It has been a wish of mine to visit five infamous shrines in Japan – they are Ise Jingu, Izumo Taisha, Meiji Jingu, Atsuta Jingu and Fushimi Inari Taisha.
Alas, Izumo Taisha is the last one on my ticked list – since its location in the western edge of the Shimane Peninsula is far from big cities, such as Tokyo and Osaka. Then, during one winter season, my friend and I had some free days in between our activities and decided to go to Izumo – from Osaka by train.
Izumo Taisha is said to be the place where all the Gods gather every year in October – this month is called Kannazuki (the month without Gods in Japan), except for Izumo, it is called Kamiarizuki (the month with Gods).
The deity who is enshrined here is Okuninushi – tied to an ancient story myth of “The Hare of Inaba”. It tells about how Okuninushi helped a hare that had tricked a group of crocodiles in order to cross the sea without swimming.
The heart lesson that I learned is “to visit Izumo is to be reminded of the continuing importance of this key strand of traditional Japanese spirituality.”
I was stunned by the calm atmosphere around the shrine area – it gave me the serene and soothing feelings.
After spending the whole morning in the shrine, we walked towards the Inasanohama Beach area – where Bentenjima is located.
Inasanohama Beach, which is located around 20 minutes walk from the shrine, is a sacred beach, which is believed to be concrete once a year to determine the destiny of lovers.
This tiny yet mystifying shrine on the rock is believed to house a female sea deity, keeping watch over seafarers and protecting them from being tossed away on the wave of the Sea of (8-Japan).
The next day, we went back directly to Tokyo by train – this time we were on the Sunrise Izumo – the sleeper train. We were beyond excited to sleep over on the train!
I really hope to be able to visit Izumo again! And Ise Jingu too! Lets wish all of us can travel really soon with ease! ~@
