One-Day Model Route in Matsue (Winter): Matsue Castle, Horikawa Boat and the Lafcadio Hearn Museum for ¥4,700

This is a one-day model route for Matsue that you can follow in order, with no plans or reservations. In winter (October to March) Matsue Castle’s keep is open 8:30–17:00 and the last Horikawa boat leaves at 16:00, so do the castle and the moat boat in the morning, Matsue History Museum before noon, and the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum in the afternoon. Adult admission adds up to ¥4,700: ¥1,200 for the keep, ¥2,000 for the boat, ¥700 for the History Museum and ¥800 for the two-museum ticket for the Hearn Memorial Museum and Former Residence.

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1. Timetable for one winter day in Matsue

Sources: the official websites of Matsue Castle, the Horikawa boats, Matsue History Museum and the Hearn Memorial Museum (checked on November 3, 2026; links in each section). Times needed are estimates based on the Matsue Castle website (40–50 minutes for the castle, 60 minutes for the History Museum) and the boat’s official ride time (about 50 minutes). A “—” means no fee was found.

2. How to adjust the route (day of the week, fees, weather)

• If you go on a Monday: Matsue History Museum is closed, so spend more time at the Hearn Memorial Museum and Former Residence after lunch (the Hearn Memorial Museum is open every day).
• To save on admission: buy the keep and the History Museum with the Matsue Castle combo ticket (adult ¥1,520).
• To avoid walking too much: the Horikawa boat’s one-day ticket lets you get on and off as often as you like, so you can get off at a landing and look around.

3. The route from morning to late afternoon

8:30 Matsue Castle keep

The keep of Matsue Castle, a National Treasure, is open 8:30–17:00 from October to March, with the last entry at 16:30 (fees and hours page of Matsue Castle, Japanese). It is open every day. Admission is ¥1,200 for adults and free for elementary and junior high school students. You take off your shoes at the entrance of the keep and carry them in a shoe bag. Allow 40–50 minutes from the main entrance (Otemae) up the keep and back.

Parking at Matsue Castle is mainly at two paid lots, Otemae and Shiroyama West (access page of Matsue Castle, Japanese).

Name	Matsue Castle
Address	1-5 Tonomachi, Matsue City, Shimane
Hours / Closed	October–March 8:30–17:00 (tickets until 16:30) · Open every day
Phone	0852-21-4030
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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9:30 Gurutto Matsue Horikawa Meguri (Horikawa sightseeing boat)

The boat goes around the moat that surrounds Matsue Castle in about 50 minutes (fees and timetable page of the Horikawa boats, Japanese). From October to February it runs 9:00–16:00. Boats leave the Fureai Hiroba landing every 20–30 minutes and the Otemae Hiroba landing every 15–20 minutes. Fares are ¥2,000 for adults, ¥1,600 for junior high and high school students and ¥1,000 for elementary school students. The ticket is a one-day ticket, so you can get on and off as many times as you like.

Boarding closes 10 minutes before the end of service. You cannot board unless you are in the waiting room of the landing 5 minutes before departure.

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Photo source: Shimane Prefecture press release, July 29, 2025 (Japanese).

Name	Gurutto Matsue Horikawa Meguri (Horikawa sightseeing boat)
Address	507-1 Kurodacho, Matsue City, Shimane (Fureai Hiroba landing)
Hours / Closed	October–February 9:00–16:00 (boarding tickets until 10 min before closing)
Phone	0852-27-0417
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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10:30 Matsue History Museum

The museum covers the history of the Matsue domain. Admission to the main exhibition is ¥700 for adults who live outside Matsue City and free for elementary and junior high school students (hours and fees page of Matsue History Museum, Japanese). The Matsue Castle combo ticket, which includes the keep, is ¥1,520 for adults. Bought separately the two cost ¥1,900, so you save ¥380. The special exhibition on armor of the Matsue domain runs until December 13, and the spot exhibition on the townscape of Mihonoseki until December 27.

Name	Matsue History Museum
Address	279 Tonomachi, Matsue City, Shimane
Hours / Closed	9:00–17:00 (admission tickets until 16:30) · Closed Mondays (next weekday if a holiday) and December 29–January 1
Phone	0852-32-1607
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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12:00 Lunch: Izumo soba at Yakumoan

This Izumo soba restaurant serves warigo soba (soba in stacked round bowls), tempura warigo, duck nanban and zenzai, among other dishes (menu page of Yakumoan, Japanese). It serves until 13:30 or until the soba runs out, which is why the route has you go in at 12:00.

There are 6 parking spaces on the left of the restaurant. When they are full, use the paid Shiroyama West lot. It is a 1-minute walk from the Hearn Memorial Museum.

Name	Yakumoan
Address	308 Kitaboricho, Matsue City, Shimane
Hours / Closed	10:30–13:30 (closes when soba runs out)
Phone	0852-22-2400
Map	Open in Google Maps ↗
Official site	Open the official site ↗

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13:30 Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum and Former Residence

This museum is about Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), who lived in Matsue. Until June 6, 2027 it holds a special exhibition on his friend Nishida Sentaro and his Izumo years (visitor guide of the Hearn Memorial Museum, Japanese). The museum alone is ¥600 for adults. The two-museum ticket with the Former Residence is ¥800 for adults and can also be bought at the ticket window. It is open 9:00–17:00 from October to March, with the last entry at 16:30.

The three-museum ticket for Matsue Castle, the Hearn Memorial Museum and the Buke Yashiki samurai residence is ¥1,760 for adults and is sold online only (combo ticket information from Matsue Castle, Japanese). If you have time left, add the samurai residence.

Photo source: Shimane Prefecture Tourism Promotion Division press release, March 18, 2026 (Japanese).

Photo credits: Matsue Castle (Wikimedia Commons), by 663highland, CC BY 2.5; Horikawa boat (Wikimedia Commons), by Spiegel, CC BY 4.0; Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum (Wikimedia Commons), by 663highland, CC BY 2.5.

Sources

10 pages we checkedShow

• Matsue Castle: fees and hours (keep, combo ticket)
• Matsue Castle: access (parking and bicycle lots)
• Matsue Castle: FAQ (time needed)
• Matsue Castle: one-day course around the castle town (time guide)
• Horikawa boats: fees and timetable
• Matsue History Museum: hours and fees
• Izumo soba Yakumoan: menu
• Izumo soba Yakumoan: shop information (parking and hours)
• Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum: visitor guide
• Japanese version of this page (日本語版)

Checked with official pages on November 3, 2026 (Japan time).