In the tenth month of the lunar calendar, Japan's eight million gods converge on Izumo. The rest of the country calls this month Kannazuki — the month without gods — because they have all left. Izumo calls it Kamiari-zuki: the month when gods are present. The Izumo Taisha shrine hosts a ten-day ceremony during which the gods are said to deliberate on matters of human connection. Whether or not you believe this, the atmosphere is worth traveling for. The shrine complex is one of Japan's oldest and largest, the main hall rebuilt periodically in the ancient style — enormous, thatched, its height a statement about what was built here before recorded history. In the lunar October, the crowds who come are predominantly Japanese, and they come with a purposefulness that is different from ordinary tourism. Izumo is associated with en — connection, fate, the relationships that shape a life. The shrine's specialization in this particular domain gives it a different quality than the shrines dedicated to success or protection. People come here with specific questions about their lives, and they leave having offered those questions to something older than the vocabulary available for answering them.