In Matsue

07/10/2024

There will be a special light up event this week coinciding with Matsue Suitoro, the Water Lantern Festival!

This will include a Japanese tea culture workshop (matcha and Japanese sweets), a nightly entry into Matsue Castle keep, sake tasting and gourmet food from the San-in region, a Kagura ritual performance, and even an opportunity to try your hands at Japanese drums.

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity! It will be taking place at Matsue Castle, this week on Thursday and Friday evening from 6:00-9:00pm!

🍂✨ Autumn in Matsue means festival season is here! Locals and visitors alike are excited for the Matsue Suitoro—the enchanting Water Lantern Festival. 🌊🏯

✨ Special Evenings on October 10th & 11th: Experience the castle’s beautiful light-up, with traditional tea 🍵, sake 🍶, eerie storytelling of Matsue’s legends 👻, and more entertainment from 18:00 to 21:00! See details on tickets and entertainment here: https://matsue-suitouro2024.jp/index_en.html

🏮 Stroll through a mystical scene as Matsue Castle and its surroundings light up with hundreds of hand-crafted paper lanterns and art displays. 🌌✨

🚤 The popular Horikawa sightseeing boats will run late into the evening, offering moonlit rides through the castle moat—perfect for enjoying the magical atmosphere! 🌙

📅 Special Dates & Times:

Regular Light up (free):
9/28 (Sat) & 9/29 (Sun) from 18:00 to 21:00
10/5 (Sat) & 10/6 (Sun) from 18:00 to 21:00
10/12 (Sat), 10/13 (Sun), 10/14 (Mon) from 18:00 – 21:00
10/19 (Sat) & 10/20 (Sun) from 18:00 – 21:00

✨ Special Evenings on October 10th & 11th: Experience the castle’s beautiful light-up, with traditional tea 🍵, sake 🍶, eerie storytelling of Matsue’s legends 👻, and more from 18:00 to 21:00!

🎶 Don’t miss the grand finale on October 20th—the Matsue Drum Parade (Dogyoretsu) fills the afternoon with rhythm, followed by an evening stroll through the lantern-lit castle grounds.

Come and enjoy the magic of autumn in Matsue! 🍁

01/10/2024

As we head into autumn, sightseers and locals alike are excited to take part in one of Matsue’s most popular festival periods.

This period begins with the city’s annual Matsue Suitoro, also known as Matsue Water Lantern Festival.

For this festival period, Matsue Castle and the neighborhood surrounding it are decorated with hundreds of hand-crafted paper lanterns and complementary art displays. The resulting illuminated scene is one of a mystical atmosphere.

The popular Horikawa sightseeing boats have their hours extended into the evening specially for this festival period, so festivalgoers can enjoy a moonlit boat ride through Matsue Castle’s moat.

The dates and times for this year’s festival are as follows:
- 9/28 (Sat) & 9/29 (Sun) from 18:00 to 21:00
- 10/5 (Sat) & 10/6 (Sun) from 18:00 to 2100
- 10/12 (Sat), 10/13 (Sun), 10/14 (Mon) from 18:00 – 21:00
- 10/19 (Sat) & 10/20 (Sun) from 18:00 – 21:00

The final day of the Watern Lantern Festival coincides with Dogyoretsu, also known as Matsue Drum Parade. For people in Matsue on October 20th, you will be able to experience the energetic atmosphere of the Matsue Drum Parade in the afternoon and enjoy a dream like stroll around an illuminated Matsue Castle in the evening.

05/08/2024

This last weekend, Matsue celebrated its summer Suigousai Firework Festival.

The festival atmosphere was booming on Saturday and Sunday with many food and drink stalls lining the city streets, and live performances taking place throughout the day.

And as the main event for both days, many watched an entertaining drown show, followed up by the largest firework display in all of western Japan. Between Saturday and Sunday, 21,000 fireworks were shot off and lit the night sky.

One of the charms of watching fireworks in Matsue is you are able to see the brilliant colors reflect on the surface of Lake Shinji, making it the ideal location for firework photography.

Here are just a few amateur shots from the two previous nights, I hope you enjoy them!

26/07/2024

Matsue celebrated its annual summer Tenjin Festival this Wednesday and Thursday.

A cornerstone of Japan's summer festivals is the transportion of a shrine's resident deity via a portable shrine, known in Japanese as a mikoshi (神輿). For the Tenjin Festival, Michizane Sugawara, the God of Learning and the resident deity of the Shirakata Tenmangu Shrine, is transported around the streets of downtown Matsue. The bearing of this portable shrine is done by local volunteers, and it is this activity and the spirit of the volunteers that really brings the energy to the festival.

All of the festivalgoers braved the summer heat and enjoyed the festival processions, and the accompanying food and game stalls.

10/06/2024

It's hydrangea season here in Matsue, and there is no better way to enjoy it than by visiting Gesshou-ji Buddhist temple (月照寺).

Originally a temple belonging to the Zen Buddhist sect, it was later reappropriated as a family temple for the Matsudaira clan (the previous lords of Matsue). The graves of this family are spread throughout the temple's garden, each sight having its own distinctive atmosphere.

By far the most bustling season for this temple is the hydrangea season. White, blue, and purple; the richness of these colors becomes even more apparent on cloudy and rainy days.

As of yesterday, the majority of these flowers have hit peak bloom, so now would be the opportunity to go pay this temple a visit if you haven't already done so. And don't forget to enjoy a cup of Matcha tea and some Japanese sweets before you leave!

Currently hours for the temple garden are 8:30am - 5:30pm. Admission fee for visitors from abroad is 300 yen.

07/05/2024

With the end of Golden Week, I would like to share with you all how stunning the Japanese Garden Yuushien was during this long holiday period.

This includes peonies with rain, with sunshine, and those that are pink, red, white and yellow.

Enjoy the collections of photos!

30/04/2024

Now that it’s Golden Week here in Japan, this means that Japanese Garden Yuushien’s annual peony festival is under way.

As of yesterday, Yuushien’s famous display of tens of thousands of peony flowers covering the garden’s pond is now available for viewing. The opening day yesterday welcomed rain in the afternoon, the water droplets of which really brought out the fresh, vibrant appearance of the flowers.

If you are more interested in seeing this display when the sun is out, Friday and Saturday of this week will be perfect timing. Please expect the facility to be very busy with visitors this weekend due to it being Golden Week.

If you are visiting from abroad and would like a fast and cheap means to reach Japanese Garden Yuushien, there is a free shuttle bus bound for the garden that will be running this weekend plus any public holidays for this event period. Here are the details for this bus.

Matsue Station Yuushien

Bus Location: Southside of Matsue Station, outside of Matsue Universal Hotel.

Time Schedule:
Matsue Station ---> Yuushien (bus bound for Yuushien)
- 9:00am
- 10:20am
- 11:40am
- 1:00pm
- 2:20pm

Yuushien ---> Matsue Station (bus returning to Matsue Station)
- 11:00am
- 12:20pm
- 1:40pm
- 3:00pm
- 4:20pm

14/02/2024

Here is a video that showcases a portion of the traditional folk-craft paper making process that a small group of Matsue residents were able to participate in this last Saturday.

The branches used in this process are that of the Mitsumata (a.k.a., Oriental paper brush), 1 of the 3 main shrubs used in traditional Japanese paper making.

After steaming the branches for around 2 hours, the bark becomes easy to separate from the branches. This bark is then used as the main ingredient for the resulting folk-craft paper.

If you haven't already, please be sure to watch the video and give Matsue City Guide a like and a follow for producing this content!

13/02/2024

Out in a small mountain town located in southern Matsue is the Abe Eishirou Memorial Hall. This facility celebrates the legacy of Abe Eishirou, formerly a living national treasure that pioneered and perfected a special type of traditional Japanese paper. This paper is known as Izumo folk-craft paper.

Once a year during this season, those interested can witness and experience stages of the paper making process that are not normally offered at the facility as workshops. This consists of steaming the branches of the Oriental paper bush (1 of the 3 plants used for making Japanese paper) and separating the bark from the branch to be later used for paper making.

A large group of us had the opportunity to experience this process this last Saturday, as well as a papermaking workshop that was different in format from the one that is normally offered by the facility.

As someone that is familiar with the history of the locally cherished Izumo folk craft paper and having experienced some of the facility’s workshops several times, I encourage anyone that has yet to have the chance to visit the Abe Eishirou Memorial Hall facility and to try out papermaking for yourself. It will no doubt be a worthwhile experience!

07/12/2023

The light-up illumination events at Yuushien Japanese Garden continue, with last weekend being the start of the fall/winter themed illumination display “Golden Park Zipangu.”

With fall colors still being vibrant at this point in December, guests can enjoy this beautiful midpoint between the fall and winter seasons while stepping into an atmosphere that borders the mystical and surreal.

I certainly had a wonderful time taking pictures at Yuushien this last weekend, some of the photos I have attached to this post.

If you are in the area or planning on visiting Matsue during this period, it would be a shame to miss seeing such a beautiful outdoor for yourself.

If transportation is an issue, there is a free shuttle bus running on the weekends as well as public holidays that will take you directly to Yuushien and back. This bus departs from right outside JR Matsue Station beside the nearby Universal Hotel at the following times…

3:30PM / 5:00PM / 6:30PM

The same shuttle bus leaves Yuushien to return to JR Matsue Station at the following times…

5:45PM / 7:15PM / 8:45PM

Please, take the time to enjoy this surreal, holiday atmosphere for yourself!

13/11/2023

It is that time of the year again where Daikon Island's Yuushien Japanese Garden celebrates the arrival of autumn with a light-up illumination event (紅葉ライトアップイルミネーション).

Although the cold weather has come much later in the season than is typical, and therefore the deep reds, yellows, and oranges of autumn have yet to appear in full, there is still a lot to enjoy about this year's illumination.

The event period for this light-up illumination display is from the 11th until the 30th of November. There is also a free shuttle bus running on Saturdays and Sundays during this period that will take you directly to Yuushien Japanese Garden (departs from directly in front of Matsue Universal Hotel). Please see Yuushien's official website for information on the shuttle bus.

Enjoy a few photos I was able to take yesterday evening while at the light-up illumination!

06/11/2023

＜Special Exhibition＞
Shikkosai and Nurudean – Matsue’s Blooming Lacquerware Culture

There is an exhibition at Matsue History Museum featuring the works of the Shikkosai family and Nurudean, two of Shimane’s prominite lacquerware artisan families. About 50 different works produced by 7 generations of the Shikkosai family will be featured at this exhibition, at which you can learn about their aesthetic sensibility and lacquerware techniques that have been passed down since the Edo period. There will also be 35 captivating works featuring gorgeous maki-e at this exhibition that were produced by Nurudean Mitsuhide and his son Harumitsu.

Please take this opportunity to enjoy the lacquerware that is representative of the Matsue domain.

Eastern Matsue is sometimes referred to as the province of Izumo, the stage of various myths and legends. Izumo Grand Shrine is well known as the Shrine of match making, seeing as it is dedicated to Ōkuninushi, the deity of marriage. The home to many Japanese myths and legends, this area is a popular sightseeing destination.

Matsue Castle has a 4 story, 5 level castle keep with an unobtrusive appearance. Its original castle keep is listed as a national treasure. The surrounding castle town is the perfect candidate for a stroll, and in section of this you will find the Matsue History Museum.
At the Matsue History Museum, you can learn about the local castle, the castle town’s layout, and historical changes not just via documents, but also via video presentations, dioramas, paper cutouts, and other enjoyable forms of media.

On top of holding various historically themed workshops, the museum has an on-site Japanese garden that incorporates the castle keep in its scenery, a Rikyu tearoom, and a row house of a former chief retainer available for viewing. Why not take a stroll around this castle town and take in the history of the area.

Exhibition Period: Oct. 20th (Fri) – December 10th (Sun), 2023
Site: Exhibition Room, Matsue History Museum
Homepage：https://matsu-reki.jp/exhibition/4988/
Available Languages: EN, FR, KO, ZH

11/10/2023

As of late, there have been a lot of local events here in Matsue.

This last Sunday, Matsue held it's "Matsue-New Orleans Festival 2023". This was the first time in 4 years the city was able to hold this annual festival!

Although the event in previous years was largely centered around a lively parade, this time it was held right inside the grounds of Matsue Castle accompanied by live music and tasty concessions.

The live music included a local highschool's marching band, a local brass band, a New Orleans' style funk band, and more. Also, in spite of their not being a full blown parade around the city this year, that day's performers and festival goers did a modest but jolly procession around the event venue mid-performance!

Food and drink of course also ranged widely, but among these 3 seperate types of delicious gumbo were sold in the spirit of New Orleans. One of those made use of basket clams sourced from Matsue's Lake Shinji, a local specialty.

Locals and out-of-prefecture visitors alike had a wonderful time at this year's event, and with next year marking the 30th anniversery of Matsue's sister city relationship with the city of New Orleans, the city of Matsue hopes to produce an even bigger celebration around this time next year.

02/10/2023

It is currently the season again where the vicinity and grounds of Matsue Castle are lit in the evening by countless paper lanterns and illumination displays.

For those of you who don’t know, this seasonal festival period is Matsue’s Suitouro (i.e., the Water Lantern Festival)(水燈路).

***The festival period covers every weekend (Saturday & Sunday) from September 23rd to October 15th.

To celebrate the beginning of this period, on last week’s Thursday and Friday there were two special additions to the festival's regular programme. The first of these was a free Iwami Kagura performance (a shinto ritual ceremony dance). The second of these was the opportunity for festival goers to try their hands at playing drums (a kind of promotion for the upcoming Dogyoretsu Drum Festival).

Also, starting this year Matsue Castle’s tower will be open in the evenings for those wishing to see a specially lit view from above.

In addition, the Horikawa Sightseeing Boat’s service is extended into the evenings during this period, so one can enjoy a pleasant boat ride through the mystically charged atmosphere of the castle’s lit moat.

I will post updates as the festival period progresses, but for now enjoy some photos I took this last weekend!

19/09/2023

Had an absolute pleasure sitting down with the wonderful hosts of the Krewe of Japan podcast to talk about Matsue.

Although I would never claim to be an expert of all things Matsue, I will be the first to promote this absolutely wonderful area to those who have any interest in Japan and its culturally rich localities.

We took the time to discuss quite a number of topics, so hopefully there will be useful information in this discussion for every single one of you.

If you have the time and are interested, please give it a listen!

17/08/2023

Local residents and visitors alike gathered last night at Matsue's Ohashi bridge to witness a buddhist ceremony known as Toro Nagashi (灯篭流し), an event which traditionally marks the end of Obon (お盆).

In this ceremony, lit paper lanterns are set afloat down Ohashi River creating a magical evening spectacle.

As was mentioned in a previous post, these lanterns called Okuri-bi (送り火) are lit with the belief that they will help guide the visiting souls of the departed back to the spirit world. This ceremony is also thought of as a chance for us to think about those who have departed, and a way to pay reverence to our ancestors.

Toro Nagashi takes place every year in Matsue on the evening of August 16th, so if you are in town around this time next year then you will have an opportunity to see this spectacle for yourself.

For those interested, check out some of the pictures I took during the event!

16/08/2023

Some of you may be familiar with the Buddhist event of Obon. It's believed that during this short period the spirits of our ancestors return to this world in order to visit us. And in commemoration of those ancestors, many kinds of events and celebrations are held all over Japan.

Last night at Matsue's Gesshou-ji temple (月照寺), a candle-lit illumination event called Mantou-e (万灯会) was held in the temple's garden. The stone lanterns scattered around the temple garden were lit, and all visitors were given a palm-sized candle to light and place at one of the grave sights in the temple grounds. This light is supposed to act as a guide for the spirits who will once again leave the world of the living at the end of Obon.

Mantou-e is held every year at Gesshou-ji temple on August 15th, so if this is something you'd like to see for yourself around this time next year please make a visit to Matsue during Obon!

26/07/2023

This Monday evening Matsue City held the Tenjin-san Summer Festival (also known as the Shirakata Tenmangu Summer Festival) for the first time in 4 years!

A staple of summer festivals in Japan is the bearing of the O-mikoshi (御神輿). In this celebration, members of the local community transport a local deity from its resident Shinto shrine throughout the nearby neighborhoods via a portable Shinto shrine known as a mikoshi (神輿). The bearers of the mikoshi will chant expressions to fire themselves up and enroute to the destination will rock the mikoshi from side to side in order to amuse the deity inside.

During Monday evening’s festival, bearers of the mikoshi transported the resident deity of Shirakata Tenmangu Shrine to Matsue Castle and back. On the return trip, the bearers made a stop in Matsue’s downtown district where they celebrated in revelry with music and dance.

That evening, food and drink stalls, as well as those featuring festival style games lined the packed streets neighboring Tenmangu Shrine. The turnout of so many people at this week’s festival is a sign that health and vigor has returned to the local community after these past few years.

Be sure to check out some of the pictures I took that evening!

04/07/2023

A few weeks ago I went out on another hike to one of Matsue’s lesser-known locations that’s a ways out from the city’s urban center. We took a long and winding road up into the mountains, and eventually reached a trail that would lead to Kezou-ji Temple (華蔵寺).

I assumed from the style of the Chinese characters chiseled on stone blocks scattered about the trail that this mountain and its temple have a long history. Indeed, I later found out that Kezou-ji Temple itself has over 1000 years of history.

As you are walking along the path, one of the first things that will stand out is a large, imposing stone statue. This statue is called the “Immovable Stone Wisdom King”, wisdom kings being a kind of deity belonging to the Buddhist Pantheon. Although I couldn’t find precise measurements, this statue seems to be sitting at a height close to 4 meters.

That day my companion and I had the entire temple area to ourselves. Pure white hydrangeas were in full bloom by one of the main buildings, and the passing fog that day was so close that it seemed to skim along the tops of our heads. Nearby the temple area was a viewing platform, which on a clear day you can see all of Daikon Island, Yonago, and some of Tottori Prefectures’ Sakai Minato.

Below this viewing platform we took a narrow trail down the mountain that led us to a small clearing. We found out that this general vicinity is thought to be one of numerous locations throughout Japan where the legendary warrior Benkei (弁慶) engaged in his training.

There’s quite a bit more I can say about this location, but instead I will encourage you to visit Matsue and to find out for yourself what more there is to see and learn when it comes to Kezou-ji Temple.

21/06/2023

Matsue has a very interesting relationship with its often overcast, rainy weather.

I first became aware of this when I was taught a quirky local expression by a taxi driver.

“Even if you forget your lunch, don't ever forget an umbrella.”
弁当は忘れても傘は忘れるな

This expression is apparently known amongst some of the locals of Matsue, primarily the older generation.

In more recent years, Matsue`s rainy weather has become tied in with Shimane prefecture’s reputation for being “the land of fated encounters” (ご縁の国、島根).

More specifically, it's thought that the rain drops of the current rainy season have a special kind of property that brings people together. These rain drops have been dubbed Eni-shizuku（縁雫）by local highschool students, which can be literally interpreted from the word's Chinese characters as "rain drops of fate". You can find Eni-shizuku statues all over the city of Matsue, the phenomenon portrayed in the likeness of Buddhist statues known as Jizou.

To tie this all together, the city of Matsue is currently holding its Umbrella Sky Event (2023) at Matsue Terrsa Hall, at which a colorful artistic display of Umbrellas is being showcased. The contrast of colorful umbrellas with the rainy season adds a little bit of a positive spin to what can be interpreted by some as a gloomy period. These will be on display at Matsue Terrsa Hall until the 31st of July, so if you are in the vicinity come have a look for yourself!

Although rainy days aren’t always thought of as the most ideal occasion for an outing, you may find yourself feeling different while in Matsue.

12/06/2023

Nestled away in an inconspicuous neighborhood in Matsue City is a Buddhist temple by the name of Gesshou-ji (月照寺). Gesshou-ji has admittedly been one of my favorite locations to visit in this entire city ever since I first began to frequent during last year’s rainy season.

Gesshou-ji was originally a Zen Buddhist temple but was long ago repurposed as the family temple of the Matsudaira clan, the previous lords of Matsue. The lords of each generation have their impressive graves spread throughout the temple’s garden which covers quite a large area.

Aside from being one of the favorite locations (within Matsue) of the famous Lafcadio Hearn, this temple is known for its beautifully colored scenery during Japan’s rainy season, owing to its plentiful amount of Hydrangea. Hydrangea is indeed of those kinds of flowers that takes on a beautiful appearance in rain, shine, and even on gloomy overcast days.

Look forward to a video showcasing the beauty of this temple sometime in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime enjoy some photos I took this last weekend.

06/06/2023

To the east of Matsue City is Mt. Asahi, a place that is something akin to the setting of a Ghibili Film.

Nestled toward the top of the mountain is a Buddhist temple, one that’s atmosphere fits right in with the surrounding natural elements.

Just off to the side of the temple is a charming rest place that is well known among the locals. This rest place is unmanned, so snacks and drinks sold here are bought via an honor system. Reaching the top of the mountain and then enjoying a cold beverage or an instant ramen purchased from the rest place is a very satisfying way to conclude a hike.

The main hiking trail is fairly steep, but the hike itself is not incredibly long, around 30 minutes at the most. The scenery you will see while hiking the main trail is partly stunning nature, and partly something from a dream. The scenery from the top of the mountain is also breathtaking: this mountain is one of the only locations in the San-in region you can see the neighboring sea, Lake Shinji, Mt. Sanbei, Mt. Daisen, and the Oki Islands, weather permitting.

If you find yourself in Matsue and itching for a wonderful outdoor experience, I can’t recommend Mt. Asahi enough.

31/05/2023

I recently had the privilege of photographing Sada Shin Noh, a series of sacred dances that were inscribed on Unesco’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011.

Sada Shin Noh was developed by the priests of Matsue’s Sada Shrine in 1608 out of a desire to shift away from rituals songs. This was done by incorporating theatrical elements into the performance that stemmed from Noh, a performance art the priests had studied in Kyoto.

The dances themselves are conducted as a part of a larger ritual for replacing the shrine’s rush mats with newly purified ones. Each of these dances have their own distinct features, some incorporating props such as swords and bells, and others in which the performers wear masks and re-enact stories from Japanese mythology.

Although Sada Shin Noh is traditionally performed on the 24th and 25th of September each year, there were two additional performances planned for this year, one of which took place this last weekend on May 27th.

Passed down from generation to generation among members of the local community, it earnestly preserved by said members as well as the Association for the Preservation of Sada Shin Noh.

If you would like to know more details concerning the history and particulars of Sada Shin Noh, I will leave the link to its official Unesco webpage below.

https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sada-shin-noh-sacred-dancing-at-sada-shrine-shimane-00412

10/05/2023

Some of you Japanese anime fans will be excited to hear that Matsue City has done an interesting collaboration with Bandai Namco in the form of Gundam-themed manhole covers.

Gundam being the flagship franchise of Bandai Namco, it is not only of great renown but it has a fanbase that stretches to all corners of the globe.

To any fans of this mecha-level franchise, consider visiting Matsue in the future to get a wide angle shot of you with these beautifully illustrated manhole covers!

Thank you Bandai Namco!

08/05/2023

Here in Japan we just enjoyed a consequtive holiday period known as "Golden Week". Golden week is often an excuse for people to travel domesticly or abroad, and we here in Matsue certainly welcomed quite a number of tourists this last week.

For Golden Week, Daikon Island's Yuushien Garden held a special "Chisen Botan" (池泉牡丹) event in which it display around 100,000 Peony flowers in it's garden's pond. This beautiful display attracts many viewers from all over each year, this year's Golden Week being no exception.

Event's like these happen at Yuushien throughout the year, so even if you weren't able to make it during this Golden Week there will always be more opportunities to enjoy similar seasonal events such as illuminations or flower displays.

Here are also some photos I took during this Golden Week to give you a better idea of what it was like!