a stone stairway on the terrace behind
- 04
Shimane · Izumo, Taisha · From Izumo-shi Station · ~40 min
Inasa Beach
Izumo's sunset shore: open ground, no ticket, a short walk from the great shrine.
What to look for
- Bentenjima — the rounded islet off the sand, with a torii and stone steps up to the shrine on its crown
- The white sand shoreline — a wide, west-facing strand running the length of the bay
- Byobu-iwa — the screen-shaped rock closing the southern end of the beach