🗺️ Mumian Street木綿街道

Hirata Town in Izumo City is the production area of "Unshu Cotton." From the late Edo period to the early Meiji period, it prospered and developed with the circulation of cotton, becoming a major cotton distribution center after Matsue. In particular, the area around Shinmachi, Kataharamachi, and Miyamachi is lined with shops and is known as Cotton Street. Within this district, nearly 30 traditional townhouses that feature the unique architectural style of Hirata Town have been preserved. The beautiful "tsumairi" structures are composed of architectural elements such as left-hand tiles, sea cucumber walls, and Izumo lattice windows. Among them are long-established shops, including sake breweries, soy sauce stores, and shops selling ginger candy, some of which have been in business for over a hundred years. The canal Uunshu Hirata Funakawa, which connects to Lake Shinji, once served as a transportation route for goods and materials, with many merchant ships coming and going. Today, remnants of that era, such as "alleys" and "unloading areas," can still be seen. If you visit Cotton Street, it is recommended to participate in a program called "Cotton Street Exploration Tour." This travel plan includes 14 experiential activities. In addition to wandering through the nostalgic streets with a guide, you can participate in cooking with soy sauce at a soy sauce brewery, taste sake at a sake brewery, and create your own notebook under the guidance of a paper craft artist. At the westernmost end of Cotton Street is "Umi Shrine," a famous shrine known for "bringing good relationships and breaking bad ones." It is said to be quite effective in eliminating bad relationships such as illness and worries. Many people visit this shrine to pray for good relationships before heading to Izumo Taisha.

You can see traditional machiya with unique architectural styles. Many remnants of this canal, which once served as a transportation route, have been preserved. There are rich and diverse travel experience itineraries available. Many people visit Umi Shrine to pray for the severing of bad relationships before going to Izumo Taisha.