Izumo City

At dusk, beach fires welcome the gods.

Kamimukae Shinji, Inasa Beach

Photo by Nesnad (CC BY 4.0)

01 ／ Fumishima Island seagull colony

Rocks that look like rolled sutras,visited by thousands of gulls.

Fumishima (経島), off Cape Hinomisaki in Taisha-cho, is said to take its name from its columnar-jointed rock, which looks like stacked scrolls of sutras. Named a National Natural Monument in 1922, black-tailed gulls arrive in early November and begin nesting around late March, raising their young in May and June. As a sacred site, the island is closed to the public.

Mar. 8, 1922: named a National Natural Monument
Gulls arrive in early November, raise young in May-June
Closed to the public as a sacred site

02 ／ Shussai Kiln

A kiln five young men founded,now worked by about fifteen.

Shussai Kiln (出西窯) was founded in 1947 by five young men. Guided by Soetsu Yanagi and other leaders of the mingei folk-craft movement, it has kept making everyday tableware, including its blue glaze known as "Shussai Blue," made with gosu pigment. Today about 15 people, including trainees, shape the clay by hand, and its six-chamber climbing kiln fires roughly 3,000 or more pieces over two days.

1947: founded by five young men
About 15 people, including trainees, work there today
Its six-chamber kiln fires about 3,000+ pieces in two days

03 ／ Saka Shrine's doburoku

After a 180-day feast,the place is said to have been named Saka.

佐香神社（出雲市小境町）.jpg — Photo by Kamdoomi (CC0)

The Izumo no Kuni Fudoki records that 180 gods gathered here, brewed sake, and feasted for 180 days before parting -- said to be the origin of Saka Shrine's (佐香神社) name. Every October 13, at its annual festival, doburoku unrefined sake brewed from new rice is offered to the gods and shared with worshippers.

Izumo no Kuni Fudoki records a 180-day feast
Said to be the origin of the name "Saka"
Every Oct. 13, doburoku is offered at the festival

Living here

A town with Izumo soba and the bounty of Lake Shinji.

about 170,000 people

The Hii River flows down through the Izumo Plain, and the town's east faces Lake Shinji. Known for Izumo soba noodles, the Momen Kaido street in the old town of Hirata still keeps the look of an Edo-era merchant quarter.

People living here: 172,775people
Area: 624.32km²
Households: 64,408households
Rent (average for rentals): 48,158yen
Healthcare: 11 hospitals ／ 162 clinics

Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103

Children waiting for childcare: —53 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy: —
Average annual temperature: —

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Izumo City in Japan35.402°N 132.685°E

to TokyoSleeper ltd. exp. Sunrise Izumo754min
to OsakaHighway bus340min
to KyotoHighway bus430min

Travel times follow JR西日本の寝台特急サンライズ瀬戸・サンライズ出雲の時刻表（JRおでかけネット公式PDF、2026-03-14ダイヤ改正）で東京発21:26→出雲市着10:00（乗り換えなし）。中国JRバス公式「グラン昼特急出雲号」（大阪・京都－松江・出雲線）で、大阪駅JR高速バスターミナル発07:10→出雲市駅着12:50（1便）、京都駅烏丸口発09:00→出雲市駅着16:10（3便） (checked 2026-09-26). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 4 municipalities.

Territory of Izumo City

Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (N03)

North to south

39.7km

雲南市, 大田市, 松江市, 飯南町

Izumo City isthis kind of town.

01Inasa Beach, about 1km west of Izumo Taisha Shrine, is where the Kamimukae Shinji is held each year at dusk on the 10th day of the 10th lunar month, welcoming gods from across Japan.
02Fumishima, off Cape Hinomisaki, is an island whose columnar-jointed rock looks like stacked scrolls of sutras, named a National Natural Monument as a breeding ground for black-tailed gulls.
03Shussai Kiln in Hikawa-cho is known for its mingei folk pottery, and at Saka Shrine, following a tale from the Izumo no Kuni Fudoki, doburoku sake is offered each year.

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

Izumo City official site ↗Wikipedia ↗