with a powerful lamp. From the tower, one can see the Oki Islands, from where the story of the "white rabbit" comes. Shimane Winery is known for its super-sweet wines. "Kirara Taki" Beach is located in , one of the towns merged into Izumo in 2005. The beach has clean water and off-shore stacks of concrete tetrapods to break the waves. Nearby is an onsen called Marine Thalasso Izumo. The Okuizumo Museum of Tatara and Sword-making features demonstrations twice a month, switching off every two weeks: one demonstration shows smithing techniques, while the other is a usage demonstration. The Izumo Handicraft Museum is set in a traditional Japanese workshop complex. Geography Climate Izumo has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) with very warm summers and cool winters. Precipitation is abundant throughout the year. The average annual temperature in Izumo is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in February, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Izumo was on 6 August 2017; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 9 February 2018. Demographics The modern city was founded on November 3, 1941. As of 2017, the total population is 172,039 and the area of the new city of Izumo is 624.36 km². On March 22, 2005, Izumo absorbed the city of Hirata, and the towns of Koryō, Sada, Taisha and Taki (all from Hikawa District) to create the new and expanded city of Izumo. On October 1, 2011, the town of Hikawa (also from Hikawa District) was also merged into the new Izumo. Hikawa District was dissolved as a result of this merger. Transportation Izumo is serviced by two rail networks. The first is the JR West Sanin Main Line, connecting Izumo-shi Station to Tottori through Yonago and Matsue to the east, and connecting along the coast to Ōda, Hamada and Masuda to the west. The secondary rail network is the private Ichibata Electric Railway. Dentetsu Izumo-shi Station is the terminal, and the line runs from Izumo to Matsue, passing through and connecting Hirata. The Dentetsu line also branches out and runs to Izumo Taisha from Kawato Station. A JR West service to Taisha ran until 1990 when the line was closed and Izumo-Takamatsu and Arakaya stations removed. Taisha JR railway station still exists as a historic building.