Japan City Guides: Matsue 松江

Matsue Attractions | Temples & Shrines | Horikawa Boat Tour | Access

Matsue Shimane Prefecture 松江

population just over 194,000.
prefectural capital of Shimane Prefecture on the Japan Sea coast.
Matsue is located on the shores of Lake Shinji (Japan's 7th largest lake) along the Ohashi River.
famous for its beautiful castle.
connected with the life of author Lafcadio Hearn.
onsens, mountains and beaches all within easy reach.
Matsue is within reach of Izumo and Hamada to the west.

Things to see and do in Matsue

Matsue is the provincial capital of Shimane Prefecture, with a population of around 196,000, and is located on the Ohashi River between Lake Shinji to the west and the saline Lake Nakanoumi to the east. This lake- and riverside location has earned Matsue the soubriquet of "city of water."

Most of Matsue's attractions are in a compact area north of the main JR Station and can easily be enjoyed in a day or two of sightseeing.

The city's main sight is Matsue Castle (Matsue-jo), which dates from 1611 and is one of only a handful of castles in Japan that has not been destroyed by fire or war. Stronghold of the Matsudaira clan, the black-painted wood of the castle's keep gives a menacing effect to the six-story tower. Matsue Castle has the second largest donjon (keep) of all the twelve remaining original Japanese castles, is the third tallest at 30m and the sixth oldest. Inside are displays of arms and armor and the original shachi (mythical dolphins) of the castle's roof.

From the top floor of the castle there are fine views over the city and surrounding area including Lake Shinji.

Matsue's Other Attractions - Museums, Shrines & Temples

Matsue is intimately connected with the life of author Lafcadio Hearn (aka Koizumi Yakumo), who spent the first year of his sojourn in Japan in the city.

Across the moat from Matsue Castle is Lafcadio Hearn's Old Residence - a delightful, small samurai house and garden, where the writer lived from May-November 1891. It was in this house that Hearn began writing two of his most famous books: Kwaidan, a collection of ghost stories, and his classic Glimpses of Unfamilar Japan in which he describes many of his experiences in Matsue.

Virtually next door, in this area known as Shiomi Nawate, is the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum (Tel: 0852 21 2147), which displays a selection of Hearn's original manuscripts, the writer's desk, quills & inkpot and a number of his beloved Japanese tobacco pipes.

On the same street is the Buke Yashiki (Tel: 0852 22 2243), the house of a samurai named Shiomi, which remains exactly as it was when built in 1730. Visitors can peer into the tatami rooms and walk the garden. The Shiomi family were the chief retainers of the lord in Matsue Castle.

In the grounds of Matsue Castle is the Meiji Period Matsue Kyodokan (Tel: 0852 22 3958), the local history museum. The building dates from 1903 and mixes Japanese design with western architecture.

The castle grounds, known as Jozan Park are wonderful in the cherry blossom season and also contain Jozan Inari Shrine, Lafcadio Hearn's favorite shrine, and home to hundreds of fox statues, both ceramic and stone.

The Meimei-an Teahouse (Tel: 0852 21 9863) dates from 1779 and is considered one of the best preserved in Japan. The netrance fee includes Japanese tea and a traditional sweet. The Tanabe Art Museum (Tel: 0852 26 2111) displays a fine assembly of chadogu: tea bowls and utensils connected with the tea ceremony. The museum was established in 1979 and is formed from the personal collection of Tanabe Choemon XXIII, a former prefectural governor of Shimane.

Buke Yashiki, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.

Kitsune Foxes, Jozan Inari Shrine, Matsue.

Situated on the shore of Lake Shinji, Japan's 7th largest lake, and with the large Matsue Castle moat (horikawa) connecting to the Ohashi, Kensaki, Kyohashi, Yonago, and Kitada Rivers, Matsue, is known as the "City of Water."

Horikawa Boat Tour

The waterways of the city are pleasant and contribute to the ambiance of the city. One of the best ways to see Matsue's sights is by boat, and there are three points around the town where one can board the Horikawa Boat Tour; in front of the main entrance to Matsue Castle, at Ohashi Bridge south-east of the castle, and Horikawa Fureai Square, north-west of the castle. The circular trip takes 40 minutes, though one can get off at any point and rejoin later.

Yuushien Garden is a classic Japanese circuit garden on the small island of Daikonshima in the Nakaumi lagoon near Sakaiminato. A beautiful place to walk, Yuushien has three traditional Japanese restaurants serving locally-sourced food.

Matsue Vogel Park is a huge bird and flower park just one stop on the Ichibata Railway Kitamatsue Line heading west from the terminus at Shinjiko Onsen Station in Matsue.

To the north east of Matsue is Shichirui and the Meteor Plaza. This strange building, designed by Shimane architect Shin Takamatsu, houses an indoor seawater swimming pool, a 500 seat auditorium, and the terminal for ferries to the Oki Islands as well as a museum dedicated to 6.8 kilogram meteor that crashed to earth here in 1992.

Back in town, the modern Shimane Prefectural Art Museum (Tel: 0852 55 8311) is located on Lake Shinji, west of the station, and has paintings by Monet, sculptures by Rodin, wood-block prints by Utagawa Hiroshige as well as works by contemporary Japanese artists. The museum is a good place to catch the spectacular sunsets over Lake Shinji.

20km east of Matsue in Yasugi is the recommended Adachi Art Museum (Tel: 0854 28 7111), a private museum founded by businesman Adachi Zenko in 1980. The Adachi Art Museum showcases contemporary Japanese art by such artists as Kawai Kanjiro and Yokoyama Taikan, set in an award-winning Japanese garden - usually voted Japan's best. Take the JR train to Yasugi Station and an hourly shuttle bus to the museum or a direct bus from Matsue JR Station (50 minutes).

Matsue Pleasure Boat, Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.

View of Matsue Castle From Pleasure Boat.

North of town are onsen hot-springs around Matsue-onsen Station on the Ichihata Line which runs north of Lake Shinji to Izumo. A number of hotels and ryokan operate the baths. The Tamatsukuri Hot Springs are to the south west of town and are some of the oldest onsen in the country.

Matsue Festivals

Jozan Inari is the home of the Shikinnenn Shinkousai Festival, one of three greatest boat festivals in Japan, involving more than 100 decorated boats. The festival only occurs every 12 years with the last one held in May 2009.

Town Plaza Shimane has tourist information and is opposite the Prefectural Office and not far from Karakoro Art Studio. Matsue's International Center is in Kunibiki Messe (Tel: 0852 31 5056).

Matsue Tourist Information office (Tel: 0852 21 4034) is located just outside Matsue JR station.

There are plenty of all types of accommodation in the Matsue area, including ryokan, business hotels, love hotels, etc.

Matsue Access

Air

Izumo Airport (35km west) and Yonago Airport are the nearest airports. Izumo Airport has flights to Tokyo Haneda Airport (1 hour, 20 mins), Sapporo (2 hours), Fukuoka (1 hour, 15 mins) Osaka Itami Airport (60 mins) and the Oki Islands (30 mins). Yonago Airport connects with Incheon Airport near Seoul in South Korea with Asiana and also has flights to Haneda and Chubu International Airport in Nagoya with ANA.

Train

Matsue is a main station on the JR San-in Line, which connects Matsue to Izumo along the southern shore of Lake Shinji and then continues farther to the west. The slower Ichibata Railway Kitamatsue Line runs to the north of the lake between the two cities. The nearest Shinkansen is to the south in Okayama, from where local trains (Super Yakumo Limited Express) reach Matsue in 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Bus/Car

Matsue is located on Route 9. From Okayama follow the Okayama and Yonago Expressways. There are overnight Highway buses from Fukuoka, Nagoya and Tokyo and daily buses to Osaka and Hiroshima. From Nagoya overnight buses leave Nagoya Station at 9pm and arrive in Matsue around 6.30am.