One of Japan's oldest and most revered shrines, dedicated to the god of bonds and matchmaking — an unmissable stop from Yonago Airport.
Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine is one of Japan's oldest Shinto shrines, located in Taisha-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture. Its formal reading is 'Izumo Oyashiro,' and it enshrines Okuninushi, the great deity of the land. Widely venerated as the god of en-musubi (the tying of bonds), Okuninushi is said to govern not only romantic connections but all manner of human relationships — between people, in work, and in learning.
The main hall stands 24 meters tall in the taisha-zukuri architectural style and is designated a National Treasure. The massive shimenawa sacred rope hanging across the haiden worship hall stretches 13.5 meters in length, serving as the iconic symbol of the shrine. The sprawling precinct includes the Kaguraden hall, the Jukkusha side shrines, and numerous other structures that evoke the mythological world of Izumo.
The shrine is about 30 minutes by car from Izumo Enmusubi Airport, or a 10-minute walk from Izumotaisha-mae Station on the Ichibata Electric Railway. During the tenth lunar month — known here as Kamiari-zuki, the Month of the Gods Present — deities from across Japan are said to convene at Izumo, drawing large numbers of worshippers from around the country.