1Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine
One of Japan's oldest shrines, dedicated to Ōkuninushi, the deity of matchmaking. Its kagura hall bears one of the largest sacred straw ropes (shimenawa) in Japan.
Izumo Region Sightseeing Map
Izumo, the land of Japanese mythology. Eastern Shimane is home to Izumo Taisha (the grand shrine of matchmaking), the national-treasure Matsue Castle, and Tamatsukuri Onsen — along with soba restaurants that have been in business since the Edo period.
SightsHistoric eateries & sweets
All spots
2Inasa Beach
The mythic beach where the gods are welcomed ashore each autumn. Famous for its lone rock islet and spectacular sunsets.
3Hinomisaki Shrine & Lighthouse
A vermilion shrine complex by the sea and Japan's tallest stone lighthouse, connected by cliff-top walking paths over the Sea of Japan.
4Former Taisha Station
A 1924 wooden station building in pure Japanese style, preserved after the line closed and designated an Important Cultural Property.
5Susa Shrine
An ancient shrine enshrining the storm god Susanoo, famed for its 1,300-year-old giant cedar and its reputation as a 'power spot'.
6Ichibata Yakushi Temple
A hilltop temple long venerated for healing eyesight, with sweeping views over Lake Shinji from its 200-meter-high grounds.
7Momen Kaidō (Cotton Road)
A merchant quarter in Hirata that prospered on the cotton trade in the late Edo period, still lined with soy-sauce breweries and candy shops.
8Arakiya Soba
The oldest Izumo soba house, serving near Izumo Taisha for some 220 years. Known for three-tiered warigo soba and soba paired with zenzai sweet soup.
9Kenjō Soba Haneya
Granted the name 'Kenjō (Presentation) Soba' after serving the future Emperor Taishō in 1907. Fragrant, whole-ground buckwheat noodles.
10Matsue Castle
One of only five castle keeps designated National Treasures (built 1611). Nicknamed 'Plover Castle' for its winglike roofs; the moat boat cruise is a favorite.
11Shiomi Nawate Street
A samurai-residence street along the castle moat, home to the former residence and memorial museum of writer Lafcadio Hearn.
12Yaegaki Shrine
A matchmaking shrine to Susanoo and Princess Inata, famous for its 'mirror pond' divination — float a paper with a coin and read your fortune in love.
13Kamosu Shrine
Its main hall (rebuilt 1583) is the oldest surviving example of taisha-zukuri architecture and a National Treasure — plain, powerful, and serene.
14Tamatsukuri Onsen
A hot spring praised as 'the water of the gods' in an 8th-century chronicle, renowned for beautifying the skin. Ryokan line the Tamayu River.
15Kamiyo Soba
A venerable soba house near Matsue Castle, stone-milling local buckwheat in-house for deeply flavored Izumo soba.
16Saiundō Main Store
A confectioner that revived 'Wakakusa', the beloved sweet of tea-master lord Matsudaira Fumai. A cornerstone of Matsue's tea culture.
17Yūshien Garden
A strolling garden on Daikon Island in Lake Nakaumi, celebrated for peonies in bloom year-round — including thousands floated across its pond.
18Adachi Museum of Art
Home to a great Yokoyama Taikan collection and a vast garden ranked Japan's best for over 20 consecutive years by a US journal — 'the garden is also a picture'.
19Sugaya Tatara Ironworks
The only place in Japan where a traditional tatara ironworks hall survives intact — said to have inspired the ironworks in 'Princess Mononoke'.
20Oni-no-Shitaburui Gorge
A V-shaped gorge strewn with giant boulders, a national scenic monument crossed by the barrier-free 'Love Suspension Bridge'.