미나미칸(Minamikan)

This wonderful ryokan, founded in 1888, is on Lake Shinji. That old? I was amazed to hear its age, but obviously this ryokan has undergone renovations to keep up with the times. To me, it felt quite modern. The room was spacious, with the ability to section off a living room, and dining area from the sleeping area. There was an in-suite hot tub (onsen) with windows overlooking the lake. Like many ryokans, the toilet was hidden away in another part of the suite, but it was quite adequate. I enjoyed the early morning when I could sip tea or coffee I made from the in-room appliances. Then, I could watch many small fishing boats going out to sea. The staff were quite accommodating. Japanese or "American" breakfast was included. I was with a group of 10 people. We had a kaiseki dinner in a private room. The food was terrific. The staff was amazing, truly fabulous staff who accommodated all our requests with such grace. This must be the best ryokan in Matsue!

The view is amazing and their food out of this world ! they are close to the station and Matsue Castle

Shimane (especially the Matsue & Izumo areas) are chock full of wonderful sights - the overall trip greatly exceeded our expectations. As far as accommodations go, Minamikan is the "Pride of Matsue," and after staying 3 nights at this famous ryokan, we understand why. Minamikan was everything we hoped it would be, and then some. It's nicely situated along the banks of Lake Shinji and is within easy walking distance to the main sites in the area, including Matsue Castle. As well, one of the docks of the canal boat tour is less than a minute away. There are several very nice restaurants, cafes and shops in the immediate vicinity so you could easily spend a day exploring Matsue on foot (with a few exceptions, including Kamosu Jinja Shrine, which I highly recommend.) Of course, you'll definitely also want to visit Izumo Taisha Shrine and the area around it - for this, you'll need to drive or take public transportation - it'll take about an hour each way. Further afield is the historic Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and the charming (and very nicely preserved) Omori Town, which were definitely a major highlight during our trip. We chose one of Minamikan's top suites (if not the top one) - "Mizu No Ito," (Room #101), which is one of the two "Special" rooms in a new, separate wing of the property ("Mizu No Iro" #102 being the other.) It's a expansive suite at a full 121m², complete with a Western-style bedroom along with two separate living rooms - one a Japanese tatami type and another with a couch and dining table. The Japanese style living room has a view of Lake Shinji as well as the property's main garden; ditto for the in-room Onsen bath. In the mornings, we were able to observe men in boats rounding up the famed "Shijimi" (Japanese freshwater clams) in the Lake. As ryokan rooms go, it's about as good as it can get. Given that Minamikan's room rates are far lower than famous ryokans in more touristy locations like Nikko or Hakone, splurging here will put less of a strain on your wallet - I highly recommend Mizu No Oto if it's available for booking. The property itself is relatively small - there's a parking lot in front of the main building, which houses the common area, restaurant and all guest rooms (aside from the two "Special" rooms. There is a total of 16 rooms at Minamikan, so a tour of the property will take no more than a few minutes. The highlight of the grounds is the garden that is right at the edge of Lake Shinji. It's a "dry" rock garden with nicely manicured Matsu Pine Trees that are reminiscent of Bonsai. It's a very tranquil place that can be enjoyed from the restaurant that faces the garden. Come evening, the garden is illuminated in such a way that it gives out a tranquil yet mysterious vibe. The entire experience is a tranquil one, in fact. Service is friendly but graceful and discreet, it's far from the busy streets, and the garden and view of Lake Shinji contributed to lower our blood pressure and stress level. Meals are served

JR松江駅からバスで15分位、宍道湖の湖畔のお宿。松江城にも近く、歩いて15分位でした。 老舗和風旅館なので歩くと少し揺れますが、設備は最新の物で清潔です。部屋の大きな窓からはアメリカの日本庭園専門誌のランキング上位常連の枯山水が見えます。広い庭ではないですが、樹齢200年とか300年の手入れされた松と白い砂は必見です。 部屋には温泉風呂があり、サラリとしたお湯で何度も入れます。 朝、すぐ向かいの大橋川では、シジミ取りの漁師さんや水鳥がよく見えます。白鳥が見えたら、ラッキーですね。 朝食の名物の鯛茶漬けも美味しく頂きました。 スタッフの方々の親身の対応も感謝です。

とても居心地の良い宿でした。食事もとてもおいしかったです。特に朝食でいただいた「鯛めし（茶漬け）」は出色でした。お土産に買おうかと思ったほどです。 宿自体は、繁華街（飲屋街？）の中にあり、一方通行などもあるので、レンタカーなど車で行く時は注意が必要です。ただ、旅館から徒歩圏内で松江城やそのほか諸々の観光地がありますので、旅の拠点としてはとてもよいと思います。 旅の最後だったので、宅配便でお土産を送ろうとしたところ、梱包等すべてホテルのかたがやってくれました。このようなホスピタリティはうれしい限りです。

最上階の露天風呂付の 部屋はゆったりできました。部屋からの景色もよかったです。夕日や朝日もきれいで、部屋の風呂から眺められ得した感じがしました。部屋の風呂は温泉で、掛け流し風で、気持ちよかったです。止まるならこの部屋がお得です。 料理やサービスは普通で特別に素晴らしいところはありませんでした。 人手が少ないのか朝食はできたてというより作り置きした感じがしました。シジミ汁もいまいちでシジミの味がしません。土産で買って帰ったシジミの方が美味しかった。私の口には合わなかったです。

老松という部屋に泊まりました。かなり広いです。広いですが掃除は隅々まで行き渡っていました。 老松は露天ではありませんが部屋に温泉があります。露天の部屋もあるようです。 完全和のスタイルなのでソファーがありません。畳に地べたに座らなければなりませんので慣れていないと落ち着かないかもです。 食事は和会席スタイルで、特に魚系が美味しいです。朝食の鯛めしも興味深かった。 スタッフの方は一様に優しくホスピタリティに溢れています。 素晴らしい旅館です。

前回は家族３名で、今回は高齢の伯母を連れて宿泊いたしました。お部屋は「芙蓉」。和洋室でベッドと椅子があり、高齢者にも過ごしやすく、そして宍道湖とお庭を見渡せる景色が素晴らしいお部屋でした。 お部屋の和菓子は近くの「風流堂」さんの生菓子と干菓子。さすが松江だなぁと思わせる美しさと美味しさでした。お料理も全て美味しく、夕食はもちろん朝食の「鯛めし」が絶品で、留守番の家族と弟夫婦にも冷凍で送ってもらいました。 客の履歴をしっかりと残されているようで、前回の宿泊の際にお伝えした苦手な食材を把握しておられ、もう１０年ほど経つのにすごいなぁと思いました。居心地が良くてまた帰ってきたくなるお宿です。

快適に過ごしました。 室内に温泉付きのお風呂があり、アメニティも充実しています。食事も良く、季節を通じて宿泊したいです。 スタッフさんの対応もよく、心配りが行き届いています。