Information

Shimane Prefecture is located in the northern part of the Chugoku region, and the prefecture’s land stretches narrowly from east to west, and the distance between east and west (National Highway No. 9, between Yasugi City and Tsuwano Town) is approximately 230 km. The Oki Islands, which consist of Dozen and Dogo, are located 40 to 80 km north of the Shimane Peninsula. In addition, the beauty of the coastline, which stretches for about 1,027 km, and the vast mountains are rich in natural scenery, creating a beautiful environment surrounded by clean air, blue sea, and greenery.

Access

From Tokyo

By Plane, about 1hr 20 mins from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Izumo Airport by JAL or Yonago Airport by ANA.
There is a shuttle bus from both airports that will take you to Matsue Station in about 30 mins.
Costs around 50, 000 yen, but depends on the season and ticketing.
There are around 5 flights a day.
By train, take the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo Station to Okayama, and change to the Super Yakumo train.
Takes around 6 hrs and costs around 40,000 yen return.

5 MUST-SEE spots

Matsue Castle

Constructed over a period of 5 years from 1607 to 1611 by Yoshiharu Horio, a feudal lord and founder of Matsue. Currently, it is one of the only 12 remaining original castles in Japan and the only one in the San’in region. It was designated National Treasure in 2015. The elegance of the castle’s swooping roofs and decor is often compared to the wings of a ‘Chidori’ (plover bird) which has led to the castle’s nickname, ’Chidori-jo’ (Plover Castle). The castle features an architectural design specifically chosen for battle but retains a grand majestic appearance.

Information

Address	1-5 Tonomachi, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture
Tel. No. for Inquiries	Matsue Castle Mountain Park Management Office　TEL：0852-21-4030
Operating Hours	【When the Honmaru gates open】 [April to September] 07:00 to 19:30 [October to March] 08:30 to 17:00 【Castle tower entry】 [April to September] 08:30 to 18:30 (Reception is until 18:00) [October to March] 08:30 to 17:00 (Reception is until 16:30)
Fee	<Admission fee> [Adults] ¥680 (¥540) [Child] ¥290 (¥230) *Prices in ( ) are for groups of 30 or more
Holidays	Open all year round
Access	・Approx. 10 mins. by Lake Line Bus from JR Matsue Station, then get off at Matsue Castle Otemae bus stop ・Approx. 20 mins. walk from Matsue-Shinjiko-Onsen Station on the Ichibata Electric Railroad ・Approx. 5 mins. by municipal bus (Kita-jyunkan Line Inner Loop) from Matsue-Shinjiko-Onsen Station on the Ichibata Electric Railroad, get off at the Prefectural Office bus stop, then walk approx. 5-mins.

Ryugenji Mabu Mine Shaft

During the middle of Edo period, silver was massively produced in the Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine. These mine shafts are known as ‘mabu’ and there are over 700 of them in various sizes in this area. Ryugenji Mabu was operated under the direct management of the magistrate’s office. Visitors can walk inside of the tunnel and the rough chisel marks made by miners in the Edo period can still be seen clearly on the walls. We recommend taking a relaxing 40 min walk along the beautiful stream in the forest as you go between the mining shaft and Omori.

Information

Address	183 Omori-cho, Oda City, Shimane Prefecture
Tel. No. for Inquiries	Oda City Tourism Promotion Division　TEL：0854-82-1600
Operating Hours	[March to November] 09:00 to 17:00 [December to February] 09:00 to 16:00
Fee	[Adults] ¥410 (¥310) [Elementary and junior high school students] ¥210 (¥150) [Infants]Free *Prices in ( ) are for groups of 20 or more
Holidays	New Year’s Day
Access	Approx. 30 mins. by Iwami Kotsu Bus (bound for Omori / Oya Line / Iwami Ginzan (Omori)) from Odashi Station on the JR Sanin Main Line, get off at the Omori bus stop, then walk approx. 40 mins.

Izumo Taisha

Izumo Taisha, which officially goes by the name Izumo Oyashiro, is a large shrine in Izumo City that shares a deep connection with the myths collected in The Kojiki. The deity enshrined there is none other than Okuninushi, the deity who helped the Rabbit of Inaba. After his marriage to Suseri-hime, he developed the lands of Ashihara-no-Nakatsu Kuni, making it a great nation. How he ended up as the deity enshrined in Izumo Taisha is described in the Kuniyuzuri (“Kuni” means “nation”, and “Yuzuki” means “hand over”) myth in The Kojiki.
Amaterasu wanted Okuninushi to turn control of Ashihara-no-nakatsukuni over to her, and she sent her son Amenohohi down to tell Okuninushi of her wishes. However, upon reaching Izumo, Amenohohi was impressed by Okuninushi and decided to serve him instead. For three years, Amaterasu heard nothing, so she sent another son, Amenowakahiko, down to convey the same message. But like Amenohohi, he also sided with Okuninushi.

Iwami Kagura

Iwami is said to be the birthplace of Kagura. In ancient times Kagura was a dance performed for the enjoyment and appeasement of the gods, but since the Meiji Era it has been practiced as a type of folk entertainment. There are many different performances, but the one depicting Susano-no-mikoto’s battle with the eight-headed serpant, Yamata-no-Orochi, is the most famous.

Information

Address	Hamada City, Oda City, Masuda City, Tsuwano Town ect.
Tel. No. for Inquiries	Hamada City Tourism Exchange Division　TEL：0855-25-9530
Official Site	https://www.all-iwami.com/kagura/

UNESCO Global Geopark: Oki Islands

The Oki Islands is an archipelago located in the Sea of Japan 40-80 km north off the coast of the Shimane Peninsula. The Oki Islands are made up of around 180 islands with most of them permanently uninhabited except for four. The four permanently inhabited islands are Dogo, Nishinoshima, Nakanoshima, and Chiburijima islands. Each of them is made up of one town or village. The islands are split up into Dozen and Dogo, the former meaning “front islands” and the latter meaning “back islands”. Dozen consists of Nishinoshima Town on Nishinoshima Island, Ama Town on Nakanoshima Island and Chibu Village on Chiburijima Island. And Dogo is the biggest island and only consists of Okinoshima Town on Dogo Island.