Kōunkaku

The castle keep is one of only twelve original castles left in Japan, dating back to 1611. Inside the castle you'll find an impressive array of original artifacts from the Matsudaira clan including original armor, swords, and helmets. The top of the castle offers a great view of Matsue City and Lake Shinji.

Held yearly from late March to mid April. Around this time the cherry trees around the castle will be in full bloom, and many people have hanami picnics on the castle grounds. In the evening lanterns are lit, making it possible to picnic until 9PM.
On the weekends various events are held on the castle grounds.

An ancient and very loud festival, where massive drums on floats are pulled through the streets of Matsue. Every neighbourhood has their own drum, so competition to have the best drumming performance is fierce each year. Held yearly mid-October in the afternoon. Drummers gather around Matsue castle around noon and the parade starts at 2PM.

Take one of these boats through the moat around Mastue Castle and the neighboring canals for a totally different perspective on the city. The boats feature traditional charcoal heated low table or kotatsu during colder weather. There are several stops for getting on and off, the main one being right behind the parking area of Matsue Castle.

Paper lanterns luminate the streets along the Matsue Castle moat from the Shimane Prefectural office all the way along Shiomi Nawate street. On Fridays and weekends there are food stalls on the Matsue Castle parking area and the Horikawa Sightseeing Boats will also operate in the evening during this period. From mid-September to mid-October.

The Matsue History Museum offers a glimpse into the past of Matsue and the surrounding area. The museum also houses the Matsue International Tourist Information Office. The staff speaks English and can help with booking a hotel.