A Homecoming for People, Nature, and All Living Things
Contents
- Okuizumo
- Living with the Mountains
- Blessings of the Land
- A Landscape Filled with Stories
- Experiencing the Rhythm of Okuizumo
- Places to Stay in Okuizumo
Okuizumo
Okuizumo is one of the places associated with the legend of Yamata no Orochi, the great eight-headed serpent that appears in the myths of Izumo.
Susanoo, a powerful and turbulent deity, encounters the beautiful Kushinadahime and vows to save her from Yamata no Orochi.
The weapon that makes the serpent’s defeat possible is not only Susanoo’s sword, but also sake brewed from rice and pure water nurtured by this land.
Eight jars are filled with sake. After drinking from them, the serpent falls into a deep sleep, and Susanoo raises his sword.
The sake that saves a life in the ancient legend still feels connected to the blessings of Okuizumo today.
Here, visitors can taste fragrant Nitamai rice, enjoy sake made with clear mountain water, warm themselves in natural hot springs, and gaze across peaceful landscapes enclosed by mountains.
In Okuizumo, mythology does not feel like a story belonging only to the distant past. It remains quietly present in the land, its food, its shrines, and the lives of the people who live here.
Susa Shrine is dedicated to Susanoo. Inada Shrine honors Kushinadahime. Suga Shrine is traditionally regarded as one of Japan’s oldest shrines.
The stories of the gods continue through the mountains stretching from Okuizumo toward the wider Izumo region.
Many visitors combine a journey here with Yaegaki Shrine, which is known for matchmaking and its connection to Susanoo and Kushinadahime.
Related story:
Susanoo and Kushinadahime｜A Journey Through Izumo Mythology to Yaegaki Shrine and Suga Shrine
Living with the Mountains
Travel farther into the mountains, and a sweeping view of the Orochi Loop appears.
A vast looping roadway crosses the deep valley.
Below it, trains on the Kisuki Line move slowly through the mountains.
The line includes switchbacks designed to overcome the steep mountain gradients. These unusual features offer a glimpse into the long history of people adapting their lives to the terrain.
The sightseeing train known as the Okuizumo Orochi Train once traveled along this route, allowing passengers to take in the forests, valleys, and seasonal colors at an unhurried pace.
Although the sightseeing train ended service in 2023, the Kisuki Line continues to run through the mountains, supporting everyday life in the region.
At night, the sky can fill with stars. In early summer, fireflies sometimes drift quietly through the darkness.
Surrounded by deep mountains, even time spent doing nothing can feel deeply abundant.
Blessings of the Land
For centuries, people in Okuizumo mined iron sand from the mountains and later transformed the altered land into terraced rice fields.
This relationship between industry, agriculture, and the natural environment is now recognized as the Okuizumo Tatara Ironmaking and Rice Terrace Agricultural System, a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
Channels and reservoirs once used during iron-sand extraction now provide the water that nourishes the rice fields.
A landscape created through human labor has gradually become a landscape that sustains new life.
Among Okuizumo’s best-known products is Nitamai, a highly regarded variety of Koshihikari rice.
The region is also known for raising Okuizumo Wagyu cattle.
There is fragrant Izumo soba, log-grown shiitake mushrooms, mountain vegetables, and farming practices that make use of local forest resources.
The way people and nature have supported one another over generations continues to shape life here.
These blessings also appear on the tables of local inns.
Freshly cooked Nitamai rice.
Tender Okuizumo Wagyu.
Aromatic Izumo soba.
Seasonal vegetables and ingredients gathered from the mountains.
Eating in Okuizumo can feel like tasting not only the food, but also the climate, water, and landscape from which it came.
At Kamedake Station on the Kisuki Line, a well-known soba restaurant continues to operate inside the station building.
A bowl of Izumo soba enjoyed while waiting for the train offers a small but memorable encounter with the quiet rhythm of Okuizumo.
A Landscape Filled with Stories
Kamedake Station also appears in The Castle of Sand, one of the best-known novels by Japanese mystery writer Seicho Matsumoto.
Matsumoto’s father came from Nichinan, a neighboring town, and the writer was familiar with the dialects of this mountainous region.
The distinctive sound of the local speech became an important element in the novel.
A regional dialect offers a clue to solving the mystery, while Okuizumo’s remote mountains and quiet scenery deepen the tragic story of a father and son.
Farther into the mountains stands the Sakurai Residence, which has been designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan.
The Sakurai family gained prosperity through tatara ironmaking and became one of the region’s leading families.
The substantial residence and its carefully composed garden still convey the wealth and culture of that period.
More recently, the residence appeared as the Nogi family home in the Japanese television drama VIVANT.
Its dignified architecture left a strong impression as a setting that suggested history, status, and family legacy.
Walking through the garden as it changes from season to season, visitors can still sense the richness of the life once nurtured here.
Sakurai Residence and Kabeya Shuseikan Visitor Information
Opening hours: 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Last admission is at 4:00 p.m.
Closed: Mondays, or the following day when Monday is a national holiday, and from early December to early March
Combined admission: ¥1,000 for adults, ¥650 for high school and university students, and ¥450 for elementary and junior high school students
Suggested visit time: Approximately 60 minutes for Kabeya Shuseikan and the Sakurai Family Garden
Separate tickets for the museum and garden are also available.
Experiencing the Rhythm of Okuizumo
Okuizumo has mythology.
It has iron.
It has terraced rice fields.
It has mountains.
It has the Kisuki Line.
It has the everyday lives of the people who call this place home.
And it has time that seems to move a little more slowly.
To experience Okuizumo more deeply, consider spending a night here.
Soak in a hot spring while looking out across the mountains.
Taste Nitamai rice, Okuizumo Wagyu, Izumo soba, and other foods shaped by the land.
At night, the sky may fill with stars.
Depending on the season, fireflies may appear in the darkness.
Time spent at a local inn can become an important part of understanding Okuizumo—not only as a destination, but as a place with its own rhythm of life.
Places to Stay in Okuizumo
The appeal of Okuizumo is not limited to its scenery.
A stay here offers the chance to taste Nitamai rice, Okuizumo Wagyu, Izumo soba, mountain vegetables, and other local ingredients.
It also allows travelers to experience the silence of the mountains after the day’s visitors have gone.
Soak in a natural hot spring or a stone bath.
Look out from the window at the surrounding hills.
At night, gaze up at a sky filled with stars.
In early summer, fireflies may drift through the landscape.
Spend a night here, and let yourself experience the slow passage of time in Okuizumo.
Kamedake Onsen Tamamine Sanso
A hot spring inn surrounded by the landscapes of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System.
Guests can enjoy local flavors such as Nitamai rice and Okuizumo Wagyu, together with a relaxing hot spring known for leaving the skin feeling soft and smooth.
Tamamine Sanso hot spring inn surrounded by the mountains of Okuizumo
▽Seasonal kaiseki cuisine featuring local specialties such as Nitamai rice, Okuizumo Wagyu, and fresh ingredients from the mountains and rivers of Okuizumo.
▽Comfortable guest rooms provide a peaceful place to unwind after a day exploring the mountains and hot springs of Okuizumo.
PR: View accommodation plans for Tamamine Sanso on Jalan
Before visiting Okuizumo, spend some time in nearby Yasugi.
The Adachi Museum of Art, Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Saginoyu Onsen offer another side of this region, where carefully cultivated gardens and quiet hospitality reflect the same gentle spirit found in Okuizumo.
To continue exploring places connected to the myths of Izumo, consider visiting Yaegaki Shrine or Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine.