City guide · 出雲 Izumo
Izumo
The mythic homeland where all the gods gather in the tenth month — Izumo Taisha and the land where Ōkuninushi gave up his country
The city of Izumo, in eastern Shimane Prefecture, is the mythic origin of Japan as told together by the *Kojiki*, the *Nihon Shoki* and the *Izumo no Kuni Fudoki*. Izumo Taisha, where Ōkuninushi Ōkami is enshrined, has the largest shimenawa rope in Japan, and legend says that every year in the tenth month of the old calendar the eight million gods of the whole country gather here: everywhere else in Japan the month is called *Kannazuki*, "the month without gods," but in Izumo alone it is *Kamiarizuki*, "the month with gods." The sunset at Inasa Beach, the old shops of Shinmon-dōri, and the sweet scent of warigo soba and zenzai weave the quiet, sacred everyday life of this small city.
History
How the city came to be
Ancient Izumo was a powerful force standing alongside the Yamato court, and the line of the Iu kings together with the Ōkuninushi faith forms the historical background of the "Kuni-yuzuri" (land-transfer) myth. The *Izumo no Kuni Fudoki*, compiled in 713, is the only fudoki to survive complete in Japan, and it is filled with mythic place names of this land. From the medieval period the shrine lands of Izumo Taisha and the two kokusō priestly houses — the Senge and the Kitajima — shared charge of the rites, and in the Edo period the area belonged to Matsue Domain. In the modern era myth tourism rose, and in 2000 the excavation of colossal pillar remains on the shrine grounds caused a sensation in scholarship. Today Izumo is known nationwide for *en-musubi* (matchmaking fortune) and the Month of the Gods, and it is the cultural heart of the San'in region.
- 713The *Izumo no Kuni Fudoki* compiled — the only fudoki to survive complete in Japan
- Heian periodDocuments record the main hall of Izumo Taisha as sixteen jō (about 48 metres) high, the tallest building in Japan at the time
- 1744The present main hall completed in the taisha-zukuri style; designated a National Treasure in 1952
- Early MeijiThe festival system of Izumo Taisha established; the traditions of the two kokusō houses, Senge and Kitajima, continue to this day
- 2000Colossal pillar remains (the Uzubashira, three great pillars bound together) excavated on the shrine grounds, confirming the records of an ancient towering shrine hall
- 2013Izumo Taisha holds the "Heisei Great Sengū," and the major restoration of the main hall is completed
Stories
Stories of the city
The White Hare of Inaba
Legend · Izumo Taisha
The Kojiki records that Ōkuninushi (then called Ōnamuji) and his eighty elder brothers set off to Inaba to court Princess Yakami. On the way they met a white hare that had been skinned: it had tricked crocodile-sharks into lining up as a bridge across the sea and was flayed when found out. The brothers played a cruel trick on it, telling it to bathe in seawater and dry itself in the wind; only Ōkuninushi told it to wash in the fresh water of the river mouth and roll in cattail pollen. Healed, the hare prophesied that Princess Yakami would choose Ōkuninushi.
The myth of 'handing over the land'
Legend · Izumo Taisha
According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, when Ninigi, grandson of Amaterasu, descended from heaven, Ōkuninushi handed over to him the land he had created. Amaterasu was so pleased that she granted Izumo Taisha to Ōkuninushi. The present main hall was rebuilt in 1744 and is 24 m tall.
Must see
Places you shouldn’t miss
Before you go
Rules to know in Izumo
There is no tipping in Japan
Do
- Say thank you with 'arigatō gozaimashita'
Don’t
- Pressing loose change on staff
Japan is a no-tipping country and bills usually include service; if you press a tip on staff, some will politely refuse.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese table manners
Take off your shoes when you see a genkan (entrance step)
Do
- Take off your shoes at the entrance of homes, some restaurants, temples and hot-spring facilities
- If unsure, look for a shoe rack or slippers at the entrance
Don’t
- Stepping onto tatami or indoor wooden floors in shoes
It is seen as very rude.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette
No phone calls on trains and the shinkansen; queue to board
Do
- Put your phone on silent; on the shinkansen, take calls in the area between carriages
- Queue at the marked spots on either side of the train door, and let people off before you get on
- Give priority seats to older people, pregnant women and passengers with limited mobility
Don’t
- Talking on the phone or playing sound aloud in the train
Not illegal, but you will get looks and a reminder from the conductor.
Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: JNTO: Japanese etiquette