Izumo Taisha is located in the outskirts of Izumo City, about one hour west of Matsue. Izumo's main railway station is called Izumoshi Station.
From Izumoshi Station
From the railway station, Izumo Taisha can be reached by either train or bus.
By Ichibata Railways, the shrine can be reached in about 20 minutes and for 480 yen. A transfer of trains is required at Kawato Station. The shrine is a five minute walk from the terminal station, Izumo Taisha-mae Station.
Buses depart from bus stop number one in front of Izumoshi Station roughly every 30 minutes. The bus ride to the shrine takes about 25 minutes and costs 510 yen one way.
From Matsue
From Matsue, Izumo Taisha is most easily reached by Ichibata Railways:
Trains leave from Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Station and require about one hour to reach the shrine. One transfer of trains is required at Kawato Station. The one way fare is 790 yen. A one day pass for unlimited usage of Ichibata trains for 1500 yen comes slightly cheaper than two one way tickets.
An alternative route would be taking a JR train from Matsue to Izumoshi Station (25-40 minutes) and proceed to the shrine from there (see details above). This option is somewhat cheaper for Japan Rail Pass holders.
How to get to and around Matsue and Izumo
