Izumo

Izumo Taisha, which the shrine itself reads as Izumo Oyashiro, enshrines Okuninushi, the god of en-musubi, the ties between people. The town round it fills each November for Kamiarisai, the month when by tradition the gods gather in Izumo, and in 2026 the rites run from the evening of 18 November to 25 November.

Ichibata buses from JR Izumoshi Station reach the shrine in about 25 minutes, and the Ichibata Electric Railway's line ends at Izumo Taisha-mae Station near the approach. Two prefectural cycle roads follow the railway from Matsue by way of Hirata, and Ichibata carries a bike for ¥350 one way when you want to ride only half.

Izumo soba is milled with the husk, so the noodles run dark. It comes as warigo in stacked lacquer rounds or as kamaage straight from the pot, and during Kamiarisai stalls round the shrine serve the kamaage style.