Explore
2,000+ places across 38 regions — search and filter to plan your trip.
29 places(showing 1–24)
Izumo
One of the oldest and most important Shinto shrines in Japan, dedicated to the deity of marriage and famous for its enormous sacred straw rope.
Japan's tallest stone lighthouse, a gleaming white tower on the dramatic cliffs of the Hinomisaki cape west of Izumo Taisha.
A striking vermilion shrine on the Hinomisaki cape, said to protect the night just as Ise protects the day.
The sacred beach beside Izumo Taisha where the eight million gods of Japan are said to arrive each autumn, and one of the great sunset spots of the coast.
A modern museum beside Izumo Taisha that tells the story of ancient Izumo through spectacular bronze-age hoards and models of the legendary giant shrine.
A dramatic river gorge of towering eroded cliffs and pinnacles south of Izumo, dotted with stone Buddhas and a temple set into the rock.
A serene mountain shrine said to hold the spirit of the god Susanoo, home to a thousand-year-old sacred cedar revered as a great power spot.
A magnificent wooden railway station in the style of a Japanese palace, built to receive pilgrims to Izumo Taisha and now a designated Important Cultural Property.
A remote mountain temple founded in 594, Shimane's most famous spot for blazing autumn foliage.
The lively 700-meter approach to Izumo Taisha, lined with soba shops, zenzai cafes and souvenir stalls.
An Edo-period merchant estate preserved as a museum, with tatami rooms, a tea house and a borrowed-scenery garden.
A free-tasting winery near Izumo Taisha, pairing local wines with Shimane wagyu barbecue.
A graceful forest waterfall in the hills of Izumo, an off-the-map spot for nature lovers.
The monumental burial mounds of Izumo's ancient kings, famous for their unique four-cornered projecting shape.
A small sacred islet off Hinomisaki that hosts a huge breeding colony of black-tailed gulls each year.
One of the world's largest wooden-domed structures, a striking all-weather arena roofed with a lattice of local pine.
Thousand-year-old Zen temple on Mt. Ichibata revered as Japan's guardian of the eyes, with 1,300 stone steps and sweeping views of Lake Shinji.
Hilltop shrine to the giant of the Kunibiki land-pulling myth, prayed to for victory in sport, exams and business.
The shrine where the eight million gods hold their farewell banquet and depart Izumo at the close of the month of the gods.
Hidden subshrine of Izumo Taisha with a thousand-year-old muku tree and the spot where ancient bronze and jade treasures were unearthed.
A torii-topped rock islet on the sacred beach where the gods land at the start of Izumo's Month of the Gods.
A mountain power spot reached by squeezing through a 45 cm rock cleft to a hall tucked beneath Susanoo's legendary stone boat.
A historic Fudoki-listed shrine in the old canal town of Hirata, beloved for matchmaking and safe childbirth.
The tranquil hilltop shrine where, by tradition, the gods gather first at the opening of Izumo's Month of the Gods.
