Izumo Taisha and Takeno Ryokan

It took 15 hours by bus and an additional 30 by train to reach Izumo Taisha eki-mae. (It's just difficult and time-consuming to travel overland from the north of Niigata to the Sanin-山陰- region of Japan). In Izumo City, recommend the 宿 Takeno, located across the road from the main entrance to the shrine, Izumo, second only to Ise. True to its name, the clouds were out.

Izumo Taisha, Shimane, the Shinto shrine second only to Ise Jingu. Izumo shrine's shimenawa is the largest in Japan. More detail: the plate below the rabbit informs us that Japanese sake, or 日本酒、originated here.