Time for a Trip to Izumo! 4 Go-to Plans for the Best Sights and Things to Do.

Set out on this journey with a stop in Kobe.
Start the day with a visit to Ikuta Shrine, home to the forest of Ikuta just behind the main hall and a “water omikuji” fortune that’s designed to infuse your best relationships with an extra bit of luck.
Next you’ll head to the “heavenly” Kitano Tenmangu Shrine and try your hand at "Mizu Kake Kigan Kanai Koi", a wish made while pouring water to grant all your wishes for deeper love.
Afterwards it’s time through a stroll through history at Kobe Kitano Ijinkan, the Former Foreign Residences and historic streetscapes that promise tasty eats, trendy cafes and shopping underneath the eaves of picture-perfect architecture that blends styles from East and West.

From Kobe you’ll set out from Shin-Kobe Station and travel to Shin-Kurashiki Station by bullet train, a short and easy trip of just 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The first stop here is Haguro Shrine, home of the famed Musubi no matsu pine tree that sits just east of the main shrine, waiting to grant its visitors with an extra pop of luck in relationships. After your visit you’ll make your way down to Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter for an easy time to wander the streets of retro-modern backdrops.

Say goodbye to Kurashiki and take the Yakumo limited express train to Matsue Station, a journey of about 2 hours and 30 minutes. In Matsue, visit the popular matchmaking spot Yaegaki Shrine, and use the Mirror Pond to divine the future of your love.

Take a quick detour to Umi Shrine, the spot said to enshrine the deity of severing bad relationships, kotosaka no o no mikoto. This essential spot is the place to clear any negative relationships and old attachements that may keep you from your next match.
For lunch, take a break and easy stroll through the many eateries along.
Cotton Road, an area that thrived on cotton trade from the late Edo period to the early Meiji period, preserving the legacy of its past as a production site for Unshu cotton.

After lunch head to Izumo Taisha for the ultimate power spot focused on love and general good connections.
Along the way the path will bring you to a stroll up the Omotesando main walk and Shinmon Dori.
Izumo Taisha is dedicated to the deity of good relationships, Okuninushi no Mikoto, and loved by so many who come to pray for luck in love and all relationships with other people. Here’s the place to tie off your journey with an extra wave of good luck for the person you meet next.
After your visit, enjoy watching the sunset at Inasa no Hama Beach, located about 1 km west of Izumo Taisha.

After staying overnight in downtown Izumo it’s time for a day of sightseeing in the city.

The journey begins in Hiroshima, with a visit to the World Heritage site Itsukushima Shrine. The shrine's great torii gate stands perched in the sea in an all new look and feel since undergoing the Reiwa Era Great Renovation in 2022. There’s even the "eternal flame" at Daisho-in Temple's Reikado Hall on Mount Misen, which also serves as the source flame for the "Peace Flame" in the Peace Memorial Park, symbolizes peace and hope.
After visiting the shrine, head to Miyajima Omotesando Shopping Street, the main street of Miyajima, lined with a variety of shops and eateries. This handy route brings you to the best options for lunch and shopping before swinging by the Miyajima Traditional Industry Hall, home to exhibits and handheld workshops that celebrate the area’s heritage crafts.

From Miyajima, take the Hiroshima World Heritage Sea Route high-speed boat to the World Heritage site, the Atomic Bomb Dome (Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park). The Atomic Bomb Dome is a valuable historical heritage that conveys the devastation caused by nuclear weapons, with its exposed steel frame and severely damaged walls offering a lesson on the extent of the damage.

On the second day, travel from Hiroshima Station by express bus to Shimane Prefecture's Roadside Station Tatara Ichiban in Unnan City. First, visit the Okuizumo Tatara and Sword Museum. It's home to the world's only "tatara site," which is registered as a Japanese Heritage site.

After having lunch at Roadside Station Tatara Ichiban, take the express bus again to Izumo City.
From Izumoshi Station, head to Izumo Taisha using the "Shuyu Taxi Kousagi," a taxi service that tours the cultural properties making up the Japanese Heritage sites.

Starting with Izumo Taisha, explore the collective of cultural sites registered under the Japanese Heritage "Izumo, the Sacred Land Where the Sun Sets" - Touring the Sunset Created by the Gods. After visiting Izumo Taisha, head to Inasa Beach, known as a spectacular spot for sunsets. Also not to be missed is "Sononagahama" on the same beach, featured in the "Izumo no Kuni Fudoki" as part of the Kunibiki (land-pulling) mythology.
There are plenty more spots to enjoy the sunset. To start, check out WINDY FARM and Kirara Taki near the IZUMO HOTEL THE CLIFF, a hotel nestled along the coastline on a cliff. Enjoy the beautiful sunset from various angles at Kirara Beach (Taki Coast), selected as one of the Top 100 Sunsets in Japan.

As the glowing sun makes it exit, you may consider an easy stay in Taki. For hotels our curated favorite always leads back to Hatago Oda Onsen, a historic hot spring inn founded in 1923 and IZUMO HOTEL THE CLIFF, where all 8 rooms offer views of the sunset.

On the final day of the journey, travel from Oda Station to the World Heritage site Iwami Ginzan in Oda City, Shimane Prefecture. As one of the world's leading silver mines, it flourished as Japan's representative silver mine, and its ruins form a cultural landscape integrated with the natural environment.

The journey begins at Chubu Centrair International Airport. From here, make your way to Ise Jingu, starting with the Outer Shrine (Geku) followed by the Inner Shrine (Naiku). After the shrine visits, explore Okage Yokocho, a charming area where buildings from the Edo to Meiji periods in Ise have been relocated or reconstructed. Enjoy dining and shopping for souvenirs in this atmospheric setting.

On the second day, head to Uji Bridge in Ise Jingu's Naiku (Inner Shrine) at sunrise. Start your day by admiring the sacred morning sun at Ise Jingu, where Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess, is enshrined.

From the Ise sunrise, it`s time to head to the sunset in Izumo.
Travel again by air from Chubu Centrair International Airport to Izumo Enmusubi Airport.
The first visit in Izumo is to Susa Shrine, said to be one of Japan's most powerful power spots. Opposite the shrine is Amaterasu Shrine, which enshrines Amaterasu Omikami, so make sure to visit both.

From here you’ll take a stroll down Shinmon-dori, a shopping street with over 70 food and retailers, on your way to Izumo Taisha.
At Izumo Taisha you’ll see the spot where they locals say it was built in exchange for Okuninushi ceding the land to Amaterasu Omikami.
Finally you’ll head to Inasa Beach as the sun sinks into the sea, a mirror image of the sunrise in Ise Jingu.

After staying overnight in downtown Izumo it’s time for a day of sightseeing in the city.

Starting from Osaka Station, take the Limited Express Super Hakuto and enjoy the majestic nature of the Chugoku Mountains from the train window. After alighting at Tottori Station, the first stop on your taxi tour is Menuma Shrine, which enshrines Yakami Hime, a character from the famed myth, The White Rabbit of Inaba.
Just a few steps away are the Tottori Sand Dunes, some of the largest sand dunes in Japan. This beguiling, dusted escape offers a beauty so rich its designated as a special protected area and is also a national natural monument.

With picture-perfect views behind you its time to head to Hakuto Shrine, the spot said to enshrine the White Rabbit deity from The White Rabbit of Inaba. Swing by and pray for the best of good connections using "Musubi Stones," a collective of five stones believed to fulfill wishes when placed on the torii gate or the white rabbit stone statues in the shrine precincts.
Afterwards its time for a stop at the Roadside Station Mythology of the White Rabbit, located along the Hakuto Beach where the myth took place. Statues themed around the myth within the premises are popular photo spots.
Be sure to swing by Hakuto Beach before heading to your luxe stay at Yunokawa Onsen.

Yunokawa Onsen, known as one of the Three Great Beautifying Hot Springs of Japan, is said to be where Yakami Hime (Yakami Princess) healed her weary body in a full beautifying makeover on her way to Izumo. Here’s your chance to stay at a hot spring inn in Yunokawa Onsen, just like Yakami Hime, and soak until your travel wears simply melt away.

Day Two starts with a refreshing morning stroll along Shinmon-dori before heading towards Izumo Taisha. Before you get there is a brief stop at Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo, a local hub that pulls together all the highlights surrounding Izumo ancient mythology, history, and Izumo Taisha. With all these nuggets of knowledge on the mind it’s time to finally visit Izumo Taisa. On the grounds you can’t help but notice the adorable rabbit statues dotted along the way just waiting to catch your eye as you go.

Time to wind down with a gorgeous sunset at Inasa Beach. Here’s the perfect spot to soak in all the mystique and legendary sites you saw today.

After staying overnight in downtown Izumo it’s time for a day of sightseeing in the city.