Matsue History Museum

Matsue History Museum is a museum in Matsue City dedicated to the history of Matsue. It sits along the moat near Matsue Castle and includes features such as the Den Rikyu tea room and a chief-retainer residence. You can enjoy matcha while viewing a beautiful Japanese garden. Admission is required for the exhibition spaces, but other areas are free, so tourists often use it as a convenient rest stop. Inside are stylish museum-shop souvenir areas and demonstrations of wagashi like nerikiri, making it easy to experience Matsue culture. The café “Kiharu,” which serves wagashi and tea, is especially popular with women for its cute and beautiful sweets. The exterior is dignified with white walls and about 60,000 smoked roof tiles, but inside it has a calming atmosphere that welcomes anyone. It’s popular with both tourists and locals. Access: take the Gurutto Matsue Lake Line bus and get off at “Otemae Horikawa Sightseeing Boat Pier / Rekishikan-mae,” then walk about 3 minutes.