Foundation of the Museum

Adachi Museum of Art was established by Zenko Adachi (1899-1990). He was born in Yasugi where the museum stands. He was from a poor family but very clever and a man of effort. One day he found a wonderful painting of Yokoyama Taikan, one of the top painters in Japan. He had a dream to own Taikan’s paintings and so he did!

Then he finally made a museum to share his collection of Yokoyama Taikan and other painters of the same period such as Takeuchi Seiho, Hashimoto Kansetsu and Uemura Shoen. Also he wanted to promote young contemporary painters, so he founded the Adachi Museum of Art Award and added an annex to exhibit their paintings.

Garden of the Museum

The collection of the museum is really something, but that’s not all. It was the beautiful Japanese gardens that have made the museum world famous. The gardens of the museum have been ranked as number one in the “Japanese Garden Ranking” by US magazine “The Journal of Japanese Gardening” for 17 consecutive years out of more than 1,000 gardens all over Japan.

According to Zenko Adachi, “A Japanese garden is thought of as a living canvas”. His belief and passion for gardening can be seen all over the 165,000 square meters of garden. From the dry landscape garden to the white gravel and pine garden, moss garden and the pond garden, a calming view expands before you at each step. The combination of such a relaxing atmosphere and Japanese paintings in the building refreshes visitors. Azaleas in spring, fresh greenery in summer, red leaves in autumn, and snow-covered gardens in winter. Throughout the four seasons, the changing scenes of the gardens are enjoyable.

Even the window itself is a “Living Canvas”. The garden through the window is like a canvas that shows the different characteristics with the shifting sunlight and with each season. It feels like a Rinpa School folding screen.

Cafes and Tea Rooms

There are several cafes and tea rooms in the museum building. From the cafes, you can relax and enjoy the view of the garden to your heart’s content. You can also enjoy traditional Japanese matcha tea in a Japanese style tea room.

Your Japan Tour

As seasoned Japan experts, we create perfect Japan package tours including destinations like the Adachi Museum of Art. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country. Japan is full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

Adachi Museum of Art Information

Access: Free shuttle bus from Yasugi station (JR Line) about every half an hour. It takes  20 minutes.

Entrance: 2,300 yen for adults / 1,800 yen for university students / 1,000 yen for senior high school students / 500 yen for junior high school and elementary school students

Hours: From April to September 9:00 – 17:30 / From October to March 9:00 – 17:00

Area Map

History of the Shrine

East of Shimane Prefecture, the great shrine of Izumo or Izumo Taisha is dedicated to the Shinto God Okuninushi-no-Mikoto. This god is the creator and protector of medicine, sericulture, and agriculture. He would have received it as compensation for another territory given to another god. This would be the oldest shrine in Japan, in fact, its existence dates back to at least the seventh century. However, most of the current buildings date from 1668, and the main building is from 1744 (the 25th reconstruction).

The main shrine, with a height of 24 meters, is a reference for the Taisha Zukuri architectural style. However, it is said that there was a time when its size was 48 meters. This hypothesis is reinforced by the discovery in 2000 of three wooden pillars 1 meter in diameter joined together to form a single pillar for a building that could have supported such a height.

If you are interested in the history and treasures of the shrine, we recommend you to visit Homotsuden Museum. In the museum, you can see a small model of the original shrine building that’s 48 meters high.

Big Shimenawa

The most famous part of the shrine is the enormous shimenawa rope. Shimenawa is a rice straw or hemp rope that covers a sacred area in a Shinto shrine. The one in front of the Kaguraden is the biggest one in Japan. Kaguraden is used for rituals and wedding ceremonies. The shimenawa here is 13 meters long and the weight is 5.2 kg. They replace the rope with a new one every year.

You will also find the biggest Japanese flag on the shrine’s grounds. Its size is larger than 75 tatami (straw mat), and they hoist it every day.

Meeting of the Gods

In Japan, October is called Kannaduki or ‘the month without gods’. It means that gods will be absent from almost all the cities in Japan, except in Izumo. So in Izumo, they call October Kamiariduki or ‘the month with gods’. All the gods from all over Japan get together in Izumo to have a meeting once a year.

The most important topic of the meeting is marriage. They will talk about who should get married to who. So Izumo Taisha is regarded as the shrine of marriage. Many young people who wish to marry pay a visit to this shrine to pray for finding their future partner.

Your Japan Tour

As seasoned Japan experts, we create perfect Japan package tours including destinations like Shimane. Check out our group tours and private tours, or contact us to start planning your unforgettable holiday to this fascinating country full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, culture, history, nature, and delicious food!

Izumo Taisha Access Information

Access: Local bus from Izumo-shi (出雲市) station (JR Line) to Izumo Taisha (出雲大社). It takes  about 25 minutes
Hours: From March to October 6 am – 8.30 pm / From November to February 6.30 am – 8 pm
Entrance fee shrine: Entrance to the shrine is freeEntrance fee museum: 300 yen for adults / 200 yen for university and senior high school students / 100 yen for junior high and elementary school students. Opening hours 8.30 am – 4.30 pm

Izumo Taisha Area Map