Matsue City

Horikawa Sightseeing Boat
This boat tour circles the castle’s historical inner and outer moats, passing points of interest which you may not see otherwise. The boat also passes under particularly low-built bridges from time to time, meaning the passengers need to duck down as the roof lowers. Kotatsu heaters are placed in the boat during winter and passengers can literally experience the “warmth” of Japanese tradition.

Matsue Castle
Completed in 1611 and one of only 12 remaining original castles nationwide, Matsue Castle was built over a five-year period by Horio Yoshiharu, feudal lord and founder of Matsue. It was designated as a national treasure in 2015.
The elegance of the castle’s swooping roofs and decor is often compared to the wings of a plover bird (‘chidori’), which has led to the castle’s nickname, Plover Castle (‘chidori-jo’). There is a museum inside, and the top floor offers a panoramic view of the castle grounds and the city.

Shimane Art Museum
This art museum opened in 1999 and was designed by Kiyonori Kikutake, a prominent Japanese architect known as one of the founders of the Japanese Metabolist (architectural movement) group. It was built to look like a painter’s palette, and looks also like the setting sun.
The art museum houses collections of western and Japanese paintings, print, sculptures, modern art, photography, and crafts. Situated on Lake Shinji’s shore, Shimane Art Museum is one of the best spots for enjoying the beautiful sunsets. Both the standard and special exhibitions change periodically, and free local exhibits are sometimes held.
Most of the works in this museum are by artists born in or closely connected to Shimane Prefecture. The museum displays a collection of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, made by a famous artist, Katsushika Hokusai. You may know the iconic one, Kanagawa-oki Namiura (Mt. Fuji behind waves). If you are lucky, you can see this from their collection.