Shimane Prefecture offers tourist attractions such as Izumo-taisha Shrine, Matsushima, and Kiyomizu-dera Temple; tourist events such as the Izumo-taisha Shinzai Festival, Guro, and the Chrysanthemum Exhibition; and local delicacies such as Izumo soba noodles, yakuzen cuisine, and shijimi clam soup.
Shimane Prefecture is part of the San'in region, which also includes outlying islands such as Oki Island and Takeshima. Shimane Prefecture was once known as Izumo-no-kuni, Iwami-no-kuni, and Oki-no-kuni, and is divided into the Izumo, Iwami, and Oki regions, each with different landscapes.
Shimane Prefecture is a temperate region, but is sometimes hit by cold waves from the continent, and temperatures can vary widely throughout the year.
Ruins have been excavated in Shimane Prefecture that indicate the presence of people from the Paleolithic period, and stone tools made of agate have been unearthed in the area. A mirror inscribed Himiko was also excavated from the Kambara Shrine burial mound in Kamo-machi, Unnan City, and a forward-backward burial mound was constructed in Matsue City.
Oki was a place of exile in the Middle Ages, and is famous for the exile of such noblemen as Emperor Go-Toba and Emperor Godaigo. In the Edo period (1603-1867), Yoshiharu Horio built Matsue Castle, which is designated as a national important cultural property, and there are many sightseeing spots where visitors can feel the history.
Izumo-taisha Shrine, whose deity is Okuninushi, the son of Susano-no-mikoto in Japanese mythology, is included in Shimane Prefecture and attracts many tourists.
The Izumo-taisha main shrine is rebuilt about every 60 years, and in 2013, the renovation of the main shrine was completed and the main shrine relocation ceremony was held. Various events and other activities were held in conjunction with this event, making the shrine even more lively.
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, which played a part in Japan's silver production from the Warring States Period to the Edo Period, is located in Ota City, Shimane Prefecture, and the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine Site and its cultural landscape are registered as a World Heritage site.
In the mining town, historical sites such as the ruins of the trolley to the refinery and the ruins of Iwami Castle remain, and the Omori Silver Mine is a Preservation District for Groups of Important Traditional Buildings. Onsenzu Onsen, which is included in the World Heritage List, is a quiet hot spring resort with no entertainment district, where visitors can enjoy hot spring baths as in the past.
In addition to history, Shimane Prefecture also offers a variety of culinary delights. Izumo soba, a local dish, is one of the three most famous soba dishes, along with wanko soba and Togakushi soba, and is famous for its black color and strong aroma.
Yamakawa, a Japanese confectionery, was invented by Matsudaira Jirigo, a famous tea master, and is one of the three most famous confections in Japan, along with Wakakusa, a famous confectionery made by Saiundo in Matsue City.
Izumo-taisha is one of the oldest shrines along with Ise Jingu Shrine. It is dedicated to Okuninushi no Mikoto, popularly known as Daikoku-sama. It is famous as the god of marriage, the god of good fortune, and the god of peace, and is especially known as Japan's representative god of "matchmaking," with over 10 million people visiting the shrine every year to pray for a good match. The main shr...»
Matsue Castle is the only surviving castle with a castle tower in the San'in region.It is one of the five castles designated as a National Treasure (the others are Inuyama Castle, Matsumoto Castle, Hikone Castle, and Himeji Castle). The ruins of the castle are designated as a national historic site. The Matsue Clan was established in 1600 as a result of its success in the Battle of Sekigahara.Th...»
In the center house, one of the world's largest exhibition greenhouses of approximately 8,000 square meters, visitors can see more than 10,000 begonias, fuchsias, and other flowers of several thousand varieties in full bloom throughout the year. At the Owl Center, visitors can see more than 20 species of owls, about 60 of them.Events such as penguin walks, flight shows, and bird petting are popul...»
Tamatsukuri Onsen is a sulfate spring that contains a good balance of sulfate ions and metasilicic acid, and is comparable to a lotion in its moisturizing properties. It is said to have opened in the Nara period (710-794), and was known as the hot spring of the gods, as described in Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book (circa 1000) as "hot spring of Nanakari, hot spring of Tamatsukuri, and hot spring of Ar...»
This public bathhouse is located in Yunotsu, a World Heritage Site and the only hot spring resort in Japan designated as an important traditional building preservation district. The Yunotsu Onsen is said to have opened as long ago as 1,300 years ago, and legend has it that a great raccoon dog was discovered bathing in the hot spring. The name "Yunotsu" means "port with hot spring" in Japanese. I...»
Nestled in a pine forest near a cliff at the westernmost tip of the Shimane Peninsula, this is a shrine dedicated to two mythological deities with great spiritual power. It is also known as Misaki-san. Misaki-san is revered as the ancestral deity of Izumo-taisha Shrine.Twelve buildings, including the shrine pavilions, are designated as National Important Cultural Properties of Japan. There are t...»
This hot spring resort is surrounded by mountains on three sides and stretches from the port of Yunotsu to the mountain side. It was a prosperous port town in the Warring States Period and Edo Period as a loading port for silver produced from Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. It was also an inn town on the San'in Road (San'in Kaido). The hot spring resort town has a quiet atmosphere of an old hot spring ...»
The lighthouse stands on a cliff at the westernmost tip of the Shimane Peninsula, at the tip of Himisaki, a scenic spot in the national park.Selected as one of the 100 best lighthouses in the world and one of the 50 best lighthouses in Japan, it is one of Japan's representative lighthouses and was first lit in 1903. It is the tallest stone lighthouse in Japan, standing 63.30 meters from sea level...»
In 1773, the lord of the Tsuwano domain built Inari Shrine on the peak of Taihokudani, which is located at the devil's gate of Sanbommatsu Castle (Tsuwano Castle), for the sake of the safety of the domain and the people of the domain. It is commonly known as "Tsuwano's Inari-san. The shrine was revered by successive feudal lords and only the feudal lords were allowed to visit the shrine, but afte...»
The inside of the chapel is covered with tatami mats and is a Gothic-style church with beautiful colorful stained glass windows, built by a German, Schaeffer. Built in 1890 as a memorial to the martyrs of Christianity, it was rebuilt in 1931 after a fire.It is registered as a national tangible cultural property. The church stands out conspicuously in the old streets of Tonomachi. It is illuminat...»
"Botebotecha" from a city of tea and a castle town, Matsue City, originated from what a master of the tea ceremony, Fumai Matsudaira, drunk when he went hawking. It later became a stand-up staple snack for a break, or an emergency food. It is made by putting small amount of okowa, boiled beans, shredded kouya tofu and pickels into bancha which is slightly whipped by chasen. The right way to eat it...»
In Oki area in Shimane Prefecture "yakionigiri" is called "yakimeshi." Thus "yakimeshi chaduke" is a chaduke made with "yakionigiri." Make a circle or triangle onigiri first, then season it with "kojouyumiso" a traditional seasoning of Oki, which is used like shoyu or miso, and slowly grill it. Once the onigiri is grilled, put it in a bowl, sprinkle with condiments such as nori and negi, and pour ...»
A food made with suzuki, one of the Shinjikoshicchin (Seven Specialties of Shinjiko Lake). Once upon a time, then feudal load of Matsue domain, Fumai Matsudaira saw fishermen grilling fish and eating them, and asked to share some with him. Fishermen thought that it would be too rude to give fish with ash on it, and wrapped fish with paper called "housho" and grilled it to give to the lord. The fis...»
A specialty of Unnan area in Shimane Prefecture is "Yaki saba (grilled mackerel)" though Unnan is in the mountain area near by Chugoku Mountains. Yakisaba became a delicacy of Unnan because Unnan was the farthest area where fresh saba could be transported to, then saba was grilled in Unnan to be transported further up in to the mountains. Sabayaki in this area is very unique that the whole saba is...»