7 art museums and museums in Shimane
- Admission ranges from ¥220 at Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka to ¥2,500 at the Adachi Museum of Art.
- Three museums are closed every Tuesday: Shimane Art Museum, Iwami Art Museum and Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka.
- Free parking includes 400 spaces at the Adachi Museum of Art and 244 at the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo.
This page picks 7 art museums and museums in Shimane Prefecture, in Matsue, Yasugi, Izumo and Masuda. Admission runs from ¥220 at Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka to ¥2,500 at the Adachi Museum of Art. Three are closed every Tuesday (Shimane Art Museum, Iwami Art Museum and Fudoki-no-Oka), while the Adachi Museum of Art and the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum are open every day of the year. In winter, the Adachi Museum of Art and the Hearn museum (October to March), the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (November to February), and the Matsue History Museum and Fudoki-no-Oka (all year) close at 17:00, so avoid packing the afternoon too tightly.
In short
- Lowest admission: Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka (¥220 for adults), and the collection exhibitions at Shimane Art Museum and Iwami Art Museum (¥400 for adults, free for elementary to high school students).
- A full day: the Adachi Museum of Art (the garden and all the galleries are included in one admission).
- Around Matsue Castle: the Matsue History Museum and the Hearn museum, with combined tickets.
- For myths and ancient history: the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo and Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka.
- Free parking: the Adachi Museum of Art (400 spaces), the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (244) and Fudoki-no-Oka (60).
Checked with official pages on November 3, 2026 (Japan time). Prices and hours may change.
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1. Admission, closed days and parking at the 7 museums in Shimane
Parking is free at 4 of the 7: the Adachi Museum of Art, the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo, Fudoki-no-Oka and the Matsue History Museum (12 spaces). Shimane Art Museum is free for 3 hours, then ¥100 per hour. Click a name to jump to its section.
| Museum | Location | Admission (adult) | Closed | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shimane Art Museum | Matsue | Collection exhibition ¥400 | Tuesdays; Dec 28-Jan 1 | 230 (3 hours free) |
| Matsue History Museum | Matsue | ¥700 | Mondays; Dec 29-Jan 1 | 12 (free) |
| Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum | Matsue | ¥600 | Open every day | – |
| Fudoki-no-Oka | Matsue | ¥220 | Tuesdays; New Year | 60 (free) |
| Adachi Museum of Art | Yasugi | ¥2,500 | Open every day | 400 (free) |
| Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo | Izumo | ¥680 | 1st and 3rd Tuesdays | 244 (free) |
| Iwami Art Museum | Masuda | Collection exhibition ¥400 | Tuesdays; New Year | – |
Source: each museum’s official visitor guide, fees and access pages (checked on November 3, 2026; links in each section). Admission is the individual fee for the permanent or collection exhibition, and some museums charge extra for special exhibitions. A dash in the table means the official site gives no parking information.
2. What to know when choosing in Shimane
In winter, closing times are early and New Year closures differ by museum, so apart from the Adachi Museum of Art and the Hearn museum you need to pick your day.
- Closing times: Shimane Art Museum closes at 18:30 from October to February (last entry to the galleries 18:00), and Iwami Art Museum at 18:00 (last entry 17:30). The Adachi Museum of Art and the Hearn museum close at 17:00 from October to March, the Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo from November to February, and the Matsue History Museum and Fudoki-no-Oka all year.
- At New Year, Shimane Art Museum is closed from December 28 to January 1, and the Matsue History Museum from December 29 to January 1. The Adachi Museum of Art and the Hearn museum are open every day (the Hearn museum closes a few times a year for maintenance).
- Around Matsue Castle there are combined tickets. The “Matsue Castle combined ticket” for the castle keep and the Matsue History Museum is ¥1,520 for adults, and the 2-museum ticket for the Hearn museum and the Lafcadio Hearn Former Residence is ¥800 for adults.
- A free shuttle bus runs every day from JR Yasugi Station to the Adachi Museum of Art, and Shimane Art Museum is about 5 minutes from the Matsue-nishi ramp on the San’in Expressway.
3. Four museums in Matsue
Shimane Art Museum
This prefectural art museum sits on the shore of Lake Shinji (Shimane Art Museum visitor guide, Japanese). The collection exhibition is ¥400 for adults and ¥260 for university students, and free for elementary to high school students. Special exhibition prices change with each show. Winter collection exhibitions are “Changes in Izumo Ware: Rakuzan and Fushina Ware” until January 18, “Light and People: Images of Figures” until January 11, and the sculpture show “The Charm of Wood” until February 1.
From JR Matsue Station you can go by city bus or on foot. The museum lot has 230 spaces, free for up to 3 hours, then ¥100 per hour, and ¥500 overnight (22:00 to 8:00).
| Name | Shimane Art Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 1-5 Sodeshi-cho, Matsue City, Shimane |
| Hours / Closed | October–February 10:00–18:30 (last entry to exhibition rooms 18:00) · Closed Tuesdays and December 28–January 1 |
| Phone | 0852-55-4700 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Matsue History Museum
This museum near Matsue Castle covers the history of the Matsue domain. The basic exhibition fee (Matsue History Museum hours and fees page, Japanese) is ¥700 for adults from outside Matsue City and ¥350 for Matsue residents, and elementary and junior high school students became free from July 1, 2026. The “Matsue Castle combined ticket” with the castle keep is ¥1,520 for adults (free for elementary and junior high school students) and is sold at the counters of both facilities. The special exhibition on the Matsue domain’s armor with boar-eye cutouts runs until December 13, and the spot exhibition “Townscape of Mihonoseki” until December 27.
There is a dedicated free lot for 12 cars, a 1-minute walk from the museum. When it is full, use a paid lot nearby.
| Name | Matsue History Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 279 Tonomachi, Matsue City, Shimane |
| Hours / Closed | 9:00–17:00 (exhibition reception until 16:30) · Closed Mondays (following weekday if a holiday) and December 29–January 1 |
| Phone | 0852-32-1607 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum
This memorial museum is for Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), who lived in Matsue. From September 25, 2026 to June 6, 2027 it holds the exhibition “To Sentaro Nishida: Fond Memories of the Izumo Years”. Admission is ¥600 for adults and ¥300 for elementary and junior high school students (Hearn Memorial Museum visitor guide, Japanese). The 2-museum ticket with the Lafcadio Hearn Former Residence is ¥800 for adults and ¥400 for elementary and junior high school students, and is also sold at the counter.
A 3-museum ticket for Matsue Castle, the Hearn museum and the samurai residence is listed on the Matsue Castle fees and hours page (Japanese) at ¥1,760 for adults and ¥400 for elementary and junior high school students (sold on the web only).
Photo source: Shimane Prefecture Tourism Promotion Division press release (March 18, 2026) (Japanese)
| Name | Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 322 Okudani-cho, Matsue City, Shimane |
| Hours / Closed | October–March 9:00–17:00 (reception until 16:30) · Open daily (closed a few times a year for maintenance) |
| Phone | 0852-21-2147 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka
This is a prefectural museum of ancient history on a hill spread with burial mounds and the site of the Izumo provincial office. Admission is ¥220 for adults and ¥110 for university students; elementary, junior high and high school students and young children are free (Fudoki-no-Oka admission guide, Japanese). During special exhibitions the fee changes, including the permanent exhibition.
Parking is free, for 60 regular cars and 3 buses.
| Name | Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka |
|---|---|
| Address | 456 Oba-cho, Matsue City, Shimane |
| Hours / Closed | 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30) · Closed Tuesdays (following Wednesday if a holiday) and New Year holidays |
| Phone | 0852-23-2485 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
4. An art museum in Yasugi: the Adachi Museum of Art
Adachi Museum of Art
This museum is known for its Japanese garden and modern Japanese paintings (Adachi Museum of Art hours and fees page, Japanese). Admission is ¥2,500 for adults, ¥2,000 for university students, ¥1,000 for high school students and ¥500 for elementary and junior high school students, and the same fee covers the garden, the main building, the Rosanjin Hall and the new building. This winter it holds the special winter exhibition “Vertical and Horizontal” in the main building from December 1 to February 28, 2027, and “Masterpieces of Contemporary Japanese Painting III” in the new building from November 18 to March 9, 2027. Only the new building has closed days for changing exhibits, which in 2026 are November 16 and 17.
A free shuttle bus runs every day from JR Yasugi Station. Parking is free, for 400 regular cars and 30 buses.
| Name | Adachi Museum of Art |
|---|---|
| Address | 320 Furukawa-cho, Yasugi City, Shimane |
| Hours / Closed | October–March 9:00–17:00 · Open daily (new building only has closed days for changing exhibits) |
| Phone | 0854-28-7111 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
5. Museums in Izumo and Iwami
Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo
This prefectural museum near Izumo Grand Shrine (Museum of Ancient Izumo hours and fees page, Japanese) is holding the reopening special exhibition “Orochi and Susanoo, Afterward” until November 29. The permanent exhibition is ¥680 for adults, ¥450 for university students and ¥220 for elementary to high school students (revised in April 2026), and all 244 parking spaces are free. Special exhibition periods are charged separately.
It is a 7-minute walk from Izumotaishamae Station on the Ichibata Electric Railway, or you can take an Ichibata Bus to “Kodai Izumo Rekishi Hakubutsukan-mae”.
Photo sources: Shimane Prefecture press release (October 23, 2018) and Shimane PR Office press release (October 14, 2026) (Japanese)
| Name | Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo |
|---|---|
| Address | 99-4 Kitsukihigashi, Taisha-cho, Izumo City, Shimane |
| Hours / Closed | November–February 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30) · Closed 1st and 3rd Tuesdays (in December: December 1 and 15) |
| Phone | 0853-53-8600 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Shimane Prefectural Iwami Art Museum
This prefectural art museum is inside the Shimane Arts Center “Grand Toit” in Masuda City (Grand Toit visitor guide, Japanese). The collection exhibition is ¥400 for adults and ¥260 for university students, and free for high school students and younger. Special exhibition prices differ by show, and there is a set ticket that also covers the collection exhibition on the same day.
It is about 1 km from JR Masuda Station. Take an Iwami Kotsu bus (bound for Ikoji) for about 5 minutes and get off at “Grand Toit-mae”.
Common questions
| Name | Shimane Prefectural Iwami Art Museum |
|---|---|
| Address | 5-15 Ariake-cho, Masuda City, Shimane |
| Hours / Closed | 9:30–18:00 (last entry to exhibition rooms 17:30) · Closed Tuesdays (following weekday if a holiday) and New Year holidays |
| Phone | 0856-31-1860 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
Which museums in Shimane are open at New Year?
The Adachi Museum of Art and the Hearn museum are open every day of the year (the Hearn museum closes a few times a year for maintenance). Shimane Art Museum is closed from December 28 to January 1 and the Matsue History Museum from December 29 to January 1.
Which museums in Shimane have low admission?
Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka is ¥220 for adults, and the collection exhibitions at Shimane Art Museum and Iwami Art Museum are ¥400 for adults. Elementary to high school students are free at the collection exhibitions or permanent exhibition of Shimane Art Museum, Iwami Art Museum and Fudoki-no-Oka.
Photo sources: Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum photo (Wikimedia Commons) (by 663highland, CC BY 2.5) and Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo photo (Wikimedia Commons) (by 663highland, CC BY 2.5)
Sources
15 pages we checked
- Shimane Art Museum: visitor guide (hours and fees)
- Shimane Art Museum: access and parking
- Matsue History Museum: hours and fees
- Matsue History Museum: access (dedicated parking)
- Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum: visitor guide (hours and fees)
- Matsue Castle: fees and hours (combined tickets)
- Yakumo-tatsu Fudoki-no-Oka: admission
- Adachi Museum of Art: hours and admission
- Adachi Museum of Art: free shuttle bus
- Adachi Museum of Art: winter special exhibition
- Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo: hours and fees
- Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo: access and parking
- Shimane Arts Center Grand Toit: visitor guide (Iwami Art Museum fees and closed days)
- Shimane Arts Center Grand Toit: access
- Japanese version of this page (日本語版)
Checked with official pages on November 3, 2026 (Japan time).
