Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo — Attraction in Izumo

Pros: The museum has beautiful facilities, and interesting permanent exhibits. (While I was there, I also enjoyed the museum's temporary exhibit on stone-age obsidian-use in Japan.) The museum's staff were also eager to engage, even though we faced a bit of a language-barrier.

Con: (which should be taken with a large grain of salt) The sometimes lengthy Japanese descriptions under the exhibited pieces were often watered down into a single, vague English sentence, while others weren't explained at all. Additionally, these descriptions weren't always clearly organized. I should add, the museum does have an audio-tour, but I didn't pick it up, because I didn't have time to listen through every exhibit.

While I do understand that I shouldn't walk around expecting English everywhere, it seemed to be kind of a shame.

Izumo Taisha is such an important part of Japanese spiritual and cultural history, but Shimane prefecture is a bit off the beaten path. I think it would make the museum more approachable (and significantly more rewarding for visitors) if the descriptions were more comprehensivily translated, and...

So glad I made time to stop here. In fact, upon entering, I delayed my return to Matsue city to spend my time more leisurely at this museum! As others have said, there is wonderful English support via an audio device (they should offer it to you, if you don't understand Japanese and didn't get one, don't hesitate to ask!). The English version was missing for a few exhibits but not majorly so. I particularly enjoyed the Myths area and the recovered bronze swords + replica room. Most of the exhibits featured English titles but beyond the audio support, the written information is all Japanese!

I spent about 1 hr and half enjoying the museum at a slow pace (not including a cafe visit, sadly). Also, you can get a foreign...

Tranquil and well organized museum. Very friendly staff, ready to help out in English. English audio option is a bit limited, especially in the stories of myth section (which I have the most interest in). Cafe Maru at L2 offers generous portion of delicious food (I was tempted to try their dessert, but was too full!). The cafe has great view, making the meal more enjoyable.The area surrounding is beautiful, great for taking a stroll. If you want to enjoy the view but tired of walking, go to L3, there are two benches facing the outdoor. If you exit from the west gate, there is a shortcut to Izumo Taisha, covered with well trimmed bonsai and flowers (save the trouble of...