Art Museum Day

Today’s plan was to do the Adachi Art Museum in Yasugi, and then return to Matsue and do the Shimane Prefectural Art Museum, see the sun set over the lake and then return to the Ryokan before 19:00 so the Terazuyas could enjoy an evening in the onsen. I’m not sure if they invited me or not, but I’m too tired to go, even though it’s not even 4 o’clock yet.

I managed to do both the museums at super speed, although it was not intended. Getting to the Adachi museum from Matsue I had to take the train 40 minutes, and then 20 minutes with the museum’s shuttle bus from Yasugi station to the museum. It doesn’t sound so bad, until I add that train and bus doesn’t always correspond. Getting to the museum I had to wait at Yasugi station for 45 minutes, so I decided that I didn’t want to do that on my way back. I was almost through the whole Adachi museum when I saw there would be a perfect correspondence with a return train to Matsue –in 20 minutes. This was abut 2 hours earlier than I had planned to leave, but my options were; hanging about the museum which I had already seen, buying a 1000yen coffee at the museum café, finishing the museum at a slower pace and taking a later bus to Yasugi just to wait at the station once more. Neither appealed to me, so I walked through the rest of the exhibition, skimmed the souvenir shop and jumped on the bus –just in time.

The museum itself was wonderful, and I would have liked to spend a day there, perhaps in the company of another western “Art and Orient” lover, and if my budget would allow me to stop in the museum café. The Adachi Museum is a combined museum and Japanese garden, top ranked among the best gardens in Japan (“…and perhaps the World!” they boast).

The Shimane Prefectural Art Museum was a bit of a disappointment, mostly because there was only one exhibition open, and it was quite small. I spent perhaps half an hour at the museum before heading back to the Ryokan around 3 – 3:30, and I’ve spent the rest of the day in my room relaxing, sorting through my growing collection of tourist information, throwing out what I no longer need, and then preparing packing my backpack once more. It was too cold and cloudy today so I skipped watching the sun set; I think it is an activity better left for more summery days. So, next time around – I hope.