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• furinkazan on My Page    April 26, 2012 at 05:33 PM
  

  This castle is certainly deserving its 5 stars. Like the webmaster told in his notes the pictures of this castle don't make it justice. I didn't believed my eyes when i saw this very big keep and its interior. The artifacts on show on the 2nd floor are plenty and wonderful. I visited the bukeyashiki after it. You can take a leaflet at the information facility just outside the station whereupon are the facilities you get a percentage off the entrance-fee when you are a foreigner. Most of the time the price is halved, by others you get 30% off the fee.

• bryanbaier on My Page    February 13, 2012 at 10:13 PM
  

  This and Matsumoto Castle are tied for first place in my opinion. This was the first original castle I visited so I was really blown away by how amazing this castle is.

• Frank T. on My Page    October 17, 2011 at 11:12 AM
  

  Granted, Matsue does not have as many other buildings as some other sites, but it has SO much going for it. Not only is the keep original. Not only are the grounds well kept and beautiful. Not only are there other points of interest--Lafcadio Hearn's house is on the north side of the castle, for example. No, on top of all this, each time I've been here, the place has been nearly empty, quite unlike the other top castle sites. Matsue cares for its castle, and it shows. When I visited they were setting up for festivals or other events on the east side. Presumably things would have been more lively than when I visited, but I wish I could have been there then. Matsue is EASILY my favorite castle site--disregarding Himeji since it's generally recognized as the best, and with apologies to Matsuyama.

• a22cricket on My Page    May 16, 2011 at 07:00 PM
  

  One of the few original castles. Boat tours go around the moat offering great views of the castle. Inside the castle itself is a small museum about the area. The city often advertises itself as the Kyoto of the west. That's a bit of a stretch but the castle is great.

• Raymond    July 31, 2009 at 09:24 PM
  

  I went to this castle last Saturday. The weather was not the best, but it was and is a magnificent castle to visit. There are not a lot of the original towers and gates left, but the castle keep is an original wooden one, and one of the bigger ones out of the original twelve castles left in Japan. The museum inside is very good with lots of armour, weapons, and period model of the castle on display. There are three reconstructed turrets based on old B&W photos and original designs. Here is a bit of travel advice. If you are non-Japanese, buy your ticket from the ticket window and not the machine at Ichi no Mon Gate. Show the staff your gaijin card or passport, and entry to the castle is half price. It's nice to get something back for all the taxes I pay in this country. This policy applies to some of the other major sightseeing spots in Matsue City, too. To get to Matsue Castle, buy the one day pass for the Matsue Lake Line Bus. It is a tourist mini-bus painted in red with wooden paneling inside. You can't miss it. There is a bus stop for it outside Matsue JR Station. The one day pass cost 500yen and departure is every 20 minutes or so.

• Lynden C    January 15, 2009 at 06:23 PM
  

  When I lived in Izumo since there was very little to do there I'd often come to Matsue to do my shopping or go to parties. Matsue-jp is well worth a visit. They have a good selection of Kabuto and Nihonga. Also Matsue-jo contains all it's original timbers and foundations so walking around is a real treat. Just be warned if you go in winter it's absolutely freezing inside. While at Matsue-jo I recommend slipping around the back and visiting the home of Kwaidan author Lefcardio Hern. (Yakumo Koizumi)