One of the most frequently visited spots in Itoshima is Meoto-iwa in Futamigaura. Often referred to as the husband and wife rocks are just out of sea just off of a sandy beach. Each year, a ceremony is held on a Sunday in late April or early May to replace the shimenawa (straw garland) that connects the two rocks of Meoto-iwa. This year the ceremony takes place on May 1. Measuring 30 m in length and weighing 1 ton, the Shimenawa requires the strength and coordination of 60 men to hang. Work on the shimenawa begins around 9:00, and from around 15:30, about 60 men walk along the ebbing sea and climb up to the rocks to hang the sacred rope.
• 5/1 (Sat.)
• Preparation of the shimenawa 9:00~12:00, hanging of shimenawa 15:30~16:30
• Free to visit
• Meoto-iwa, Shima Sakurai, Itoshima
• http://sakuraijinja.com/
