Ōarai Isosaki Shrine
大洗磯前神社
The 'divine torii' on a seaside reef faces Pacific waves and the sunrise, Ibaraki's most iconic scene.
Ōarai Isosaki Shrine is said to have been founded in 856 and enshrines Ōkuninushi-no-mikoto (Ōkuninushi). The current buildings were rebuilt in the Edo style at the initiative of Tokugawa Mitsukuni, lord of the Mito Domain, and completed during the Genroku era. The shrine's most famous feature is its torii gate standing on a rocky reef by the sea. Legend says the god descended here. Waves crashing against the torii and the sun rising behind it are Ibaraki's signature view, and on New Year's Day large crowds come to watch the first sunrise. From the seaside torii, a flight of steps leads up to the main hall, and from the top of the stairs you can look back over the ocean. Visiting the shrine is free. For sunrise viewing, check the weather and wave height, and do not climb down onto the rocks. Getting there: from JR Mito Station, take the Ōarai–Kashima Line to Ōarai Station, then take a loop bus for about 15 minutes.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Aquaworld Ōarai
- Nakaminato Fish Market
- Sakatsura Isosaki Shrine
- Hitachi Seaside Park
- Mito Castle Ruins
- Kōdōkan (Mito)
- Mito Tōshō-gū
- Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki