<Recommended 6 souvenirs from Izumo and Matsue

Izumo Area

1
Shirube, red seal book specialty store "Red seal book

A specialty store with more than 100 types of red seal booklets to make shrine visits more enjoyable.

This specialty store offers more than 100 types of red seal impression books with a variety of designs. Since books cannot be bound by machine, they are all handmade by craftsmen. The vivid cloth and Japanese paper on which the books are made also make them appealing crafts.
One of the most popular items is the Shirube original series. The red background with the auspicious "Kano-musubi" (a knot that brings good luck) on it makes you want to keep it with you as your own personal good luck charm. The "Yakumono-zu" motif depicted in the main shrine of Izumo Taisha is popular among both men and women for its simple yet dignified design. Izumo's unique motifs, such as "katadama" and "hare," are also available. We hope you will experience the joy of finding a book of your choice from among the wide variety of designs. You can also buy one before visiting Izumo Taisha Shrine, since the shop is located on "Shinmon-dori," the main approach to Izumo Taisha Shrine.
In addition, we also sell goods that make great souvenirs, such as red seal book covers, drawstring bags for carrying them around, and paste boxes for storing them.

Shirube, a store specializing in red seal stamp books

• Izumo Kizukiya, 772 Kizuki-Minami, Taisha-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture, 2nd floor MAP
• 5 minutes walk from Izumo Taisha-mae Station on the Ichibata Dentetsu Line
• 10:00 - 16:00 (hours of operation vary depending on the season)
• No holidays
• 0853-31-4355
• None

2
Esuko "Usagokurokuji" "Good Luck Charm Bag

A variety of items with rabbit motifs associated with Izumo Taisha Shrine!

If you are looking for a souvenir that is unique to Izumo and will bring you good luck, the souvenir shop "Esuko" located right in front of Izumo Taisha Shrine will meet your needs. The name of the store means "good condition" in Izumo dialect. The shop offers a large selection of items in the motif of a rabbit, which is said to be a messenger of the gods in Izumo.
The "Usa-mikuji," which comes out when you pull the string on your hip, contains advice on matchmaking and recommended specialties written in Izumo dialect. The lucky red-and-white "omamori (good luck charm) bag" is cushion-filled and tailored to hold a gradation gem or natural stone inside. It is also popular to put sand from "Inasa-no-hama" beach, the gateway to the 8 million deities, inside the bag to make it into a sand charm. All of these are original products available only at this store.
On the second floor, visitors can experience making accessories using natural stones.

Esko

• 841 Kinezuki-Minami, Taisha-cho, Izumo-shi, Shimane MAP
• Approximately 7 minutes on foot from Izumo Taisha-mae Station on the Ichibata Electric Railway Line.
• Take a bus from JR Izumo City Station and get off at "Shomon-mae (Izumo Taisha Shrine)" stop.
• 9:00-17:00 (may change depending on the season)
• No holidays
• 0853-31-4035
• None

3
ANTWORKS GALLERY "Rising Zodiac Signs

Good-luck charms that feel the warmth of wood and are a joy to display.

This gallery and select store of craft works has a unique presence on "Shinmon-dori," the main approach to Izumo-taisha Shrine. The store is an old wooden house that has been renovated into a gallery space with tatami mats, where the owner, who is also an artist, displays a variety of unique works of woodwork, glass, and tableware found in and outside of the prefecture.
The "Rising Zodiac Sign" is a small palm-sized zodiac sign that rises from the ground. The base is carved out on a wooden potter's wheel and painted with paints. Oriental zodiac signs are lucky charms that serve to welcome the "god of the year. The most popular is the zodiac sign of the year, but many people purchase a combination of their own and their family's zodiac signs as a souvenir.
The store also offers other items that enrich people's lives, such as accessories, tableware, and objects to decorate your space, making it a place you will want to visit every time you are in Izumo.

ANTWORKS GALLERY

• 1342-8 Kinezuki-Minami, Taisha-cho, Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture MAP
• 2 minutes walk from Izumo Taisha-mae Station on the Ichibata Dentetsu Line.
• 10:00-17:00
• Closed on weekends and holidays
• 0853-53-2965
• 2 cars

Matsue Area

4
JIGEMON "Matsuyesika

Cute handicrafts that show off Matsue's specialties at a glance

The select store is located on the edge of the moat of Matsue Castle, a national treasure, in the "Matsue Gokoro" sightseeing complex space. The shop offers a wide variety of products from the Shimane region, including seasonings, teas, and other local specialties, as well as Iwami Kagura masks, Japanese paper accessories, and other items carefully nurtured by the Shimane climate.
One of the most eye-catching items in the store is Matsue's version of the Russian folk art "Matryoshka," called "Matsueshka. Holding Matsue Castle, powdered green tea, Matsue's famous confectionery "Wakakusa," a Japanese traditional Japanese bead, and shijimi (dried shijimi clams) in their hands, the "Matsueshika" is promoting Matsue's specialties. There is also a "Dojosuika" dressed in the traditional "Dojosukui Odori" costume of Yasugi City, Shimane Prefecture, and a "Matsueshika" holding a rabbit and a heart. All of these dolls are made by a single artist living in Matsue City, so they may be sold out. You will have to wait until you visit to see which doll you can find.

Shimane no Iimono "Jigemon" (good things from Shimane)

• 318 Kitabori-cho, Matsue-shi, Shimane MAP
• 20 min. walk from Matsue Shinjiko Onsen Station on the Ichibata Electric Railway Line.
• Take a bus from JR Matsue Station and get off at "Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Museum Mae".
• 9:30-17:30
• Wednesday
• 080-5756-4795
• 2 cars

5
Yakumonuri-Yamamoto "Hand Mirror

Light and compact hand mirrors made of traditional Yakumo-nuri lacquerware

Yakumono-nuri" is a workshop and store established in 1890 (Meiji 23). Yakumo-nuri" is a unique type of lacquerware created by Heiichi Sakata, a painter in the service of the Matsue Clan in the early Meiji period (1868-1912), using techniques from both Japan and overseas. Yakumo-nuri is characterized by the use of "suki-urushi" lacquer over the painted surface, which becomes more transparent with age, and the patterns emerge more vividly. Tea sets, sake cups, trays, and other items made in the workshop on the second floor of the store are highly valued as works of art and are designated as "Shimane Prefecture's Hometown Traditional Crafts.
The most popular item among young women is the lightweight and compact wooden round mirror "Goen Kagami". The elegant patterns of rabbits, camellias, and gradient balls painted by hand in natural lacquer are elegant, and the unique moistness of the lacquer feels comfortable in the hand. Mirrors are also known as charms to ward off evil and misfortune, as they reflect evil and misfortune, and are recommended to be worn as a good-luck charm.

Yakumonuri-Yamamoto (Yamamoto Lacquerware Store)

• 45 Suetsugu Honmachi, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture MAP
• 15 minutes walk from JR Matsue Station
• Take a bus from JR Matsue Station and get off at Ohashi Kitazume bus stop.
• 9:00-19:00
• January 1-3
• 0852-23-2525
• None

6
SODESHIGAMA "Pottery

Modern tableware that fits on your dining table 365 days a year

The kiln was established in 1877. The fifth generation of the kiln's current owner has continued to improve the design and size to suit modern homes and lifestyles, as well as to carry on the traditional techniques of the kiln. The kiln is now in its fifth generation.
Sodeshigama's pottery, including the vertical stripe and lattice patterns using light blue and bright ochre glazes, is simple yet moderately gorgeous and matches any kind of food. Sode-shi Kiln has many fans both inside and outside of Shimane Prefecture, and has established itself as one of the representative kilns of Shimane Prefecture. There is a full lineup of products that can be easily purchased, such as soba inokuchi (buckwheat noodle bowls) that can be used as small bowls, and small plates with a wide variety of patterns. Why not buy them as souvenirs for your home or for your friends?

Sodeshigama (Sodeshi Kiln)

• 3-21 Sodeshi-cho, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture MAP
• 18 min. walk from JR Matsue Station
• Take a bus from JR Matsue Station and get off at "Sodeshi-cho" bus stop.
• 9:00-17:30
• Sunday
• 0852-21-3974
• Free of charge

<Hot spring ryokans where you can fully enjoy Izumo's culture

After a day of sightseeing, how about relaxing at Tamatsukuri hot spring, famous for its historic and skin-beautifying waters? Guest rooms are decorated with Izumo's traditional techniques and new sensitivities, such as Izumo forging, Ishu washi paper, and Kumiko crafts, and Izumo's culture can be enjoyed through nightly Kagura performances.

7
Hoshino Resorts KAI Tamatsukuri

Guest rooms with Outdoor hot spring to enjoy the historic "God's hot water

Approximately 20 minutes by car from Matsue. Located in Tamatsukuri hot spring in Izumo, the Land of the Gods, this hot spring ryokan features an outdoor hot spring in every room. Guests can enjoy not only the Public hot spring but also the Guest room Outdoor hot spring, which is famous as a hot spring for beautiful skin and has a long history as recorded in the "Izumo Province Fudoki" (Record of Fudoki).
The meals are KAI Local Flavors, using seasonal ingredients such as Lake Shinji clam and crab from Lake Shinji. It is also a tasteful way to experience Matsue's tea ceremony culture in the tea room with a view of the Japanese garden. In addition, nightly "Iwami Kagura" dances based on mythology are performed (free of charge). Visitors can feel Izumo's culture close at hand.

Hoshino Resorts KAI Tamatsukuri

• 1237 Tamatsukuri, Tamayu-cho, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture MAP
• 5 minutes drive from JR Tamatsukuri hot spring station
• 0570-073-011（Kai Reservation Center)
• Available
• Click here for reservations
  Hoshino Resorts KAI Tamatsukuri Reservation Site
  Hoshino Resorts KAI Tamatsukuri Accommodation plan with air ticket