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.
Choose a 3 days, 2 nights itinerary
Castle, Adachi garden and lakeside art museum
Stay two nights near Matsue Station. Visit the castle and Adachi Museum's garden and Japanese paintings, then the art museum collection in Matsue on your last day. Yasugi is a return day trip from Matsue.
Castle, Adachi garden and lakeside art museum →3 days, 2 nights BCastle, shrine and a last-day beach walk
For shrine worship and a beach walk rather than castle and art museum visits, spend one night in Matsue, then move to Izumoshi for one night.
Castle, shrine and a last-day beach walk →Castle, Adachi garden and lakeside art museum
Stay two nights near Matsue Station. Visit the castle and Adachi Museum's garden and Japanese paintings, then the art museum collection in Matsue on your last day. Yasugi is a return day trip from Matsue.
Day 1 · Castle keep and a Matsue night
Castle keep and a Matsue night
- Matsue Station → Matsue Castle bus stop
Take the Lakeline bus from bay 7 at Matsue Station and get off at Kokuhō Matsue-jō (Ōtemae) (国宝松江城（大手前）). Follow the castle signs from the stop to the keep entrance. Use the current timetable to choose your return service to Matsue Station after visiting.
- Matsue Castle bus stop → Keep and lunch
Follow the park signs through the Honmaru to the keep entrance. Walking from the stop is extra. Allow about 90 minutes for the keep, including interior stairs and removing shoes, and about 60 minutes for lunch and a rest nearby. These are suggested visiting times; follow the facility's reception deadline.
Official Matsue Castle guideAdditional transport and operating information
- Matsue Castle → Matsue hotel
Return from the same stop on the Lakeline bus in the same loop direction. This differs from the ordinary bus at the prefectural office; it follows the rest of the loop after the castle to Matsue Station. Stay in Matsue tonight.
Day 2 · Adachi Museum return trip by free Yasugi shuttle
Adachi Museum return trip by free Yasugi shuttle
- Matsue Station and hotel → Yasugi shuttle stop
Take a Yonago-bound JR local train from Matsue to Yasugi. The free Adachi Museum shuttle stop is about 15 m to the right outside the station building. Choose a connection with time to get from the JR platform through the exit to the shuttle.
Dynamic search pageAdditional transport and operating information
- Yasugi Station → Adachi Museum of Art
The free shuttle takes about 20 minutes to the museum. Its capacity is 25, with boarding in arrival order; reaching Yasugi by JR does not secure a seat. If full, choose the next free service or the official paid Yellow Bus, adding its fare to the subtotal.
- Adachi Museum entrance → Return shuttle ticket and visit
On entering, first collect one return shuttle numbered ticket per person at the entrance counter. Plan garden and Japanese painting visits and lunch around your secured return service. The museum recommends at least two hours for visiting; allow extra for ticket and meal queues. Check the New Wing's closure conditions.
Additional transport and operating informationOfficial Adachi Museum guide
- Adachi Museum of Art → Matsue hotel
Return to Yasugi Station on the shuttle shown on your ticket, then take JR to Matsue. If no free return service is available, check the paid Yellow Bus. Its stop is about a two-minute walk from the museum and adds ¥200 each way. Stay in Matsue tonight, and look up the JR connection around your chosen return bus.
Additional transport and operating informationDynamic search page
Day 3 · Collection visit and return to Matsue Station
Collection visit and return to Matsue Station
- Matsue Station and hotel → Shimane Art Museum
Walk about 15 minutes from Matsue Station to Shimane Art Museum. Visit the collection, then return to the station by the same route.
- Museum entrance → Collection visit
Allow 60–90 minutes for the collection after the 10:00 opening. If Tuesday is a closure day, move the visit to an earlier open day or omit it on departure day. Do not wait for sunset on departure day.
- Shimane Art Museum → Matsue Station and departure
Walk about 15 minutes back along the same path to Matsue Station. On the last day, depart after the collection visit rather than waiting for sunset. This itinerary ends at Matsue Station.
Included: Castle ¥1,200 + Adachi Museum ¥2,500 + Lakeline ¥250 × 2 rides + art museum ¥400 + Yasugi JR ¥420 × 2 journeys.
Extra costs and conditions: Based on the free Adachi shuttle. The paid Yellow Bus adds ¥200 each way or ¥400 return. Accommodation, meals, airport travel and unlisted JR, private railways or buses are separate.
Official Matsue Castle guideOfficial Adachi Museum guideAdditional transport and operating informationOfficial English hours, prices and walking accessDynamic search page
Castle, shrine and a last-day beach walk
For shrine worship and a beach walk rather than castle and art museum visits, spend one night in Matsue, then move to Izumoshi for one night.
Day 1 · Keep visit and first Matsue night
Keep visit and first Matsue night
- Matsue Station → Matsue Castle bus stop
Take the Lakeline bus from bay 7 at Matsue Station and get off at Kokuhō Matsue-jō (Ōtemae) (国宝松江城（大手前）). Follow the castle signs from the stop to the keep entrance. Use the current timetable to choose your return service to Matsue Station after visiting.
- Matsue Castle bus stop → Keep and lunch
Follow the park signs through the Honmaru to the keep entrance. Walking from the stop is extra. Allow about 90 minutes for the keep, including interior stairs and removing shoes, and about 60 minutes for lunch and a rest nearby. These are suggested visiting times; follow the facility's reception deadline.
Official Matsue Castle guideAdditional transport and operating information
- Matsue Castle → Matsue hotel
Return from the same stop on the Lakeline bus in the same loop direction. This differs from the ordinary bus at the prefectural office; it follows the rest of the loop after the castle to Matsue Station. Stay in Matsue tonight.
Day 2 · Move to Izumo for the shrine and Shinmon-dori
Move to Izumo for the shrine and Shinmon-dori
- Matsue hotel → Izumoshi Station and new hotel
Take an Izumoshi-bound JR train from Matsue to change cities. Stay in Izumoshi tonight and visit the shrine and Shinmon-dori. Choose a bus that leaves time for the city move and shrine visit, instead of a tight connection immediately after JR arrival.
- Izumoshi Station → Seimon-mae
From bay 1 at JR Izumoshi Station's north exit, take an Izumo Oyashiro-bound bus via AEON Mall and get off at Seimon-mae (正門前). The adult fare is ¥510 each way or ¥1,020 return; do not apply this fare to services via Youme Town. Events may alter stops and times, so check the operator's current notices and return service together.
Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and faresOrdinary outward timetableSpecial timetable for the 10th–11thSpecial timetable for the 12th
- Seimon-mae → Shrine and Shinmon-dori
Walk about one minute from the stop to the large Seidamari torii, then follow the approach, Harae Bridge and pine-lined path into the grounds. Suggested time is 75–90 minutes at the shrine and about 60 minutes for lunch on Shinmon-dori. The area behind the Main Hall closes at 16:30; the treasure hall is excluded. Approach walking and ordering queues are extra.
Walk to the main entrance and shrine approach guideAdditional transport and operating information
- Shrine and Shinmon-dori → Izumoshi hotel
Return from Seimon-mae on an Izumoshi Station-bound bus via AEON Mall. Choose a service you can reach after worship and lunch. Stay in Izumoshi tonight.
Ordinary return timetableSpecial timetable for the 10th–11thSpecial timetable for the 12th
Day 3 · Inasa-no-hama and departure from Izumoshi
Inasa-no-hama and departure from Izumoshi
- Izumoshi Station and hotel → Seimon-mae
From bay 1 at JR Izumoshi Station's north exit, take an Izumo Oyashiro-bound bus via AEON Mall and get off at Seimon-mae (正門前). The adult fare is ¥510 each way or ¥1,020 return; do not apply this fare to services via Youme Town. Events may alter stops and times, so check the operator's current notices and return service together.
Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and faresOrdinary outward timetableSpecial timetable for the 10th–11thSpecial timetable for the 12th
- Seimon-mae → Inasa-no-hama
Walk about one minute to the large Seidamari torii, then head from the shrine-side starting point to Inasa-no-hama on the western coast. The tourism body's roughly 15-minute estimate is from shrine to beach, rather than from bus arrival. Follow on-site signs for crossings. The shrine's surrounding-area map also marks the beach parking and toilets separately.
Walk to the main entrance and shrine approach guideShimane tourism body's beach guideAdditional transport and operating information
- Beach entrance → Beach walk
Allow a suggested 30–45 minutes for walking. Do not repeat yesterday's shrine grounds visit. Omit the beach return walk in rain, strong winds or when there is too little time before departure.
- Inasa-no-hama → Izumoshi Station and hotel
Return by the same path to the shrine's main entrance, then find the Izumoshi Station-bound boarding point at Seimon-mae. Take the ¥510 bus via AEON Mall back to the station. Shorten the beach return walk in wind or rain, or if time before your final departure is tight. This itinerary ends at Izumoshi Station.
Ordinary return timetableSpecial timetable for the 10th–11thSpecial timetable for the 12thCurrent Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares
Included: Castle ¥1,200 + Lakeline ¥250 × 2 rides + bus via AEON Mall ¥510 × 4 rides + Matsue–Izumoshi JR ¥590.
Extra costs and conditions: Accommodation, meals, airport travel and unlisted JR, private railways or buses are separate. Paid options such as prayers and the treasure hall are excluded.
Official Matsue Castle guideAdditional transport and operating informationCurrent Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and faresDynamic search page
Frequently asked questions
How do I return if Adachi's free shuttle is full?
The free shuttle boards in arrival order and cannot be reserved. Collect a numbered return ticket on entering the museum and choose your return. If the free return is full, check a Yasugi Station-bound paid Yellow Bus. It costs ¥200 each way, or an extra ¥400 if used both ways. This fare is outside the itinerary's basic costs. Recheck travel-date schedules and seats.
How do I reach Izumo Oyashiro from Izumoshi Station?
Take an Izumo Oyashiro/Hinomisaki-bound bus via AEON Mall from bay 1 at JR Izumoshi Station's north exit and get off at Seimon-mae. Allow time from JR arrival to the exit and bus bay, and choose a return from Seimon-mae to the station. Follow operator notices for event-related stop changes.
Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and faresSpecial timetable for the 10th–11thSpecial timetable for the 12th
Official sources and check dates
- Official Matsue Castle guide ·
- Additional transport and operating information ·
- Additional transport and operating information ·
- Additional transport and operating information ·
- Official Adachi Museum guide ·
- Additional transport and operating information ·
- Museum FAQ ·
- Official English hours, prices and walking access ·
- Current opening and price guide ·
- Shimane tourism body's beach guide ·
- Dynamic search page ·
- Special timetable for the 10th–11th ·
- Special timetable for the 12th ·
- Current Ichibata Taisha Line timetable and fares ·
- Walk to the main entrance and shrine approach guide ·
- Ordinary outward timetable ·
- Ordinary return timetable ·