This site is definitely “off the beaten track” for foreign visitors to Japan. However, if they are interested in the nation’s ancient history, and are visiting Izumo Shrine, the site is definitely a worthwhile detour. The remains are organized into a well planned museum to appreciate the communal life in Yayoi Era. Those who are more inclined to tourism can visit the near-bye Hakuho-no-Sato, which is a type of theme park which presents several interesting reconstructions of burial mounds and communal facilities of the era, as well as other entertaining facilities for tourists, including a hot-spring bath house. For the historically minded, it is worth noting that Japan first appeared on record in Yayoi Era, as brief mentions in some Chinese Dynastic Record, and this site fits well to its description. A good number of communal remains have been found around Izumo (with the shrine’s fame) and along the adjacent coastal areas, and this site is an exemplar. The excavation of the site is still in progress, but it has already been recognized to have contained over 900 dwelling sites and over 30 burial mounds. Several dwellings, of different structural patterns, have been reconstructed on their original positions, indicating the geographical feature of communal fabric at the period. The museum displays are also very informative of the life of ordinary people at this era, which was the transitional period from the hunter-gatherers community to the agrarian community. Naturally, the hillside dwelling is less favorable for agricultural production, than that in the adjacent flat land. As such, the remains in this site show the rise and fall of the communal livelihood, in the changing number and distribution of dwellings. The agglomeration of dwellings in this site, and also in the Izumo region, is not accidental. It may be attributed to two factors. One is the rich and productive soil, that was formed and nourished by Daisen mountain, which was an active volcano one million years ago. The other factor is the availability of alluvial iron ores in the region. This had led to the early development of iron work and instrument in the region, and that in turn helped the emergence of a powerful clannish society, as Izumo Taisha shrine attests today. The museum displays a number of iron tools that are discovered in this site, and these tools were used to curve and shape woods into practical agricultural equipment. This suggests that the early adaptation of iron tools for ordinary people’s livelihood in this region. The access to the remains poses some problem for those who depend on public transportation. The best way for them will be to get off at Yodoe station, on the JR-West Sanin Line. From the station to Hakuho-no-Sato is a short taxi ride. At this tourism center, rental bicycle is available for US$5.00 for a day, and the remains, as well as several other attractive sites for tourism, are all within easy reach. At the site, free volunteer guide service is available, but in Japanese. So, bring along a friend who speaks Japanese.