Adachi Museum of Art

The Adachi Museum of Art (足立美術館, Adachi Bijutsukan) is a celebrated art museum in the town of Yasugi, in eastern Shimane Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan side of the Chugoku region. It is famous for two things above all: an outstanding collection of modern Japanese painting, and — more than anything — its gardens, which are widely regarded as among the finest in Japan and have for many years been ranked the country's top museum garden by a leading specialist survey.

The museum was founded in 1970 by the local businessman Adachi Zenko, who built it around his personal art collection and his conviction that a beautiful garden is itself a living work of art. The collection is strongest in the work of Yokoyama Taikan, the great Nihonga (Japanese-style) painter, and includes other modern Japanese masters, ceramics and crafts. But the gardens are the centrepiece: a series of meticulously composed dry landscape, moss, pond and white-gravel gardens, designed so that the picture-window views from inside the museum frame them like hanging scrolls — and so that the borrowed scenery of the surrounding hills becomes part of the composition.

The museum sits in the rural countryside near Yasugi; it is a destination in itself rather than part of a town centre, and is most often visited as a day trip from Matsue or Yonago. The gardens are designed to be beautiful year-round — fresh green in spring, lush in summer, brilliant with foliage in autumn, and serene under snow in winter — so there is no bad time to come, though spring and autumn are the most comfortable. Note that the gardens are for viewing from inside the museum, not for walking through.

By Plane

The nearest airport is Miho-Yonago Airport (YGJ), also called Yonago-Kitaro Airport, on the coast near Yonago, served by flights from Tokyo Haneda, Seoul Incheon and Hong Kong. From the airport, travel via Yonago and continue toward Yasugi by rail and the museum shuttle bus. Izumo Airport (IZO) to the west is an alternative.

By Train

The nearest station is Yasugi Station on the JR San-in Main Line, served by local trains and limited expresses between Matsue and Yonago. The museum runs a free shuttle bus between Yasugi Station and the museum, timed to connect with trains; the ride takes around 20 minutes.

By Car / Road

The museum is a short drive from Yasugi town and is easily reached from Matsue and Yonago along the San-in corridor; it has ample parking for visitors arriving by car or tour bus.

The Adachi Museum of Art is a single, self-contained destination. From Yasugi Station, the free museum shuttle bus is the standard way to arrive. Once there, the visit is made entirely on foot within the museum buildings, moving between galleries and the picture-window viewing points over the gardens. There is no need for local transport beyond the shuttle.

• The dry landscape garden — The museum's signature view: a sweeping composition of raked white gravel, stones, clipped pines and moss, with the wooded hills behind drawn in as borrowed scenery. Viewed through the museum's large picture windows.
• The White Gravel and Pine Garden, Moss Garden and Pond Garden — A series of distinct gardens, each composed as a framed picture and changing with the seasons.
• The "living framed painting" and "living hanging scroll" — Wall openings deliberately positioned so that a section of garden appears, framed, exactly like a painting.
• Yokoyama Taikan collection — The museum's core art holding, a large and important collection of works by the master Nihonga painter, alongside other modern Japanese paintings.
• Ceramics galleries — Works by noted modern Japanese potters, complementing the painting collection.

The thing to do here is, quite simply, to view the gardens and the collection — moving slowly through the museum, pausing at each picture window to take in the carefully composed garden scenes, and exploring the galleries of Yokoyama Taikan and other modern Japanese art. Allow a couple of unhurried hours. The museum's teahouses and café, set so that visitors can enjoy refreshments while looking out over the gardens, are part of the intended experience. The visit pairs naturally with a day trip taking in Matsue's castle or the Izumo shrine.

The museum has its own café and tea rooms, positioned so that diners can enjoy a meal, tea or sweets while looking out over the gardens — the recommended way to eat during a visit. For a wider choice of restaurants, the towns of Yasugi, Matsue and Yonago are within easy reach; the region is known for Sea of Japan seafood and Izumo soba.

The museum's teahouses serve matcha and Japanese sweets as well as coffee, all with garden views. Shimane is a sake-producing prefecture, with local brews available in nearby towns. Tap water is safe to drink throughout Japan.

The Adachi Museum is usually visited as a day trip, with no need to stay on site.

• Mid-range / Upscale: The hot-spring town of Sagi-no-yu Onsen near Yasugi has ryokan, and Yasugi town itself has hotels; Tamatsukuri Onsen between Yasugi and Matsue is a noted hot-spring resort with traditional ryokan.
• Budget / Mid-range: Business hotels around Matsue and Yonago stations, both within easy reach, provide a convenient base.

The museum has a gift shop selling art books, prints, postcards, ceramics and garden-themed souvenirs related to the collection and gardens. The town of Yasugi is also associated with the lively folk dance the Yasugi-bushi (the "loach-scooping" dance). Prices are fixed; bargaining is not customary in Japan.

• Yasugi — The host town; home of the folk dance Yasugi-bushi.
• Matsue — A short distance west; capital of Shimane, with an original 16th-century castle.
• Yonago — A short distance east; transport hub and gateway to Mt. Daisen.
• Izumo — West along the coast; home of the ancient Izumo Taisha shrine.
• Mount Daisen — East via Yonago; the "Fuji of West Japan", with hiking and skiing.
• Sakaiminato — North-east on the coast; fishing port and home of manga artist Mizuki Shigeru.