Matsue Itinerary

Hello.
Will be in Matsue in June for approx 1 to 1.5 days.
Just trying to optimise our time there too.

- is the Yushien Garden worth a visit during that time of the year ?

- we will have our own car during our time there.
Do you think it is possible to fit in Izumo Taisha, Adachi Museum of Art, Matsue Castle and other major sights in Matsue all within a day ?

- on the 2nd day, we intend to drive from Matsue to Mt Daisen (Masumizu Plateau, Milk no Sato and Kagikake pass), and then head to Misasa Onsen for a dip in the onsen.
And then drive on to Tottori where we will spend the night.
Is this feasible time wise etc. ?

- are there any local produce markets in or around Matsue/Izumo ?

- is there anything interesting in Yonago ?

- any other interesting stuff/sights that I should not miss ?

Thanks.

Izumo Taisha and the Adachi museum are not in Matsue. Please look at a map.

Thanks Firas.
Yes, am aware that they are not in Matsue, but intend to drive there from Matsue on a 0.5 day trip ?

Hi,

I spend 1.5 day in Matsue/Izumo last August. It is possible to visit the Castle, its surrondings and Izumo Taisha within a day, but you will not have enough time to add Adachi Musuem or Art. Actually i think you can visit two of the three in one day, so you will have to choose what to drop.

There is a shop with local products near the castle entrance, but be careful, it closes quite early (I think 18h00). I don't remember the exact adress, but you can retrieve maps with adresses and info at the tourist info, which is 10 meters from Matsue station north exit.

Also you have many shops in Izumo, in the big street that goes to Izumo Taisha (you can't miss it).

Many thanks Vienna Logan for your reply.

- if time is not on my sight, I may just take a photo of the castle from the outside.
Is there any nice spot for that postcard perfect photo shot (without having to pay the admission fee) ?

- is the shop near the entrance of the castle that you mentioned selling local products from Shimane perfecture ?
Like one organised by the local government ?
If so, I'd be interested to visit the shop.

- are there any local markets in Matsue / Izumo ?
Ones where locals go to for their fresh produce

- Think I may visit the Adachi museum on the 2nd day on our way from Matsue to Mt Daisen, Misasa Onsen and finally Tottori.
Not sure of this feasible or may be too rush ?
Has anyone driven on this route previously ?

Thanks.

Izumo Taisha is always open, while the other two probably close at around 5pm (like most places in Japan). So really you could do Adachi Museum of Art + Matsue Castle during the day and then head to Izumo Taisha later. Unless you want a goshuin or to buy some charm, that is. Matsue Castle is one of the 12 original main keeps left in Japan, so it would be a pity not to go inside.

I really don�ft think you could fit the Adachi Museum into day 2, that is much too much to do in one day otherwise.

Thanks again.
Presumably you have visited the Adachi Museum; how long do think will be needed to see the museum ?
Is the garden the main highlight only ?

Or is it probably worth skipping and head to the vicinity of Mt Daisen and then to Misasa Onsen ?

Cheers.

I highly recommend you go inside the castle as it holds a huge museum of arms and armor. Unless that is not your interest.

- if time is not on my sight, I may just take a photo of the castle from the outside.

I am not 100% sure, but I think so. If I remember correctly, they ask for your ticket only once you enter the castle keep. The visit is definitively worth it, there are armors inside, and also some "maquettes" (I don't know whether it is an Englishe word...) of the city at several points in time. the view from the top is also very nice.

- is the shop near the entrance of the castle that you mentioned selling local products from Shimane perfecture ?
Like one organised by the local government ?
YES

For the rest, I didn't go there, so I can't help you. But as a general comment, foreigners often get 50% off a number of sightseeing spots in Matsue prefecture, so you may take advantage of this.

Q: Is Yushien Garden worth a visit during that time of the year ?
A: IMO Yushien is even the BEST garden in all Japan. It is a little secret and not known to most people, but really the best (and i have seen about 20 of the most famous gardens in japan), featuring great views all over the year. go there, you will love it!

also i would combine matsue castle with yushien. it will take you a full day.

====
your initial plan seems to be really rushed and not possible. i would recommend you following:

day 1: Izumo Taisha and maybe some onsen (e.g. tamatsukuri onsen is close and very nice and quite similar to Misasa)

day 2: matsue castle + yushien koen

day 3: Adachi Museum of Art + tottori dunes

these would give you enough time to see everything important

=====
on your other questions which have not been answered yet:
* Adachi Museum of Art will take you about 2h. it is a museum also and you may linger before the pictures. but please note that it is always extremely full of tourists and you may stand very long in lines to get good views. it is highly recommended to go in the very early morning before the buses arrive...

I don't think OP includes sightseeing to the Tottori dunes in the itinerary mentioned, only sleeping there. So maybe they plan to visit them the next day or something.

Either way, I agree you can't fit the dunes into the two days.

@FancyLampshade: well, then basically going to tottori makes no point at all :-) (unless for cheap sleeping places)

however OP also asked for interesting places in this area and the tottori dunes (and sand museum) are definitely a highlight, so i recommend to visit them.

Thank you all for the informative replies.

1) Yes, I will spend a night in Tottori, and then visit the sand dunes on the following morning.

2) Intend to visit the Wattaina local food market
& Karoichi seafood market too; any other sights that I should see in and around Tottori ?
For what it's worth, we will then drive from Tottori to Kyotango.

3) Sounds like 1.5 days is definitely insufficient for Matsue and Izumo.
There seems to be a lot of recommendation to visit Yushien Garden, Adachi Museum of Art and Matsue-jo.
Will we miss much if we skip Izumo Taisha ?

Reckon if we skip Izumo we will have sufficient time to see Matsue city proper and Adachi Museum on day 1 ?

Unfortunately we are unable to extend our stay in Matsue/Izumo by an extra day.

4) Are there any other sights in Matsue that I should not miss ?

Thanks.

Matsue is really nice.

Lafcadio Hearn's house is nice, and has a lovely soba restaurant right by it. You walk to it from the castle down a little alleyway of torii.

After that, you can go for a wander around the old part of town. We found a sake brewery that was open and which showed us around on an impromptu tour.

Then watch the sunset over the lagoon from the (?prefectural? or maybe city) museum before having a footbath outside the train station.

As i said: combine Matsue and Yufuin on one day. it fits perfectly and you can see all and even make some stroll in the city.

also tottori and adachi combine better if you do them together on one day (just due to the distances and the amount of time you need)

about matsue: if you are in tea ceremonies, then matsue has the most strict tea rituals. there is a very nice tea house on the top of the hills. but if you have little time and dont worship tea, you should skip it.

about skipping Izumo Taisha: i actually was a little bit disappointed of izumo. i expected it to be "better" but i am unsure what i actually didnt like. it didnt appear special in any way, with exception of the nice usagi statues everywhere. it might be the bad weather that i had during this day. in any case i would rather recommend yufuin over izumo.

about food markets: there is some special crab eating festival, but this is only available at the beginning of the year. dunno when you are driving, but you can look it up in the net.

Thank you all again.

So I think I will skip Izumo Shrine in the interest of time.

day 1 : Matsue castle, old town, Yushien Garden etc.
day 2 : Adachi museum, surrounding area of Mt Daisen, Misasa Onsen to Tottori
(think we may have limited time in the museum based on the above ?)

1) How can we get to Yushien garden from vicinity of the Matsue castle ?
Which bus (if any) to catch, and from where ?

2) I note that this guide mentions quite a few attractions in and around Matsue offers a 50% discount in admission fees for foreigners.
However, I cannot find this information on say the Adachi Museum's website.
So it is correct to assume that both the museum and the Yushien Gardens do offer a 50% discount ?
The fee for the museum is quite steep to be honest.

3) Where exactly is the old town of the Matsue ? Near the Samurai residence area ?
North or east of the castle ?
Is the old town is like the old streets of Kyoto / Kanazawa ?

Thanks.

1) there is a bus that goes directly from the matsue castle to yushien. here is the time table and description:
http://www.visit-matsue.com/discover/daikonshima.html

please note that the trip will take you about an hour on direction.

2) you will not get a discount in adachi museum, since it is private and not state run. but you will get one for most matsue attractions, just because of the reason that you are a gaijin .-) so only thing to bring with you is your passport and then you will get a discount.

3) you can walk around pretty well, or even take a boat. all is very close. it is not like old streets of Kyoto / Kanazawa but basically you walk around the water wall of the castle. however it is also driven by cars, so dont imagine some old city district.

here is a map with all attactions:
http://www.visit-matsue.com/discover/city_centre.html

btw, there is also a sightseeing bus for matsue, but i didnt use it, cause such things are too touristic for me, but you might use this map for orientation:
http://www.visit-matsue.com/info/pdf/lakeline_route_map.pdf

and one warning: please note that the bus from matsue to yushien doesnt go that often (see http://www.ichibata.co.jp/bus/rosen/shuttle-bus.html) so be sure do not miss the bus, when it goes

Yes, sorry, the samurai area