Known as the city of water due to it’s being surrounded by two brackish water lakes, Matsue is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture. Possibly the most important for tea culture in Japan as well, this castle city has a lot to see and do. While in the Sanin area of Japan, make sure you swing by.
Why go to Matsue?
You’re going to see how you get to Matsue down below and wonder “Why would I go all that way?!?!”. Plenty my friend, plenty. Everyone knows about Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, the like. Hokkaido as a whole. There is so much of this great country to see though. Be the one to tell your friends about the cool “hole in the wall” parts of the country. You won’t regret it.
Pro tip: If you are a foreigner, make sure you have your passport on you (you should have it anyway!), there
The Highlights of Matsue, the City of Water
Matsue Castle (松江城)
Matsue castle is one of the 12 remaining original castles. Original being that they meet requirements that they are in their original form and there is proof of their age. Of the 12, it’s the 2nd largest, 3rd tallest and 5th oldest. It
興雲閣, Kouunkaku,Colonial House
Kouunkaku was constructed SOLELY to host the Meiji Emperor. For one visit. That’s it! Oh yeah, and then the visit was cancelled. It’s an interesting building. Very western in design but with many Japanese elements. Located on the castle grounds, its a quick stop in.
Jozan Inari Shrine
As far as shrines go, it’s not too spectatular. However, its super easy to find as it is located on the castle grounds. This is the shrine that started it all. Matsue’s boat festival! Shikinnenn Shinkousai Festival, one of three greatest boat festivals in Japan. Also, has a load of inari (fox) statues to check out in back. If you are interested in Lafcadio Hearn, this was his favorite shrine.
Matsue Beer Hall
Why not try the local fair and beer while you’re in town? Easy to locate from one of the boat ride docks, the Matsue Beer Hall has a nice selection of omiyage, 4 beers to try from (pilsner, hefeweizen, pale ale and stout) and a nice restaurant.
Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum
Going to be honest, I didn’t know who this was before I went. However now I want to read all of his work! Famous for his perspective into Japan during the Meiji period and his life history is truly interestingly presented. The museum is located next to the house he lived in and you can also tour it!
Matsue History Museum
As a foreigner, you’ll get your 50% off admission but you’ll also have access to a free audio guide. Learn the culture and changes that has made Matsue what it is today. It’s designed like a samurai residence which is pretty awesome. Better though, appropriately, it WAS a samurai residence. Well, at least it’s on the remains of one! Don’t miss the Japanese Garden.
Horan-enya Festival Museum
With admission to the Matsue history museum, you’ll also gain access to a secondary museum around the corner. This is about the boat festival that has been occurring for 360 years and is considered on of Japan’s three great boat festivals. The festival happens every 10 years for 9 days and you are introduced through video and displays on all the details. The displays are in Japanese but the video has English subtitles. If you miss it next year (the next Horan-enya is in 2019), check out the museum for details.
Samurai House
What seemed like a smaller house than what I’ve seen before, this is located along Shiomi Nawate, a long street parallel the castle moat where the “elite” lived in the time of the castle. A good way to get a taste of old Japan.
Try the traditional Japanese confections and matcha
Back in the day, Lord Fumai made Wakakusa, Yamakawa and Naho no Sato famous and are still eaten today. Without him, we wouldn’t have tea ceremony as they are today. Matsue is known as one of the three great tea cities of Japan so try if you can to get to a traditional ceremony. If not, there’s plenty of places to grab a nice cup of matcha.
Dialect
Language is a fascinating thing and this area of Japan is not without differences. A few words you may hear are:
- dan-dan or thank you, in the local Izomi-ben
- chonboshi instead of sukoshi for “a little”
- yobareru to eat
Getting here
Main stops for Japan are Tokyo or Osaka/Kyoto area. If you are in Tokyo, you’re going to need to swing down past Kyoto to get to Matsue. Catch a shinkansen to Okayama on the Nozomi express. From there, liners are the name of the game. That’s Kristen-speak. Fancier trains that usually show up as “Limited express”. Ignore the fact that’s confusing! Why? Main lines have “Limited express” trains. Completely not the same thing!
To get a liner ticket, you need to go to the same terminal as if you were buying a shinkansen ticket. The machines are easy to figure out. Why a liner? There’s slow trains that go this way too. Slow being they stop a lot. But you want a fast one because a liner will take you nearly 3 hours.
Like this Post? Pin it for later!
