> Bentenjima (Benten Island) at Inasa no Hama (Inasa Beach) in Izumo. > Inasa Beach (Inasa no Hama) is the sacred place where deities from all over Japan are welcomed. > At Inasa Beach, there is a small rocky island called Benten Island (Bentenjima). > At the top of Benten Island stands a torii gate and a small shrine. > The shrine enshrines Toyotama-hiko-no-Mikoto, a deity who governs the sea.
> Torii is a traditional gate at the entrance to a Japanese shrine. > > In Japan, the cherry blossoms (sakura) have fallen, and fresh green leaves are beginning to appear. > > This stage is known as hazakura—cherry trees with new leaves after the blossoms have fallen. It marks the end of spring and the transition to a new season.