What to See in Matsue - Top Sights and Attractions

Traditional wooden castle built in 1611. Matsue Castle is a Japanese castle located in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.

Matsue Castle was constructed from 1607 to 1611 by Horio Yoshiharu, the first daimyō of the Matsue Domain, during the early Edo period. Ownership was passed to the Izumo branch of the Kyōgoku in 1633 and then the Matsudaira, a junior branch of the ruling Tokugawa clan, in 1637. The Matsudaira donated Matsue Castle to the city of Matsue in 1927.

Matsue Castle is one of few remaining feudal Japanese castles in their original wooden form and not a modern concrete reconstruction. Built after the last great war of feudal Japan, the castle has survived earthquakes, fires, wars and other causes that destroyed or damaged other Japanese castles. Several castle buildings were demolished during the early Meiji period with only some of the original keep and stone walls existing today. Matsue Castle, standing on the shores of Lake Shinji, is one of Japan's Three Great Lake Castles and the heart of Matsue's central riverside district.^[1]

Theme park in Matsue, Japan. Shimane Vogel Park, or Matsue Vogel Park, is an aviary park in Shimane Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan. Amid pleasant green hills on the north shore of Lake Shinji, it has paved walkways between four aviaries holding tropical birds - mostly toucans, turacos, hornbills and ibises. The park is also home to various birds from around the world, including rare and exotic birds. There are also a number of waterfowl to be found in the aquatic birds aviary. Vogel Park also includes such birds as emus and penguins.↵An owl flight show is exhibited four times a day.

Vogel Park boasts one of the largest greenhouses in the world, residence to various flowers of which most are found in bloom year-round. Begonia, Fuchsia and Coleus flowers are an example of some that can be admired at the park.^[5]

Japanese inn with hot spring in Matsue, Japan. Tamatsukuri Onsen is an onsen hot spring located in Tamayu, Shimane Prefecture. The closest large city to the onsen is Matsue, which can be accessed by car, bus, or rail. Tamatsukuri is a noted sulfate spring with water temperatures between 50–70 °C.

Tamatsukuri Onsen is an ancient hot spring, dating back to the 8th century where gods are said to bathe once a year since the creation of Japan according to the myth of Izanagi and Izanami. The onsen is mentioned as early as 733 in an entry in the Izumo Fudoki, an ancient record of the culture and geography of Izumo Province.

The waters of Tamatsukuri are said to aid in the recovery from several ailments such as rheumatism, skin conditions, etc. The mineral content of the water is said to be beneficial to the skin, and is a popular destination with those interested in the area's ancient history, and its beauty benefits.^[7]

Rigid-frame bridge. The Eshima Ohashi Bridge is a rigid-frame bridge in Japan that connects Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, and Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, over Nakaumi lake. It was built from 1997 to 2004, and it is the largest rigid-frame bridge in Japan and the third largest in the world. Images of the bridge have been widely circulated on the internet, owing to its seemingly steep nature when photographed from a distance with a telephoto lens, but in actuality, it has a less pronounced, 6.1% gradient in the side of Shimane and a 5.1% gradient in the side of Tottori.

Eshima Ohashi Bridge replaced the previous drawbridge, since traffic was obstructed often by ships for about 7 to 8 minutes, only large vehicles under 14 tons were allowed and only 4000 vehicles could cross it per day.^[8]