Matsuejo is an original remaining castle. It has never faced any battle and hence only had minor repairs. It is the only remaining castle in the Sanin region. Japan castle ranking? 2nd largest in size and 3rd tallest amongst the other 11 remaining castles of Japan (**exclude all the replica / rebuilt).
Nickname: Black Castle or Plover Castle
Why the name? ‘Black’ – made of wood. ‘Plover (bird)’ is due to the aesthetic of the roof and deco.
Built in 1611
Category: Japanese National Treasure
Matsue castle houses SERIOUS samurai exhibition. Full house armor – include the under armor, lucky cloth, accessories, weapons etc. Impressive collection of from various samurai class families. The armor collection is a total stunner. Photos do these artistic items no justice. The observatory at the top is not half as impressive as those beautiful armor. Think 5 flights of crazy large & almost vertical stairs
Within 15min walk is a samurai’s home (museum), Matsue shrine, a military ‘themed’ shrine, a moat… Yup, it means boat ride 😀 Boats are available every 20min or so. Check the schedule when you arrive.
Travel tips:
My choice of clothing, yukata, was an epic failure… Have you notice what the stairs looked like inside the castle AND outside the castle. Honestly, it was just me being overly inspired. So no, I do not recommend visiting this place with kimono / yukata.
Shoes off inside the castle, socks only. Make sure your socks are nice 🙂
NB: All non-Japanese nationals get half price on entrance fees & boat ride!!! MUST have your passport with you though
How to get here?
30min walk from Matsue JR station
Otherwise 12min bus ride on the retro Matsue themed bus
Official website: http://www.visit-matsue.com/
http://www.matsue-tourism.or.jp/m_castle/
Quick orientation
Matsue, Shimane prefecture. North of Okayama / Osaka. Belongs to the strip known as the Sanin. Sanin is not as developed as the Sanyo region and hence less visitors and less crowds.
Matsue is 5-6 hours train from Tokyo. From Okayama to Matsue 2.5 hours.
JR pass holders, make sure you check the route, the sunrise izumo night train (Tokyo-Matsue) required a JPY9500 surcharge. Unless you prebook the nobi nobi compartment (free with the pass, but often full), the night train will be expensive.
The JR pass inclusive route is via Okayama. There’s only 1 train per hour from Okayama to Matsue (JR Yakumo).
Other castle visits from me?
Shuri Castle site – Okinawa, Japan
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11 Comments
Wow. Awesome photos and very interesting post thank You.
Thank you for reading, Sartenada 🙂
I love all your pictures here! Some beautiful views.
Thank you for dropping by, Casey 😀
This is a fantastic collection of images Joyce and information, a great photo essay on Matsue castle. You could design their information brochure.
Thank you, Denis. That will be a dream job ????
I have a friend that live there. Very small town but a nice one.
You have a lucky friend. Matue is small, but definitely cozy and beautiful.
How are you able to travel so much. Seems like you are all over the world. Great post btw
Thank you for the kind comment 🙂 I commit a portion of my money towards travels. I stick to cheap transport and budget accommodations (rare occasion to splurge); I prize travel frequently more than travel luxuriously 😀 Sounds cliche, but it is true. I wrote about what I use for trip planning: https://localgirlforeignland.com/2016/05/11/travel-for-less/
That’s great. I will try some of your ideas out.