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Museum · Matsue, Shimane
Adachi Museum of Art
A museum in Yasugi, about 25 km from Matsue, with a large Japanese garden viewed through the windows like a living painting and a collection of modern Japanese painting focused on Yokoyama Taikan.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
A look at the place
Adachi Museum of Art in pictures
These pictures are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs. They may differ from the place.
Click the picture to enlarge it.
Discover
About Adachi Museum of Art
The Adachi Museum of Art was opened in 1970 by Adachi Zenko, a local businessman, in the rural area of Yasugi, east of Matsue. He wanted a museum that combined Japanese painting with a garden, based on the idea that "the garden is also a painting." The result is one of the most highly praised gardens in Japan.
The garden covers about 165,000 square meters and is not walked through: it is viewed from inside the museum, through windows and glass corridors. There are several sections, such as the white-sand-and-pine garden, the moss garden, the pond and an artificial waterfall that descends from the mountain in the background, incorporated as borrowed scenery. One of the dark-framed windows presents the garden like a picture hung on the wall.
An American magazine dedicated to Japanese gardens has ranked Adachi first in its list of the country’s gardens for many years, and the museum appears in international guides. Maintenance is intensive: gardeners prune the pines and care for the moss every day before opening.
The painting collection includes about 130 works by Yokoyama Taikan, a master of 20th-century nihonga painting, along with other modern Japanese painters, and ceramics by Kitaoji Rosanjin and Kawai Kanjiro. Exhibitions change with the seasons. Inside the museum there are cafés and a teahouse overlooking the garden.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
About 1½ to 2 hours.
Best time
Right at opening, with the soft morning light and fewer people. The garden changes each season: azaleas in May, autumn foliage in November and sometimes snow in winter. Check the exhibition calendar.
How to get there
From Yasugi Station on the JR San'in Line, about a 25-minute train ride from Matsue, the museum bus takes about 20 minutes. By car it’s roughly 25 km from Matsue.
Tip
Follow the suggested route, which passes the picture-windows in the correct order, and sit in one of the cafés facing the garden. Photos of the garden are allowed; photographs of artworks are not.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Adachi Museum of Art
Can you walk in the Adachi Museum garden?
No. The garden is viewed from inside the museum, through windows and glass corridors, like a picture.
How do you get to the Adachi Museum of Matsue?
By train to Yasugi Station, about 25 minutes, then the museum bus, about 20 minutes.
How long does a visit to the Adachi Museum take?
About 1½ to 2 hours, including the garden, the painting collection and a break at one of the cafés.
Who was Yokoyama Taikan?
One of the leading Japanese painters of the 20th century and a master of nihonga painting. The Adachi Museum holds one of the largest collections of his works.
Beyond the guide
