This cultural museum in the beautifully restored former home of the lords of Izumo, the Ezumi clan, is worth a visit if only to stroll around the pretty Japanese garden. Although there's not much by way of English exhibits, the artefacts and architecture alone give some insight into the history of the area, inhabited since ancient times.
Izumo Cultural Heritage Museum
Western Honshū
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.18 MILES
Izumo Taisha, also known as Izumo Ōyashiro, is perhaps the oldest Shintō shrine in Japan. This shrine, dedicated to Ōkuninushi, god of marriage and…
20.02 MILES
Dating from 1611, picturesque Matsue-jō has a wooden interior showcasing treasures belonging to the Matsudaira clan. Known as 'Plover Castle' for the…
27.04 MILES
Local businessman and art collector Adachi Zenkō founded this excellent museum, located east of Matsue in Yasugi. The collection includes over 100…
Shimane Prefectural Art Museum
19.78 MILES
With its white undulating roof and huge glass windows facing the lake, the museum building itself is an impressive sight. Inside, it displays rotating…
20.17 MILES
Matsue's excellent modern museum gives a broad-ranging introduction to the history of the regional clans and development of local industry and crafts…
Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo
1.92 MILES
Just to the right of Izumo Taisha's front gate, this informative museum contains modern exhibits on local history. These include reconstructions of the…
27.04 MILES
This pretty garden occupying an area of around 40,000 sq metres was established privately in 1975 on Lake Nakaumi's Daikonshima Island, between Matsue and…
23.84 MILES
Crowded into two small caves at Gohyakurakan, there are 500 diminutive stone statues of the Buddha's disciples, each showing a different expression – some…
Nearby Western Honshū attractions
1. Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo
1.92 MILES
Just to the right of Izumo Taisha's front gate, this informative museum contains modern exhibits on local history. These include reconstructions of the…
2.18 MILES
Izumo Taisha, also known as Izumo Ōyashiro, is perhaps the oldest Shintō shrine in Japan. This shrine, dedicated to Ōkuninushi, god of marriage and…
3. Shimane Prefectural Art Museum
19.78 MILES
With its white undulating roof and huge glass windows facing the lake, the museum building itself is an impressive sight. Inside, it displays rotating…
20.02 MILES
Dating from 1611, picturesque Matsue-jō has a wooden interior showcasing treasures belonging to the Matsudaira clan. Known as 'Plover Castle' for the…
5. Koizumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn) Memorial Museum
20.02 MILES
This memorial museum has displays on the life and work of former Matsue resident Lafcadio Hearn, as well as some of the writer's personal effects –…
6. Lafcadio Hearn Old Residence
20.03 MILES
A small late 19th-century samurai house with pretty gardens where the writer lived. You can still see the desk where he penned his classic collection,…
7. Buke Yashiki Samurai Residence
20.09 MILES
You'll take lots of pictures as you stroll around this immaculately preserved house and garden, built for a middle-ranking samurai family during the early…
20.17 MILES
Matsue's excellent modern museum gives a broad-ranging introduction to the history of the regional clans and development of local industry and crafts…