Right next to the Grand Shrine at Izumo, the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo makes an excellent addition to a visit to the shrine. Using movies, temporary exhibitions, replicas of the Grand Shrine at various periods of its long history and material on daily life in Izumo past and present, the museu...
Just east of Matsue, the island of Daikonshima is home to Yuushien, a classical Japanese circuit style garden. The island is Japan's leading producer of peonies, and visitors who come in May will be treated to the sight of thousands of gorgeous blossoms. Of course, other flowers come into season t...
One of the most perplexing riddles posed by Japan is the nature of its own origins. A dazzlingly modern nation, many of the most important questions about Japan's beginnings remain unanswered. Where did Yamato culture first find expression, and through which people? How far back can we trace the...
One of the two most important Shinto shrines in Japan, no one knows for certain when Izumo Taisha, or the Grand Shrine at Izumo, was first constructed, but records from as early as the 10th century hint at a majestic structure soaring into the air atop nine enormous pillars. Today, the shrine is st...
Matsue Vogel combines one of the world's largest indoor gardens (about eight thousand square meters) with an aviary to display flowers and birds from across the globe. On hand are thousands of varieties of blossoms, stacked in pyramids, arrayed in patterns on the ground and hanging overhead. The g...
The Japanese dances collectively called kagura were originally performed at shrines for the pleasure of the Shinto gods. In the 19th century, it began to be seen more as a sort of folk entertainment than strictly a religious ritual. The dances reenact well known scenes from myth and legend, with d...
The architecture, gardens and exhibits of the world famous Adachi Art Museum offer an aesthetic banquet to visitors. The building itself draws you on past a superb collection of modern Japanese art, including about 130 pieces by the Yokoyama Taikan, a pioneer in the Nihonga movement which sought to...
Lake Shinji, or Shinji-ko, is Japan's seventh largest, and connected by a lagoon to the Japan sea. As a result, the lake hosts a bounty of marine life. In Matsue, Shimane's prefectural capital, travelers flock to sample Kyodo ryori, an assortment of seven dishes drawn from the waters of the lake. ...
The Chugoku region's largest aquarium is the Shimane Aquarium Aquas, at the Iwami Seaside Park just a short stroll from the Japan Sea coast.
The aquarium has a wonderful collection, including a huge shark tank with a glass tunnel running through it. An artificial tide pool is a favorite with child...
One of Japan's most famous hot springs, Tamatsukuri Onsen is an assortment of modern and traditional resort inns lining the Tamayu River about two kilometers from Shimane Prefecture's Lake Shinji.
The hot springs here have been valued for their therapeutic effects for at least 1,600 years. The tow...
Tsuwano, a picturesque castle town, lies on the border of Shimane and Yamaguchi. Often called the Little Kyoto of Shimane prefecture, the main attraction here is the town center, Tonomachi, with its fine old buildings and canals, filled with thousands of colorful carp and irises.
One of Tsuwano's m...
For those who don't have time to split their trip between Matsue and Tamatsukuri Onsen, an obvious choice is to visit Matsue Shinji-ko Hot Springs, on the shore of the lake. The inns and hotels here are a bit expensive, but the amenities make them well worth the money if you're feeling indulgent. ...
The little town of Yunotsu was once a prosperous port for the shipment of silver from Iwami Ginzan. Today it's primarily a fishing port and hot springs town, small but intensely atmospheric, with the scenic road winding up from the port to the hot springs wide enough for a single car and lined with...
Just beyond Matsue Castle's northwest gate, a beautiful stretch of old samurai homes stretches 500 meters along the curving, tree lined bank of the northern moat. Several of the homes are open to the public, giving visitors a feel for the daily life of the samurai families who served in feudal Mats...
The first thing you'll notice about Shimane's impressive Prefectural Art Museum is it's striking architecture, featuring glass walls with large cutouts in the sloping roof to admit light. Located on the eastern shore of Lake Shinji, the building is meant to harmonize with the water, and the museum ...
