Shimane » Matsue, Tamatsukuri Onsen
The Matsue area is located in the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture and is surrounded by the Shimane Peninsula, Lake Shinji, and the Nakaumi Sea. The main attractions in Matsue include Lake Shinji and the Shimane Art Museum.
Lake Shinji is a brackish lake with a circumference of 47 km and is known as a lake influenced by the tides of the sea. The lake is also famous for its fishing industry, and whitebait, which accounts for 90% of the catch in Lake Shinji, is a nationally recognized brand.
Lake Shinji is also a very popular tourist spot, and one of the reasons for this is the sunset. The sunset over Lake Shinji is said to be the most beautiful in Japan and is registered as one of the 100 best sunsets in Japan. In the evening, sunset cruising can be enjoyed in conjunction with the sunset, attracting many tourists in search of the sunset over the Land of the Gods.
The Shimane Prefectural Art Museum is the largest of its kind in the San'in region, facing Lake Shinji. The museum's exhibits are composed of works of art and artifacts from major genres such as paintings, prints, crafts, photography, and sculpture, and it is known as a museum that is popular among many art lovers. The museum is also a popular spot for viewing beautiful sunsets, as it faces Lake Shinji.
Tamatsukuri Hot Spring Area is located in Tamatsukuri, Tamayu-cho, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, and is known as one of the most popular hot spring resorts in the San-in region. Major nearby attractions include Matsue Castle and the Izumo Tamasaku Museum.
Matsue Castle was built in 1611 by Tadashi Horio, the first lord of the Izumo Matsue Domain, and the castle ruins are designated as a national historic site.
The castle tower is designated as a national historic site. The castle tower is a national treasure, and it is said that Matsue Castle is the only castle tower that still retains its original form, which was passed down from Oda Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle to Hideyoshi's Osaka Castle. It is famous as the only one of the 12 existing castle towers in Japan that is a national treasure, and is visited by many tourists to see it.
The Izumo Tamasaku Museum is the only museum in Japan dedicated to the ancient art and traditions of tama-making. Inside the museum, visitors can see exhibits of mined articles excavated from Paleolithic ruins, as well as exhibits that provide historical background on how Izumo agate crafting began again at the end of the Edo period (1603-1868). There is also a nearby spot where visitors can try their hand at making agate, which is popular among tourists.
Matsue Castle is the only surviving castle with a castle tower in the San'in region.It is one of the five castles designated as a National Treasure (the others are Inuyama Castle, Matsumoto Castle, Hikone Castle, and Himeji Castle). The ruins of the castle are designated as a national historic site....»
In the center house, one of the world's largest exhibition greenhouses of approximately 8,000 square meters, visitors can see more than 10,000 begonias, fuchsias, and other flowers of several thousand varieties in full bloom throughout the year. At the Owl Center, visitors can see more than 20 spec...»
Tamatsukuri Onsen is a sulfate spring that contains a good balance of sulfate ions and metasilicic acid, and is comparable to a lotion in its moisturizing properties. It is said to have opened in the Nara period (710-794), and was known as the hot spring of the gods, as described in Sei Shonagon's ...»
A food made with suzuki, one of the Shinjikoshicchin (Seven Specialties of Shinjiko Lake). Once upon a time, then feudal load of Matsue domain, Fumai Matsudaira saw fishermen grilling fish and eating them, and asked to share some with him. Fishermen thought that it would be too rude to give fish wit...»