Shimane travel: stay in Matsue or Izumo?

Accommodation bases and sightseeing areas

Matsue, Yasugi and Izumo are in eastern Shimane. Adachi Museum of Art is in Yasugi, rather than central Matsue. Take JR to Yasugi Station, then a shuttle or local bus. Iwami Ginzan and the Oki Islands are outside these eastern itineraries.

Official Matsue Castle guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Official Izumo Oyashiro guide2026-10-08

Choose your hotel, arrival station and departure station

A Matsue Station base makes it easier to split castle and exhibition visits from a Yasugi day trip. The itinerary with two days for the shrine and beach stays near Izumoshi Station. Matsue-Shinjiko-Onsen is a different station from JR Matsue; if staying there, add time to reach JR. Choose a base around any move between cities and your final departure station.

Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08

Matsue Station, castle and Lake Shinji

Use the Lakeline for the keep and history museum, and walk from JR Matsue Station to the lakeside art museum. Separate castle and collection days let you reorder around Tuesday closures.

Official Matsue Castle guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08

Yasugi Station and Adachi Museum

Adachi Museum is in Yasugi, outside central Matsue. Take the free shuttle from JR Yasugi Station and collect your numbered return ticket on entering. View the garden from inside the museum.

Official Adachi Museum guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08

Izumoshi Station, shrine and beach

Compare staying near Izumoshi Station to split the shrine approach and Inasa-no-hama Beach across two days. The bus via AEON Mall from station to shrine and the walk to the beach are separate journeys.

Official Izumo Oyashiro guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares2026-10-08Special timetable for the 10th–11th2026-10-08Special timetable for the 12th2026-10-08

Getting to and from Matsue Castle

Take the Lakeline from Matsue Station to Kokuhō Matsue-jō (Ōtemae) (国宝松江城（大手前）), then follow castle signs up to the keep. After visiting, return to the station on the loop bus from the same stop. Check fares and times separately for ordinary buses at Kenchō-mae.

Official Matsue Castle guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08

Getting to and from Adachi Museum

The free shuttle from JR Yasugi Station takes about 20 minutes. Its stop is about 15 m to the right outside the station building. Capacity is 25, boarding is in arrival order, and reservations are unavailable. Collect one numbered return ticket per person at the museum entrance.

Official Adachi Museum guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08

Getting to and from Izumo Oyashiro

Take an Ichibata bus towards Izumo Oyashiro or Hinomisaki from bay 1 at JR Izumoshi Station's north exit, getting off at Seimon-mae (正門前). Via AEON Mall, the adult fare is ¥510 each way or ¥1,020 return by the same route. Return on an Izumoshi Station-bound bus from Seimon-mae, checking operating notices and both services for your date. The usual private railway route starts at Dentetsu-Izumoshi, changes at Kawato and ends at Izumo-Taisha-mae; direct services also exist.

Official Izumo Oyashiro guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares2026-10-08Special timetable for the 10th–11th2026-10-08Special timetable for the 12th2026-10-08

Four days: gardens or lakeside exhibits?

Choose Adachi Museum in Yasugi for a garden-focused second Matsue day, or Shimane Art Museum for the lakeside collection. Split shrine and beach visits after moving hotels to Izumo. The Tottori-Matsue Pass lasts three consecutive days, so it does not cover this entire four-day trip. Buyers must hold both a passport issued by a government other than Japan and Temporary Visitor status, and show the passport on collection. Japanese nationals cannot use it. Distinguish JR/Lakeline coverage from Izumo buses and admission, and compare ordinary tickets for your actual journeys.

Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares2026-10-08Official JR Tottori-Matsue Pass validity and conditions2026-10-09Official JR search entry point2026-10-08

Five days: compare staying in Matsue with an Izumo stay

Five-day itinerary A keeps a Matsue hotel and makes separate Yasugi and Izumo day trips. B starts with Izumo's shrine and beach, then moves to Matsue. For Yonago and Sakaiminato, compare a western Tottori itinerary separately. The Tottori-Matsue Pass lasts three consecutive days and does not cover this entire five-day trip. Buyers must hold both a passport issued by a government other than Japan and Temporary Visitor status, and show the passport on collection. Japanese nationals cannot use it. Distinguish JR/Lakeline coverage from Izumo buses and admission, and compare ordinary tickets for your actual journeys.

Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares2026-10-08Official JR Tottori-Matsue Pass validity and conditions2026-10-09Official JR search entry point2026-10-08

Check transport for your next journey

For an Adachi day trip from Matsue, connect Yasugi-bound JR with the museum's return shuttle. On an Izumo hotel-moving day, choose the shrine bus separately after arrival at Izumoshi Station. Distinguish Ichibata Railway departures from Matsue-Shinjiko-Onsen from JR departures at Matsue Station.

Izumo warigo soba

Consider Izumo soba served in several separate bowls for a meal. On a shrine and approach-street day, check restaurant addresses and hours in Izumo. Food lists also include other cities, so check the distance from the shrine to your chosen shop.

Regional tourism body's food and travel guide2026-10-08

Matsue's Lake Shinji clam dishes

On a Matsue day, look for soups or set meals using Lake Shinji clams. Menus and prices vary, so do not assume every restaurant serves both soba and clam dishes.

Tourism body's food guide2026-10-08

Choose a restaurant where you will stay that day

Choose Izumo soba or Matsue's Lake Shinji clam dishes around that day's hotel. Use the food guide below to check addresses and menus and whether you can walk there after the shrine or lakeside visit. Follow each restaurant's opening days and prices.

Matsue Castle keep and lakeside art museum · ¥1,700–2,100

Matsue Castle ¥1,200 + Lakeline ¥250 × 2 rides + art museum collection ¥400. Including the indoor visit costs ¥2,100; omitting it because of a closure or other reason gives ¥1,700. Walk both ways from the station, with no extra bus calculated. Special exhibitions, accommodation, meals, airport travel and unlisted transport or activities are separate.

Official Matsue Castle guide2026-10-08Additional transport and operating information2026-10-08Official English hours, prices and walking access2026-10-08Museum FAQ2026-10-08Current opening and price guide2026-10-08

Izumo Oyashiro, Shinmon-dori and Inasa-no-hama Beach · ¥1,020–2,040

Four ¥510 buses via AEON Mall and a free beach walk. Four rides cost ¥2,040; omitting day two's beach trip leaves day one's ¥1,020 return. Accommodation, meals, airport travel and unlisted JR, private railways and buses are separate. Paid options such as prayers and the treasure hall are excluded.

Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares2026-10-08Shimane tourism body's beach guide2026-10-08

Distinguish JR and Lakeline from shrine buses

Choose your Matsue–Yasugi/Izumoshi JR days and compare them with Tottori-Matsue Pass coverage. The adult pass costs ¥4,000 for three consecutive days and includes Matsue Lakeline. Buyers must hold both a passport issued by a government other than Japan and Temporary Visitor status, and present the passport on collection. Japanese nationals cannot use it. Do not compare the one-night Matsue admission/ordinary-bus subtotal directly with the pass price; if already using the pass, remove duplicate Lakeline spending. Ichibata Railway, shrine buses via AEON Mall and admission are not calculated as part of the same entitlement. Adachi's free shuttle is independent of JR pass benefits.

Official JR Tottori-Matsue Pass validity and conditions2026-10-09

Shimane in two days: choose Matsue or Izumo

Stay one night in Matsue for separate castle and lakeside art museum days, or in Izumo for separate shrine and beach days. On the Matsue itinerary's second day, walk both ways between station and museum. Reduce sightseeing after a late arrival or before an early final departure.

Shimane in three days: art museums or a move to Izumo?

For art museum visits, spend two nights in Matsue with a Yasugi trip. For the shrine and beach, you can move hotels to Izumo on day two. The two itineraries end at different stations. Reach Adachi Museum by shuttle from Yasugi, and collect your return ticket before exploring.

Shimane in four days: add Adachi's garden or lakeside exhibits?

Stay two nights in Matsue followed by one in Izumo to split shrine and beach visits. For gardens and Japanese paintings, spend day two at Adachi Museum in Yasugi, allowing return JR and shuttle time. For the collection in central Matsue, choose Shimane Art Museum, reached by walking both ways from Matsue Station.

Shimane in five days: one hotel or stays in two cities?

For one hotel, stay four nights in Matsue with separate day trips to Yasugi and Izumo. To split shrine and beach visits across two days, you can start with two nights in Izumo before moving to Matsue.

Adachi Museum garden camera

Check the currently available image and capture time on the Adachi Museum camera page. The image alone cannot establish the whole garden's appearance or that day's admission and shuttle operations.

Shimane camera list

Matsue's lakeside and Izumo's beach are different places. Check filming locations in the Shimane list before selecting a reference view for your destination.