Matsue Guide…In English

English Guide to Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan

Matsue North – Japanese Restaurants

IZUMO (Sushi and Seafood)

English menu for 2 courses available.

Izumo is a small restaurant with counter seats from where you can watch the chefs at work. It serves courses of local seafood and seasonal ingredients which include nigiri-sushi, rolled sushim miso soup and fruit.

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:30am- 2:00pm / Dinner: 5:30pm – 9:30pm. (Closed on Mondays, or if Monday is a national holiday it will be closed the next day.)

Getting There: It is not far from Shinjiko Onsen Station and very close to Matsue City Office, so take the Lakeline bus from stop no. 7 at Matsue Station to Shijiko Onsen Station, cross over the main road (heading to the city office) and it is to the left of the city office. Here’s a map with the location marked.

http://maimonkai.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?act_shop_view=1&TemplFile=act_shop_detail&id=2

And here are some photos of the restaurant

http://maimonkai.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?act_shop_view=1&id=2 

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KAMIYO SOBA (Local Izumo soba noodles)

English menu available

The soba at this famous restaurant is made from 100% locally grown buckwheat flour. Izumo soba is darker than that of other areas because the outer layer of the grains is also milled. The soba served here is very nutritous with lots of vitamins and fibre.

Opening Times: 11:00am – 5:00pm, however as soon as the soba is sold out the restaurant closes. (Closed on Wednesdays.)

Getting There: The restaurant is not far from the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum/old residence and samurai houses. Take the Lakeline bus from stop no. 7 at Matsue Station and get off at the stop outside the memorial museum/residence. With the museum on your right, cross the traffic lights and the restaurant is just a little further down the road on your right.

See  a map and pictures here:

http://maimonkai.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?act_shop_view=1&id=3

http://maimonkai.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?act_shop_view=1&TemplFile=act_shop_detail&id=3

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KYORAGI

English menu available and they can prepare meals for vegetarians.

Kyoragi serves various sets made up of local seafood from Lake Shinji, Nakaumi Lagoon and the Sea of Japan, and uses organic vegetables. The courses include seafood, sushi, sashimi and Japanese beef sets, and they also serve rice dishes, such as rice topped with shrimp or seasonal seafood.

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:00am – 2:00pm / Dinner: 5:00pm – 10:00pm (Last orders at 9:30pm). (Closed on Mondays, or if Monday is a national holiday it will be closed the next day.)

Getting There: It is only a minute or so on foot along the road on from Kamiyo Soba (see the above entry). The restaurant is not far from the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum/old residence and samurai houses. Take the Lakeline bus from stop no. 7 at Matsue Station and get off at the stop outside the memorial museum/residence. With the museum on your right, cross the traffic lights and the restaurant is further down the road (opposite the local souvenir/ beer hall) on your right.

See photos/map here:

http://maimonkai.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?act_shop_view=1&id=18

http://maimonkai.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?act_shop_view=1&TemplFile=act_shop_detail&id=18 

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KONEKKO-YA (Seafood)

Konekko-ya serves a variety of dishes made with local ingredients, especially those from Lake Shinji which is just across from the restaurant. Dishes include a shijimi clam pizza and grilled sea bass. The restaurant has great views across the lake!

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:00am – 2:00pm / Dinner: 5:00pm – 10:00pm. (Last orders at 9:30pm.) Open daily.

Getting There: The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the Shijimi-kan (a souvenir shop selling local products), next to Ichibata Hotel just near Shinjiko Onsen Station. Take the Lakeline bus from stop no. 7 at Matsue Station to Shijiko Onsen Station and head towards the lake. It is on the lakeshore a bit further down on your right.

It is part of a chain of restaurants in the Nekko-group. Here is their website so you can get an idea of the modern and stylish interior! (The other 2 restaurants are introduced on the Matsue South – Japanese Restaurants page.

http://www.nekkogroup.com/index.php?%E3%81%93%E6%A0%B9%E3%81%A3%E3%81%93%E3%82%84

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MANSAKU (On the 2nd floor of Matsue New Urban Hotel – Honkan)

English menu available.

The restaurant serves a variety of sets – sushi, beef steak, sashimi, tempura, etc. and include soup, side dishes and dessert. They also have a ‘sake tasting set’ containing three kinds of local Matsue sake, and an unusual dish of shijimi clams in ginger.

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:00am – 2:00pm / Dinner: 5:00pm – 10:00pm. (Open daily).

Getting There: The hotel is located on the northern shore of Lake Shinji just across the Shinji-ko Bridge and is very close to the city office. Take the Lakeline bus from stop no. 7 at Matsue Station to Shijiko Onsen Station, cross over the main road (head past the city office) and keep going. (You should see two hotels next to each other near the bridge. It is the first one you come to with a convenience store on the ground floor.)

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MINAMIKAN

English menu available. Can prepare meals for vegetarians.

Minamikan is one of Matsue’s most famous ryokans (Japanese inn), and their restaurant serves a variety of sets including the traditional Japanese full course Kaiseki. Dishes include fresh seafood and seasonal ingredients. The interior is all in traditional Japanese style, and you enjoy a course at a table or try the ‘Counter Kaiseki’, and watch the chef make your dishes right in front of you.

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm / Dinner: 5:00pm – 9:00pm. (The closing day is irregular.)

Getting There: Take the Lakeline Bus from stop no.7 at Matsue Station and get off at Karakoro-kobo. From there cross cross the river and enter Kyomise  – a cobbled area of restaurants and shops, turn left at the T-junction and it is set back on the right. (It overlooks Lake Shinji and the large Ohashigawa River.)

For an idea of the dishes and interior take a look at thier homepage here

http://www.minami-g.co.jp/minamikan/toki/index.html

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SHOHEIKAKU

English menu available.

Shoheikaku is a traditional ryokan (Japanese inn) in the Lake Shinji hot spring area on the northern shore of Lake Shinji. They serve fresh produce from the lake including the famous 7 delicacies of Lake Shinji, and also seaweed roasted in a traditional wooden roaster, which you can see in the restaurant.

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:00am – 3:00pm / Dinner: 5:00pm – 9:00pm. Open daily.

Getting There: Take the Lakeline bus from stop No. 7 at Matsue Station to Shijiko Onsen Station and turn right onto the road of hotels overlooking the lake. Walk along the road (the hotels and lake should be on your left), and you will soon see the hotel just after the souvenir shop.

Here is their website so you know what it looks like!

http://www.shouheikaku.co.jp/

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 TACHIBANAYA (Soba and Udon Noodles)

 English menu available

Tachibanaya is located in one of Matsue’s entertainment districts and stays open quite late to cater for the late-night drinkers. They serve traditional Izumo soba, udon and soba dishes topped  with chicken or shrimp, and some rice bowl dishes.

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:00am – 2:00pm / Night: 6:00pm – 1:00am

Getting There: If you go in the daytime you can take the Lakeline bus from stop no. 7 at Matsue Station to Karakorokobo then head east towards the Red Cross Hospital. (You can’t miss it.) The restaurant is across from the hospital – cross the river in front of the hospital and it is the 3rd shop down on the corner. http://maps.google.co.jp/maps?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&aq=&oq=&hl=ja&rlz=1T4GGIH_jaJP258JP258&q=%e6%9d%be%e6%b1%9f%e5%b8%82%e6%9d%b1%e6%9c%ac%e7%94%ba2-64

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UO-ICHI (Seafood)

English menu available

This famous seafood restaurant was established in 1901, and serves local dishes containing fresh and seasonal ingredients. Dishes include the famous 7 Delicacies of Lake Shinji, and they serve a variety of sets which come with rice, shijimi clam miso soup and side dishes. They also serve dishes of grilled eel on rice.

Opening Times: Lunch: 11:00am – 2:00pm / Dinner: 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Getting There: Take the Lakeline bus to Karakoro kobo and head west along the river. Cross the main road then cross the river and turn right. The restaurant is on your left side facing the river a bit further down.

See the homepage for pictures!

http://www.uoichi.net/annai.htm

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 YAKUMO-AN

 English menu available

 

 

 

This soba restaurant stands along Shiomi-Nawate just near to Lafcadio Hearn’s old house. The restaurant is an old samurai house with a Japanese garden complete with pond and carp. Some parts of the restaurant are around 200 years old. Unfortunately their homepage is only in Japanese, but you can take a look at the pictures and get a feel for the place.

 

http://www.yakumoan.jp/index.html

 Getting There: Take the Lakeline Bus from stop No. 7 at Matsue Station and get off outside Lafcadio Hearn’s house.

 Open: 9:00am – 4:30pm everyday

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 KAWAKYO

 

 

English menu available and English spoken

 

Kawakyo is the place to go if you want to sample the ‘Seven Delicacies of Lake Shinji’. This well-known family-run seafood restaurant is very welcoming to visitors from overseas, so you won’t have any problems here!

 

The Seven Delicacies on the menu are whitebait, shijimi clams, eel, shrimp, bass, smelt and carp.

 Courses cost between 3150 – 4200 yen.

 Directions: Take the lakeline bus to Ohashi Bridge north side. In that area you should see the City Hotel and a convenience store. Stand with the convenience store to your left and you should see a road running to your right (parallel with the river but 2 blocks inland). Kawakyo is on the first block along this road – look for these Japanese characters on the front of the shop （川京）or ask someone passing by.

 Opening Info: Monday – Saturday 18:00 – 22:30 (reservations are recommended – call 0852-22-1312

  Closed on Sundays or the last day of a long national holiday weekend.

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JAPANESE RESTAURANT SHOSUITEI