35.4° N
Shimane, Japan
A town on the Izumo plain in eastern Shimane, home of Izumo Taisha, where the gods are said to gather in the tenth month of the old calendar. Mingei pottery and glass in Hikawa, sake and ginger sweets on Momen Kaido in Hirata, and soba and wagashi around the shrine — Rin's picks.
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Where Rin would go
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Made in Izumo
Izumo's folk-craft tradition grew from Shussai-gama, started in 1947 by five young men in Hikawa and guided by Yanagi Soetsu, Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach. Pottery, glass and woodwork for daily use are still made and sold in the area, and the Izumo Mingeikan shows crafts from Shimane and elsewhere.
Hikawa
A mingei kiln in Shussai, Hikawa, started in 1947 by five young men and guided by Yanagi Soetsu, Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji and Bernard Leach. The showroom is Kurashi no To Mujishokan, closed on Tuesdays except holidays.
RinClosed on Tuesdays. Go when the showroom opens at 9:30.
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Made in Izumo
Hirata's Momen Kaido, the 'cotton road', grew in the Edo period as a market for cotton. Along the L-shaped street, a sake brewery, soy sauce houses and an old ginger-sugar maker still work, and the brewery buildings of Sakemochida are registered national cultural properties.
Hirata
A sake brewery on Momen Kaido, founded in 1877, making Yamasan Masamune from Shimane rice only. Five of its buildings, including the main house and the storehouses, are registered national cultural properties. There is a tasting at the shop; a brewery visit needs a booking.
RinA brewery visit needs a booking. The tasting at the shop is fine on its own.
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Central Izumo
A folk-craft museum opened in 1974. It shows ceramics, lacquerware, woodwork and textiles gathered mainly from Shimane and from across Japan. Closed on Tuesdays and over the New Year.
RinIt closes at 5. Be inside by 4:30.
Hikawa
A glassblowers’ studio and gallery in Shussai. Visitors can watch the work freely, and over 300 pieces are on show and for sale. Closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday).
RinWatch the glass being made, then choose a glass.
Hikawa
A woodcraft shop in Hikawa making furniture, tableware and cutlery from natural wood such as black persimmon, chestnut and zelkova, and selling it in the shop beside the workshop. The gallery next door holds exhibitions by makers.
RinWith kurogaki, look at the black pattern in the grain first.
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Hikawa
The bakery café in Shussai Kurashi no Village, on the grounds of Shussai-gama. Open 9:30 to 17:00; closed on Tuesdays and the second and fourth Wednesdays.
RinIt closes an hour before the kiln showroom. Go here first.
Hirata
An old ginger-sugar maker on Momen Kaido, founded in 1715. It uses only Shussai ginger from Hikawa, boiling the juice with sugar over charcoal and pouring it into copper moulds. There are samples at the shop.
RinTry a sample, then choose from white, matcha or red.
Taisha
A wagashi shop three minutes on foot from Izumo Taisha, in the family for three generations since 1947. The red bean paste is cooked in the shop from Hokkaido azuki. Kumo no Kasutera (cloud castella) and black- and red-rice manju are among the sweets. Closed on Wednesdays.
RinBook the kumo no kasutera before you go.
Central Izumo
A florist and patisserie in Watarihashi, selling flowers and cakes under one roof. Open 9:30 to 19:00, with no regular closing day.
RinIt has no closing day, so go whenever you are free.
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Central Izumo
An Izumo soba restaurant in Imaichi, founded at the end of the Edo period. It hand-cuts soba from stone-milled Izumo buckwheat and serves warigo and kamaage soba. Five minutes on foot from JR Izumoshi Station.
RinClosed from 3 to 5 in the afternoon. Go for lunch or in the evening.
Taisha
A soba shop that calls itself the only juwari (100 percent buckwheat) specialist at Izumo Taisha. The soba is made from domestic stone-milled flour and water alone, and cut thick. It is on the second floor. Closed on Tuesdays and the third Monday.
RinIt closes when the soba runs out. Go early in the day.
By area
Rin is a fictional traveller. Every place here was checked by the editors to exist and be open (checked 2026-11-11). Please confirm hours on the official site before you go. Paid listings are always marked.
To see — art and sights (landmarks)
Sights · Taisha
Izumo Taisha
The shrine of Okuninushi no Okami, known as the god who ties people's good fortune together. In the tenth month of the old calendar the gods of Japan are said to gather here; in 2026 the Kamiari festival runs from the evening of 18 to the evening of 25 November.
It is crowded during the Kamiari festival. On 19 and 21 to 23 November there is traffic control around the shrine.
Art · Taisha
Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo
A prefectural museum next to Izumo Taisha on its east side. The permanent exhibits include the huge uzu pillar found in the shrine grounds, the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki, and bronze ware and gilded swords.
Reopened after renovation on 1 October 2026. Open 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30). Closed on 17 November. The special exhibition runs until 29 November.
Sights · Hinomisaki
Izumo Hinomisaki Lighthouse
A white stone lighthouse at the western tip of the Shimane Peninsula, lit in 1903 and the tallest stone lighthouse in Japan (43.65 m). A national important cultural property. A spiral staircase of 163 steps leads up to the observation deck.
Closed for lunch from 12:00 to 13:00. From October to February it closes at 16:30, and the last entry is 20 minutes before.
Sights · Hirata
Momen Kaido
An L-shaped street in Hirata that grew in the Edo period as a market for cotton. Gabled plastered houses and namako-kabe walls survive, and a sake brewery, soy sauce houses and an old ginger-sugar maker line the street.
The information centre, Momen Kaido Kōryūkan, is closed on Tuesdays (the next day if Tuesday is a holiday).
These are landmarks, not Rin's picks. Each was checked to be open on its official site (checked 2026-11-11). Please confirm hours before you go.