Today’s itinerary is a one-day trip to Izumo Taisha Shrine. Walk from the hotel to Matsue Shinchiko Onsen Station and take the Ichibata Electric Railway. Ichibata Electric Railway was founded in 1912 and has been a private railway company for more than 100 years. The glass building in front of the station is really beautiful. It's not conspicuous. If you haven't done your homework beforehand, you may not recognize it as a railway station. The open space in front of the station is filled with various bus stops. The station is not big and is just a shelter from the wind and rain. I didn't check the timetable in advance and found out when I arrived at the scene. The bus service is very sparse. The nearest bus service is 10:37 and goes directly in front of Izumo Taisha Shrine. However, it is not yet 10 o'clock and you still have to wait for a while. It is recommended that you check the bus service in advance and choose the bus service that goes directly in front of Izumo Taisha Shrine . There is no need to waste time waiting for the bus. There is a lot of time, so let's look around. I saw a curious poster. There is a sales area inside the station. Let's explore outside. First, go to the left side of the station. There is a Giant bicycle shop on the left side of the station. I heard that there are many bicycle enthusiasts. Those who come to Shimane to ride a bike will find a car rental service provided by Giant. There is a special passage next to the store for car rental passengers to enter the station with their car and take the tram back to the station's main entrance. There is a foot bath area on the right side of the main entrance of the station. This pool is dedicated to Jizo. Wang Bodhisattva, please don’t put your feet in to soak your feet in the pool next to it. The bus time is coming soon. Let’s stamp a souvenir stamp ! Hurry up and get on the train. The scenery outside the window on one side of the carriage is green countryside. It’s a very comfortable and pleasant train. Passing by Lake Shinji, the weather looks a bit cloudy and windy today. The water surface of Lake Shinji outside the window is still choppy. In my mind, it is still the Sea of Shinji. Country railway trains always have their own slow pace and tranquil atmosphere . The open Lake Shinji is intoxicating. Arriving at the final station is also the destination station. In front of Izumo Taisha Shrine, the inside of the Izumo Taisha Shrine station looks like this. It feels a bit church-like and the space is not large. The exterior also looks like a small church. The only difference is that there is no cross on the front eaves. When you come out of the station, It is a straight Omotesando that leads to Izumo Taisha Shrine, also known as Kammondori Shopping Street. Looking towards the other end of the station, you can see a huge white torii "Ukabashi Otorii", which is also the starting point of the shopping street ( It’s a bit far away so I didn’t walk over to take pictures.) There are four torii gates in Izumo Taisha Shrine. From the outside to the inside, they are: the reinforced concrete "Ukabashi Great Torii", the wooden "Shiryu no Torii", The iron "Matsunoshindo Torii" and the bronze "Baidenmae Torii". There is a Beams on the left hand side when you come out of the station. Go in and take a look at the Beams store. When you come out and continue walking to the left, you can see an exhibition area with an old tramcar. There is a flute playing in the carriage. This carriage is the DeHaNi 50-shaped tram No. 52. We started to go Let’s go to Izumo Taisha Shrine. Izumo’s famous specialty is soba noodles (そば). Almost all the restaurants on the Kammon Street shopping street sell soba noodles. It ’s exactly noon and I’m cold and hungry. I want to have a good meal to replenish calories before going out. Yun Taisha looks very good and the business is very good. I went in and asked about it. It had to be a long wait. There is also a soba restaurant across the street. Although it is crowded, you don't have to wait too long for a table. Let's eat at this restaurant. Juwari Soba should be the signature. There was a recommendation at the door just now, so just order this (Hand-made Juwari: refers to 100% handmade using only buckwheat flour, without adding any flour.) Zenzai is also a must-eat when coming to Izumo. The famous specialty Izumo Zenzai (Zenzai) refers to the red bean soup mixed with Jinzai (a kind of baked rice cake) offered at Jinzai Festival, and then evolved into the pronunciation of Zenzai. There is also another saying that it came from the Buddhist exclamation Zenzai after the monk Ikkyu finished drinking the red bean soup. Zenya in this restaurant has two flavors: milk and matcha. I think red beans should be mixed with milk to be happy, so I ordered the milk flavor. Soba noodles are coming . Izumo soba is one of the three major buckwheat noodles in Japan (the other two are They are: Shinshu Togakushi soba in Nagano Prefecture and Wanzi soba in Iwate Prefecture.) The authentic way to eat Izumo soba is to divide the noodles into three portions and place them in a container that can be stacked in three layers . The lacquerware served in it is called "toriko", so some people also call it three-section goriko soba. In fact, when it was first served on the table, I was really at a loss and didn't know how to eat it. I quickly checked online to find out how everyone eats Izumo. Some people say that for the Sandan Koriko Soba, pour the ingredients and sauce into the first layer and mix. After the first layer is finished, the remaining sauce is poured into the second layer...and so on after the first layer is finished. Pour the sauce into the second layer. I just forgot to show you the ingredients... This is the ingredient. Start eating the second layer (the ritual is in progress). After finishing the second layer, continue pouring the sauce into the third layer and start eating the third layer . The third floor (the sense of ceremony is still in progress) (the sense of ceremony is still in progress) Oh yeah, the third floor is also finished . Next up is... Red Bean Latte Zenya... Haha, I named this randomly. The dense milk foam makes the whole bowl of red bean soup even more charming. In addition, the two fluffy baked rice cakes look so healing when they are lying in the milk foam. I quickly stir the bowl of milk (the spoon is too small). The taste is so good that I can still vaguely smell the sweet aroma while sitting in front of the computer editing. The red bean soup here is not overly sweet. The milk and red beans are a perfect match, and it is a perfect match with the rice cakes that have been soaked until they are mushy . In the cold winter, this mouthful brings out the happy taste in my mouth. Usually Shanzai red bean soup will add algae salt to balance the taste buds. This soup is not sweet to begin with, so I forgot to add algae salt... Now Add a little and see if you eat it until you reach the bottom of the bowl, it actually turns into real red bean milk. Thank you Zenya Izumo for giving me the energy to eat and have the strength to keep moving forward . Today is Sunday in late November, and this month is still the month of Izumo . The number of tourists on the approach road to such a well-known and representative scenic spot in Taisha is really not that many. If you don’t like crowds everywhere, Shimane is a great choice . There are many small shops on both sides of the Shinmondori Shopping Street to browse (due to politeness, It’s suitable for shooting the interior of the store, so I didn’t take any photos.) The big torii gate in front is the entrance to Izumo Taisha Shrine. This Kanemon seems to be a famous matcha ice cream shop, but the weather was very cold and I didn’t want to eat ice at all. I saw a vendor selling grilled dumplings. It whetted my appetite again. I found that the baked dumplings here will be slightly flattened on both sides instead of keeping the round shape. Banniang patted the surface and the crispy sound of the roasted dumplings made me want to take a bite . I am making soy sauce flavored dango for the customer next to me. I ordered red bean flavored dango. It tastes very good to me. The dango is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It is served with red bean paste. It is very satisfying to eat the hot dango on a cold day. Izumo Taisha Shrine When we arrive at the main entrance, we will take a look around this intersection. There is a Starbucks (Izumo Taisha store) next to the intersection. Cross the street. When we arrive in front of the Izumo Taisha main entrance, it exudes a majestic and solemn atmosphere. This torii is the one we mentioned at the beginning. The second torii gate inside the four buildings is made of wood and is called the "Shiryu no torii gate". There is a long shrine to walk from the main entrance. This shrine is really comfortable to walk. The trees are towering and it feels like hiking in the countryside . The downhill section is not tiring at all. I feel that most of the tourists here are Japanese tourists. There are very few foreign tourists. There is a small shrine called "Yuanshe" on the right hand side of this downhill section. Many people come down this slope to pay homage. You will see the third torii of Izumo Taisha Shrine. The iron Matsunosando torii gate . There is a museum. Let’s go to the worship hall of the grand shrine first.... Has anyone been to this museum? The air is fresh and the terrain is open. I love walking here. Walking is a kind of enjoyment. There is a hand bath on the left in front. Before entering the shrine to worship, you must wash your hands and rinse your mouth. It means washing away the dirt and then worshiping with a calm body and mind. I will also clean my hands (the water is good) Ice) A little ahead of the water house is the fourth copper torii gate in front of the shrine. After passing through the copper torii gate, the first thing you see is the "worship hall" . The general way of visiting a Japanese shrine is: two bows, two claps and one bow before exiting. The way to worship in Untaishin Shrine is: two bows, four claps and one bow. Izumo Taisha Shrine is also famous for its huge shrine rope above the entrance of the shrine, especially the one at the other "Kagura-den", which is the largest in Japan. I'm sorry that the pictures I took at Kagura-den have disappeared for some reason. It's a pity that everyone should first appreciate the shurien rope of the worship hall. Go to the back of the worship hall and you will see that this horizontal row of buildings is the Eight-foot Gate , and it stands on the Eight-foot Gate. The building inside the gate is the main shrine (the building with a windmill-like roof inside). However, the main shrine is not open to the public, so you can only stand at the eight-foot door and worship inward. The entire main shrine area is surrounded by a wall. There is a row of trees hanging with prayers. The horse and fortune-telling festivals were immediately filled with all kinds of wishes. I didn’t even think about buying an omishou at any other shrine in Japan. When I came to Izumo Taisha Shrine, I didn’t know why I wanted to buy an omishu. Maybe the gods here really have the power to summon them. There is one above the counter. The price list I just saw is Ema. I also bought the Ogami lottery ticket (おみくじ) here for 100 yen. The special feature of the Izumo Taisha shrine poem is that it does not indicate whether it is bad luck or good luck. The various styles are 1,000 yen. I bought it. Open it and take a look. I will tie it to my backpack. When I was about to leave Izumo Taisha Shrine, I saw everyone coming to touch these two statues next to the copper torii gate. One of them is a god. Ma Yizun is a sacred cow. I think touching it will bring good luck. I will touch it too and ask the sacred horse to give me good luck! After leaving Izumo Taisha Shrine, we now want to go to Inasahama. It is quite pleasant to walk along the west side of Izumo Taisha Shrine and across the small flowing water bridge. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from Izumo Taisha Shrine to Inasanohama. Although the temperature is low in the afternoon, it is sunny and stable than in the morning. Keep walking along this road and you will reach the seaside. There are very typical Japanese rural houses on both sides of the road. This feeling of being close to local life is great. It is almost four o'clock in the afternoon, which is the time when Father Sun is about to get off work. Along the way, I can feel the endless sunset. Is it good to see it? At the end of the road... is the sea . This scene always makes people excited . Finally, we are almost at the end, and we are about to welcome the long-awaited beauty. The sun sometimes hides behind the clouds. Is sticking your head out to shine just in time to catch the sunset? After passing the horizontal road in front of you, you will find Inasanohama. Cross the road. You will see the parking lot and then there is an entrance. Finally, you will arrive at your destination . Inasanohama was selected as one of the "Top 100 Beaches in Japan" because of its beautiful landscape of white sand and green pine trees. Legend has it that gods from all over Japan gather at Izumo Grand Shrine for a meeting every year, and Inasanohama is the place where eight million gods come ashore. The sunset here is so beautiful. It's so refreshing to watch the sunset here. The whole seawall is well planned. I believe it will be full of people playing in the water in summer . The huge rock in front of me is called "Benten Island". There is a small torii on the island. The ancestral hall at the back is dedicated to the sea god "Toyotama Bikomei". The picture of children, sunset, waves, and beach is so beautiful. How long has it been since you went to the beach to watch the sunset? Remember to enjoy your life! Walk back to the front of Izumo Taisha Shrine via Inasanohama. Everyone politely turned around before leaving. Turn around and bow, thank the gods. Thank you to the gods. Thank you for watching.
