Document 72 Hours

Night Train to Izumo: Destination - Destiny

An unusually large number of passengers gather at a train station in Tokyo. They're taking a special night train to Izumo, a thousand kilometers to the southwest, on the Japan Sea coast. It's November, when, according to Shinto belief, the gods are in residence at the Izumo shrines, above all the Izumo Taisha, or Grand Shrine. Men and women of marriageable age, and others seeking better matchups in their professional lives, make this pilgrimage and say their prayers. We listen and learn.