Matsue and the Adachi Museum of Art

Hi all, I'm trying to work the Adachi Museum into my early-April itinerary. The plan is to make it a quick side trip from Matsue on my way back to Okayama.

My questions:

1) I'll be in Matsue from about 10 AM. How much time will I need to have a good look round the castle complex, including round-trip travel time between there and Matsue Stn.? (This will help me determine the earliest time I can expect to arrive at Yasugi Stn. for the Adachi Museum.)

2) The museum's Japan-Guide entry only mentions one mode of transport between Yasugi Stn. and Adachi: namely, the free shuttle. Are there any alternatives worth considering (taxi, bus, etc.), in case I arrive between shuttles or there's a long line? Also, do the shuttles tend to fill up in the early to mid-afternoon?

3) Is the shuttle stop at Yasugi Stn. well signposted? If not, is there an information booth that can point me in the right direction once I get there?

Thanks all!

Hope this isn't too late - I just got back from Matsue and the Adachi Museum a few weeks ago

re time in Matsue: If you arrive at 10 am, my suggestion is to spend the rest of the day in Matsue, and go to Adachi the next day. You will be able to spend a whole day in each of Matsue and the Adachi museum without much trouble. If you try to pack them both into the same day, you're going to miss a lot, I think.

re Yasugi to Adachi: If you miss the free shuttle, there is a regular bus in between the shuttle schedule (a few hundred yen, I think). We arrived too late for the shuttle, so we took a cab, for about 2,300 yen. There are plenty of helpful folk who can show you where to go (right in front of the station - no problem finding the spot).

re Adachi to Yasugi: As soon as you arrive at the Adachi ticket counter at the front entrance, ask for a free return shuttle reservation ticket for the time you want to return to Yasugi. You'll know at that time what return seats are available, so you can schedule accordingly. We had no problem.

Have a great trip!

Absolutely as the previous poster has said. There's plenty to see in Matsue, and it's a lovely place to watch the sun set over the water, so I'd stay there all day if I had the chance.

The Lafcadio Hearn house is worth seeing, and there's a really good soba restaurant nearby, which is an experience in itself. Both of those things are near the castle.

The museum/gallery on the water's edge (you'll see what I mean if you can check a city map) can also be worth a visit. When we were there, they had a fantastic exhibition of local crafts, with some very high quality laquerwork, pottery, textiles, etc.

Yasugi station is a tiny place. You have to try really hard to miss the bus stop for the Adachi.

The Adachi itself is the most wonderful place. We travelled right across the country going out of our way to get to Matsue, solely so that we could go to the Adachi. It was absolutely worth it.

(At the time we went, maybe 5 or 6 years ago, there was a night train from Tokyo to Matsue, which you could use for free with your JR pass. We used that train, and felt that it was good as we didn't spend - i.e. didn't waste - any daylight time travelling)