Moopon

Omori Town is a one and a half kilometer long stretch of houses, shops, temples, and shrines that runs along the river valley to the north of the mines. It used to house magistrates, merchants, and craftsmen who benefited from the nearby mines.
It also has a world cultural heritage site; the Iwami Ginzan.

Today there are many historical sites interspersed among the homes of the town's current residents. Among them are the Former Government Office which has been restored as the Iwami Ginzan Museum, and numerous historical residences.

The largest and most spectacular of these is the Kumagai Family Residence near the Tourist Center in the north of town. Once the home of the leading merchant and town official, it has been restored to be an excellent example of a period household.

Some of the shrines and temples in the area are particularly interesting. Kigami Shrine at the north end of town has a dragon painting on its ceiling that echoes like the roar of the dragon when you clap your hands under it. Shogenji Temple looks fairly ordinary from the outside but inside houses a beautifully painted main hall and altar, and also has a small museum.

Gohyakurakan are 500 stone statues of Buddha's disciples housed in a series of man-made caves. Their postures and facial expressions run the entire gamut of emotions and are very interesting to see.

The central bus stop, Omori Daikansho (Omori Former Government Office), is served by all buses, providing connections along Omori Town and to the parking lot at the Sekaiisan Center (every 15 minutes), to Oda-shi Station (1-2 buses per hour), Nima Station (about 5 buses per day) and Hiroshima (2 buses per day).

Omori Town can also be reached on foot from the parking lot: It takes about 20-30 minutes to walk to the town's southern end around the Gohyakurakan via a nature trail shortcut and an additional 15-20 minutes (without stops) to reach the town's northern end around the Former Government Office.


Former Government Office (Iwami Ginzan Museum)
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30)
Closed: December 29 to January 4, irregularly around special exhibitions
Admission: 500 yen (former government office only)
1000 yen (also includes Kumagai Residence, Kawashima Residence and Sekaiisan Center)
Kumagai Residence
Hours: 9:30 to 17:00 (entry until 16:30)
Closed: Last Tuesday of every month (or the next day if Tuesday is a holiday), Dec 29 to Jan 3
Admission: 500 yen (residence only)
1000 yen (also includes Former Goverment Office, Kawashima Residence and Sekaiisan Center)

Kawashima Residence
Hours: 9:00 to 16:30
Closed: New Year holidays
Admission: 200 yen (residence only)
1000 yen (also includes Former Goverment Office, Kumagai Residence and Sekaiisan Center)

Gohyakurakan
Hours: 9:00 to 17:00
Closed: Irregular closing days
Admission: 500 yen

Shogenji Temple
Hours: 9:30 to 17:00 (December to February until 16:00)
Closed: Wednesdays and temporary closures
Admission: 400 yen

Kigami Shrine
Hours: Always open
Closed: No closing days
Admission: Free

Yunotsu, of the coast of the Sea of Japan, used to be known as a port town. Until the beginning of the 17th century, it played an important role  in shipping silver which was mined at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ‘Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine’. In 2007, Yunotsu was designated as a part of the “World Heritage Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape”. Ryokans, Japanese style inns, and shops line the streets and visitors can soak up the the tranquil atmosphere of a town with such a long history.

The nearby ports of Okidomari and Tomogaura were used to ship away the silver from the Iwami Ginzan Mines. The ports feature Hanaguri-Iwa, special rocks that were used to moor boats to. These can be seen at Okidomari by taking a five minute hike around the bay. The narrow nature trail to the rocks starts at a little bridge that crosses the small creek on the right side of the dock.

The former roads, used to transport the silver from the the mining area to the ports, are now hiking trails. The trail to Okidomari and Yunotsu is 12 kilometers long and passes nearby two castle ruins, while the trail to Tomogaura is 7 kilometers long. There is a possibility of doing a loop hike as Yunotsu and Tomogaura (near Maji Station) are connected by the JR Sanin train line.

Yunotsu is a station along the JR Sanin Line, one hour by limited express train (approx. 3000 yen) or two hour by local train (1490 yen) from Matsue. The town center is a 10-15 minute walk or short bus ride (140 yen) from Yunotsu Station. Okidomari is another 15 minute walk northwest of the town center.
If coming from Omori Town, take a bus to Nima or Oda-shi Station and transfer to the JR Sanin Line to Yunotsu. With a good connection, the journey takes about 45 minutes via Nima Station or about one hour via Oda-shi Station, but note that the train and bus service in the region is rather infrequent.

One of Japan’s oldest shrines, Izumo Grand Shrine, Izumo Taisha (出雲大社) lies in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture.

No one knows the exact date of when the shrine was constructed.

However, the existence of the shrine was apparent in the early 700s according to Japan’s oldest chronicles.

Izumo Taisha’s main deity (kami) is the Okunininushi no Okami. According to legend, Okuninushi was creator of the land in which Japan lies as well as the ruler of Izumo.

He also has another role, which is the deity of good relations and marriage.

At Japanese shrines, before a prayer, we clap twice.  However, at Izumo Taisha, we clap four times—twice for ourselves and twice for our partner, present or future.

The Kamiari Festival is held at Izumo Taisha every year, from the 10th to the 17th day of the 10th lunar month.

 During this period, it is said Shinto’s eight million deities from across Japan gather at Izumo Taisha.

 The 10th lunar month is known as Kamiarizuki (“month with deities”) in Izumo and Kannazuki (“month without deities”) elsewhere in Japan.

Izumo Taisha’s grounds are quite large and spacious.  There are many torii gates and halls, that visitors can explore the grounds to see and experience the magnificence of this shrine.
 

Some places of special importance:

 Matsu no Sando: walking north of the large wooden torii gate (entrance into the shrine), the road divides into 3 paths by the pine trees.  Please do not use the center path, as it is said this path is reserved for the deities.  

 Shimenawa in Worship Hall (Haiden): as visitors enter the main shrine grounds, they will see a wooden structure with a huge sacred straw rope (shimenawa) hung across the structure. The shimenawa signifies the presence of a deity and separates divine space from the mortal world. Large shimenawa are a characteristic of this region, found also at other shrines in Izumo.

 Main Hall (Honden):  behind the worship hall, Honden is 24 meters tall.  It is the tallest shrine building in Japan.  The current structure, built in 1744, is constructed architecture style is called Taisha-zukuri.  Taisha-zukuri is a purely Japanese style which predates the entry of Buddhism into Japan.

 Jukusha:  in the outer fence area there are two long wooden structures on both sides of the main sanctuary. Jukusha is where the deities meet when they gather for their yearly meeting.
  

Access Information:
Izumo Taisha is located in the outskirts of Izumo City, about one hour west of Matsue. Izumo's main railway station is called Izumoshi Station.
 

From Izumoshi Station
From the railway station, Izumo Taisha can be reached by either train or bus.
*By Train:
**Via Ichibata Railways. Transfer trains at Kawato Station.  Disembark at Izumo Taisha-mae Station.  The journey will take about 20 minutes and the one way fare is 490 yen.
From Izumo Taisha-mae station, it takes about 5 minutes on foot to the shrine.
*By Bus:
**Board the bus from bus stop number one.  There is a bus departing the station every 30 minutes or so.  The bus ride should take about 25 minutes and the cost is 520 yen one way.
 

From Matsue City
From Matsue, Izumo Taisha is most easily reached by Ichibata Railways:
*By Train:
**Board the train from Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Station.  Transfer trains at Kawato Station. Disembark at Izumo Taisha-mae Station.  The journey will take about 60 minutes and the one way fare is 810 yen. (Visitors have the option of purchasing a one day pass for unlimited usage of Ichibata trains for 1500 yen)
From Izumo Taisha-mae station, it takes about 5 minutes on foot to the shrine.
**For Japan Rail Pass holder, taking a JR train from Matsue to Izumoshi Station (25-40 minutes) may be better.  For access information from Izumoshi Station, refer to the above “From Izumoshi Station” section.