Yushien Garden is a beautiful traditional Japanese strolling garden located on Daikon Island in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture. Known as one of the finest Japanese gardens in the San’in region, Yushien is especially famous for its spectacular peonies. The garden is also closely connected with Unshu ginseng, a traditional crop cultivated on Daikon Island since the Edo period.
Visitors can enjoy the beauty of a Japanese garden together with seasonal flowers, traditional culture, regional cuisine, and innovative art installations. With something different to see throughout the year, Yushien attracts visitors from Japan and around the world.
Yushien opened in April 1975 under its first owner, Eiji Kadowaki. The garden was created with the goal of promoting tourism on Daikon Island and contributing to the local community.
The name “Yushien” combines the character “Yu”, taken from the name of the founder’s father, Yuzo, with the character “Shi,” meaning aspiration or purpose. Construction began in 1970, and the garden was gradually expanded through a series of development projects.
Today, Yushien covers approximately 40,000 square meters. Centered around a large pond, the garden is designed as a traditional Japanese strolling garden where visitors can walk along paths and enjoy constantly changing views.
The garden is designed as a miniature representation of the natural scenery of the Izumo region. Its landscapes evoke the valleys of Okuizumo, the flow of the Hii River, Lake Shinji, Lake Nakaumi, and even the majestic form of Mt. Daisen.
This concept allows visitors to experience a condensed version of the region’s natural beauty while walking through the garden.
One of Yushien’s most famous seasonal events is “30,000 Peonies on the Pond,” held around Golden Week in spring.
Approximately 30,000 peony blossoms are carefully arranged across the surface of the garden pond, creating an extraordinary floral landscape. The display originated from an idea to make use of peony flowers that would otherwise be removed during the cultivation process.
Among the flowers are the distinctive “Shimanishiki”, known for its red-and-white striped petals, and the large-flowered “Seidai”. Together, the blooms create a spectacular scene worthy of the peony’s traditional reputation as the “king of flowers.”
Visitors do not have to wait until spring to see peonies. Inside the garden, the Peony Pavilion uses specialized cultivation techniques to allow peonies to bloom throughout the year.
The sight of full-bloom peonies inside the pavilion is particularly impressive outside the normal flowering season. The space also hosts special exhibitions featuring leading artists from Japan and abroad, creating a unique combination of traditional horticulture and contemporary art.
During summer, Yushien creates a refreshing atmosphere with its “Izumo Summer Garden” concept. Cool mist is used to help visitors escape the summer heat, and parasols are available for guests.
The sound of water flowing over Ryukei Waterfall, together with colorful Japanese irises and hydrangeas, adds to the refreshing atmosphere. The combination of black pine trees, rocks, and cascading water also evokes the landscape of Mt. Daisen as viewed from Daikon Island.
Autumn brings colorful foliage to the garden, which becomes the setting for large-scale autumn nighttime illuminations.
Areas around the Momiji Bridge and Red Bridge are particularly popular with photographers. Reflections of the autumn leaves on the garden ponds create a dreamlike atmosphere that is quite different from the daytime scenery.
As temperatures fall, late-season foliage adds deeper shades of red and orange to the garden, creating an especially atmospheric autumn landscape.
Winter brings another unique side of Yushien. Approximately 1.3 million LED lights illuminate the garden during one of the largest winter illumination events in Shimane Prefecture.
Winter-blooming peonies provide a beautiful contrast to the cold season. In the Winter Peony Garden, flowers are protected from frost with traditional straw coverings, creating a serene landscape that evokes the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi.
Daikon Island is famous not only for peonies but also for Unshu ginseng. The cultivation of ginseng was introduced as an agricultural industry to support the finances of the Matsue Domain during the Edo period and flourished during the era of Matsudaira Fumai, the famous feudal lord and tea master.
Yushien introduces this important part of local history through the Unshu Ginseng Museum and a reconstructed traditional gate associated with ginseng cultivation.
Visitors can also enjoy a complimentary tasting of ginseng tea, providing an easy way to experience one of the island’s traditional products.
At the Ginseng Tea Café, visitors can try a variety of sweets and drinks made with ginseng. The garden also offers skincare products containing natural extracts such as peony and chamomile, making them popular souvenirs.
Yushien has several dining facilities, including the restaurant Shobu, Japanese restaurant Take-rin, dining areas Momiji and Zen, and the tea room Ichibou.
Menus range from soba made with ingredients from Daikon Island to traditional Japanese kaiseki cuisine prepared with local ingredients. Visitors can enjoy a leisurely meal while taking in the surrounding garden scenery.
Among the garden’s popular specialties are ginseng tofu hot pot and eel grilled over Daikon Island lava stones. These dishes provide an opportunity to experience local ingredients and culinary traditions while surrounded by the beauty of the Japanese garden.
Yushien is not limited to traditional flowers and garden scenery. The garden regularly presents innovative events such as Peonies on the Pond and Tenjikubotan on the Pond, while also incorporating modern technologies into its seasonal programs.
Depending on the event, visitors may encounter projection mapping, augmented-reality applications, holograms, and three-dimensional sound systems. This combination of traditional Japanese garden design and contemporary technology gives Yushien a distinctive character.
By combining centuries-old Japanese aesthetics with modern artistic experiences, Yushien continues to explore new possibilities for garden culture.
Yushien is conveniently accessible from major destinations in the San’in region.
From Matsue Station, the journey by city bus takes approximately 46 to 52 minutes, followed by a walk of about four minutes from the Yushien Iriguchi bus stop.
From Sakaiminato Station, the journey by community bus takes approximately 41 minutes. By car, Yushien is about 35 minutes from Yonago Station and approximately 15 minutes from Yonago Kitaro Airport.
A free parking area is also available, making the garden convenient for visitors traveling by rental car, families, and group tours.
Yushien is much more than a garden famous for its peonies. It brings together the natural beauty, history, traditional culture, food, and contemporary art of the Izumo and San’in regions in one destination.
Spring offers spectacular displays of peonies, summer brings refreshing greenery and waterfalls, autumn transforms the garden with colorful foliage and nighttime illuminations, and winter combines winter peonies with dazzling lights.
Located on Daikon Island in Lake Nakaumi, Yushien offers travelers the chance to slow down and experience the beauty of a Japanese garden while discovering the distinctive culture and traditions of Shimane.