Kamiari-sai 2026 at Izumo Taisha: What Visitors Can See

Yes. Izumo Taisha (出雲大社) stays open as usual during Kamiari-sai, which runs from November 18 to November 25 in 2026.^[1] The evening to plan around is the first one: the welcome rites begin on November 18 at 19:00, at Inasa Beach (稲佐の浜), not at the shrine.^[1]

Key facts

• 2026 dates: November 18–25, 2026 (welcome rite at Inasa Beach November 18, 19:00; departure rite Karasade-sai November 25, 16:00)^[1]
• Welcome rite: Wednesday, November 18, from 19:00, on Inasa Beach.^[1]
• Departure rite (Karasade-sai): November 25 at 16:00.^[1]
• Shrine visiting hours: 6:00–19:00 every day.^[4]
• Inasa Beach: about 12 minutes on foot from the shrine.^[3]
• Last train to Matsue on a weekday: 21:41 from Izumotaisha-mae (weekday timetable revised April 1, 2025).^[6]

Which rites are held in 2026, and when?

Kamiari-sai follows the lunar calendar. It is held in the tenth lunar month, when deities from across Japan are believed to gather in Izumo to decide the relationships people will form in the coming year.^[2] That is why the dates move every year: in 2025 the festival ran from November 29 to December 6.^[2]

The shrine publishes this schedule for 2026:

The schedule gives times, not viewing rules. It does not say which parts of each rite visitors may stand close to. Arrive early, and follow the shrine staff and police on the day.

How does the welcome rite at Inasa Beach work?

According to the shrine, the deities come ashore at Inasa Beach in the evening. Priests light bonfires on the sand and set up a temporary altar, a himorogi, to receive them.^[2],[3]

After the ceremony on the beach, the priests lead the deities in a 1-kilometer procession east to Izumo Taisha.^[2] If you watch from the beach, you can follow the procession route back towards the shrine on foot.

1. Reach Inasa Beach before 19:00afternoon

   Walk from the shrine (about 12 minutes)^[3] or take the Hinomisaki Line bus from JR Izumoshi Station to the Inasa-no-Hama stop (about 39 minutes).^[3] Dress for a cold evening on an open beach.

2. Watch the welcome ritefrom 19:00

   The rite starts at 19:00.^[1] Keep your voice down; the festival is a religious rite, and visitors are asked to stay quiet.^[7],[2]

3. Walk back with the procession

   The priests carry the deities east to the shrine.^[2]

4. Catch your trainby 21:41 for Matsue

   On the weekday timetable revised April 1, 2025, the last train from Izumotaisha-mae that connects for Matsue leaves at 21:41; check the timetable for your date.^[6]

What can I see at the shrine during the week?

The shrine is open for ordinary visits every day, 6:00–19:00.^[4] During the festival, the deities are said to stay in the two Jukusha (十九社) halls on the east and west sides of the inner precincts. Each hall has 19 doors.^[2] These long, low buildings are the part of the shrine that belongs to this festival.

The deities’ deliberations take place at Kaminomiya (上宮), a small auxiliary shrine 1 kilometer west of the main shrine, near Inasa Beach.^[2] You can combine it with a daytime walk to the beach.

Many visitors also take a little sand from Inasa Beach to Soga-no-yashiro (素鵞社), behind the main sanctuary. They leave it there and take home the same amount of the shrine’s sand.^[2],[1] Go before 16:30: from then on, the area north of the Jukusha, including Soga-no-yashiro, is closed for security.^[4]

The week ends with Karasade-sai. The deities’ sacred objects are carried from the Jukusha to the Haiden, the worship hall, and a priest knocks three times on the door of the main sanctuary’s inner gate to announce their departure.^[2]

For how to pray at the shrine (it has its own clapping rule) and general shrine manners, see the Japan etiquette guide.

How do I get there that evening, and back to Matsue?

The usual route from Matsue is the Ichibata Railway to Izumotaisha-mae; the Matsue and Izumo guide covers fares, the change at Kawato and daytime trains.

If you are travelling to Matsue by JR from Osaka or Okayama, the JR West pass comparison shows which regional pass suits the trip.

The welcome rite falls on a Wednesday in 2026. On Ichibata’s weekday timetable revised April 1, 2025, the last train from Izumotaisha-mae that connects at Kawato for Matsue Shinjiko-Onsen leaves at 21:41 and arrives at 22:42.^[6]

For 2025, Izumo City announced that Ichibata would add two trains from Izumotaisha-mae to Dentetsu Izumoshi on the evening of the welcome rite, at 20:21 and 21:29,^[5] and one to Matsue Shinjiko-Onsen at 21:44.^[5] Those were 2025 plans. Nothing has been published for 2026 yet, and there is no guarantee of extra trains. The 2025 announcement came on October 24,^[5] so check Izumo City’s and Ichibata’s 2026 announcements from late October before you rely on a late train.

If you drive, check the 2026 traffic announcement before you go. For 2025 the city planned to ban right and left turns by eastbound vehicles at the Miyauchi intersection from 9:00 to 16:00 on November 29, November 30 and December 6.^[5] The 2026 measures may differ.

Where should I stay for Kamiari-sai?

Stay near the shrine if the welcome rite is your reason to come. You can then walk back from the beach and the procession without watching the clock. A Matsue base gives you the castle town and the lake, but on the evening of November 18 you depend on the last train, which leaves at 21:41 on the weekday timetable revised April 1, 2025.^[6] The comparison of places to stay for Izumo Taisha weighs the shrine town against Matsue and Izumoshi Station.

Book as soon as your dates are fixed. For room types and what a ryokan night includes, see the ryokan guide.

Questions visitors ask

Frequently asked questions

Can I take photos at Izumo Taisha during the festival?

The shrine allows ordinary smartphones in the precincts and lets visitors use them for photos.^[1] During the rites, visitors are asked to keep their voices to a minimum.^[7],[2]

Is Kamiarizuki the whole month?

Kamiarizuki is the name Izumo uses for the tenth lunar month.^[2] The rites themselves take one week, November 18–25 in 2026.^[1]

Can I visit Inasa Beach in the daytime?

Yes. It is about 12 minutes on foot from the shrine,^[3] and Kaminomiya, where the deities’ deliberations take place, is nearby.^[2]

Are the dates the same every year?

No. The festival follows the lunar calendar: it ran November 29 to December 6 in 2025^[2] and runs November 18–25 in 2026.^[1]