Matsue Guide…In English
English Guide to Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, JapanAsk a Question!
Got a question about Matsue (or Shimane)? Post it here in the comments box and we will do our very best to answer it!
23 Comments»
I. wrote @
Can you recommend any places where younger people hang out (20′s/30′s). I live in the area but I’m looking to meet some new people. Bars, Music venues, etc. Also any foreign friendly bars would be great.
matsueguide wrote @
Hello and thanks for your question! We are in the process of updating our info about bars…
(finding foreigner friendly ones hasn’t been easy…)
There is a foreigner friendly music venue in Kyomise on the north side of Matsue (cross Shinjiko Ohashi bridge and turn left down the cobbled street).
It’s called Naked Space and it hosts DJs from all around Japan.
Here’s the link (mostly in Japanese)
http://www.naked-space.com/
And the owner of the recently closed gaijin bar Kaya is starting some open mic nights at the cafe of a clothes shop called
Port Below. The first one is going to be on May 29th from 9pm (1000 yen entrance.) If it becomes a regular thing we will advertise it on this site.
There should be quite a few foreigners attending.
Port Below is in Tenjin Machi near the STIC Building. From Tenjin shrine head north, cross the lights and it is halfway up the street on your right.
Hope this helps! (I’ll try to get more updates done soon…)
Heather
Zeny Ocean wrote @
I will be in Matsue October 22nd and 23rd, 2010. Will it be possible for me to meet and use the knowledge of a Goodwill Guide?
matsueguide wrote @
So sorry Zeny, your comment had gone straight into the spam box and I only just saw it when I was cleaning it out.
I hope you had a nice time in Matsue…
As for your question, it’s a bit late for you, but they are usually stationed around the castle on Saturdays and Sundays. Hopefully you found one when you were here….
Heather
Ingrid wrote @
I will be visiting Matsue soon and would love to play the game of Go (囲碁) during my visit to Japan. Is there a Go salon or Go club in Matsue where a foreign woman could play?
I am an intermediate player (not very strong, but no longer a beginner). I don’t speak Japanese other than a few Go terms.
I will be visiting at the end of May and beginning of June. I will visit the World Amateur Tournament but was also hoping to find a local place where I could play.
Many thanks for your help!
matsueguide wrote @
Thank you for your question Ingrid.
I don’t know of any, but give me a few days and I’ll ask around and see if there is a club that would welcome you. I’ll post the information here as soon as I get it!
Heather
matsueguide wrote @
Hello again Ingrid.
I might be able to arrange an introduction and private visit to a club through an acquaintance.
Would you mind emailing me at italkyoutalk@gmail.com? I’ll be able to give you more details by email.
Heather.
Ingrid wrote @
Thank you Heather! I will e-mail.
Thank you so much, and thank you also for all the information you provide on your website. I especially appreciate the information about vegetarian-friendly restaurants! ^___^
matsueguide wrote @
You’re welcome! We have another site too which has more info about Shimane – http://www.visitshimane.com
Hope to hear from you soon, Heather
Gillian Jones wrote @
Hello,
I would like to attend the Matsue drum festival. I have heard that it is on November 3, 2011. Is that correct?
Thank you for your assistance.
Gillian
matsueguide wrote @
Thanks for your question Gillian. It looks like it is on October 16th this year. If there is any change we will post it on the site!
http://www.matsue400.jp/cgi-bin/rus7/event2/view.cgi?d=320
Karsten wrote @
Hello, i am on the 9 of october 2011 in Matsue. It is a sunday. Do the city of matsue have some tours with goodwill guides? I want to see Izumo Taisha too. Unfortunately I am not able to find a good contact through the internet. If so, can you forward me a contact. German or english will be nice. If not professional guided tours are also OK.Thanks for your help in advance. Karsten
matsueguide wrote @
Hello Karsten,
Sorry for the late reply. You can reserve a tour with the Goodwill Guides as long as you make arrangements in advance.
The international tourist office in Matsue History Museum can help you reserve. They speak English, and can be contacted at
+81 (0)852 26 2011. You can also fax them on +81 (0) 852 28 5931 or email at annai2011$mable.ne.jp (Change the $ sign to @)
If you need anymore help, let me know. Have a good trip! Heather
trudy wrote @
My grandfather was born in 1889 in “Nishikawatsu Mura, Yatsuka Gun, Shimane ken”. Can anyone help me identify the modern area of Matsue that roughly corresponds to this archaic address/description? I am planning to visit in 2012 and would like to see where my roots are. Thank you for any help!
matsueguide wrote @
Thank you for your question, and I’m sorry for the late reply! I’ve been doing a bit of research, and found that
the old village of Nishikawatsu merged with that of Higashikawatsu in 1903 to form Kawatsu mura, and then it merged into Matsue
city in 1939. The area is presently called Kawatsu and the western part is still called Nishi-kawatsu.
I think I’ve managed to pinpoint the area a little further, as I found that the famous Rakuzan pottery kiln which is still doing very well today,
was (and still is) located in Rakuzan, which used to be in the old Nishi-kawatsu village. I’ve linked to the google map page which points out the present day Rakusan in Nishi-kawatsu.
I hope this helps! If we can help you with anything, else, let us know! Heather 
trudy wrote @
Heather,
Thanks so very much for all of the information. It will definitely help a LOT! Being unable to speak or read Japanese poses a huge obstacle in trying to trace my grandparents’ history. I will be forever grateful for your assistance!
matsueguide wrote @
You’re welcome! If I can help with anything else, just let me know. The city or prefectural office may have archives with records and maps etc.
There is a volunteer English guide group here who may be able to assist you in looking for further information when you are here. I can ask the person in charge if they can help you do some research when you are here if you want!
matsueguide wrote @
You’re welcome! Feel free to email me at italkyoutalk(at)gmail.com when you have the details of your trip/schedule and I’ll see what I can arrange.
Julien Clancy wrote @
Hi, I’m a Irish radio producer and I’m visiting Matsue this weekend(Saturday 26th to Monday 28th) to do some recording on Lafcadio Hearn. I was hoping to meet maybe a Japanese english speaker to maybe tell me about Matsue and show me around.Can I e.mail you atitalkyoutalk@gmail.com to discuss?…. – Julien
matsueguide wrote @
Yes, you can email me or you can contact the Goodwill Guides – I’m sure one of their Englisb speaking Japanese guides would be able to show you around. The contact info is on this PDF http://www.matsu-reki.jp/info/english_text.pdf
(It might be best to call them TEL:0852-26-2011 and ask about making a reservation.)
The Goodwill Guides also have a facebook page where you can contact them directly. http://www.facebook.com/MatsueCitySightseeingGoodwillGuideAssociation
If you don’t have any luck with the above, let me know!
Hope you enjoy your time here!
Heather
Can you please tell me the dates for this year’s suigosai.
I’ve been checking all the usual sites,
but I can’t find any information in English.
The dates for Suigosai 2009 in Matsue are August 1st and 2nd (Saturday and Sunday). See you there!!