Matsue, Japan – Shiomi Nawate Street
A well-preserved samurai neighborhood with the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum.
The homes of middle-ranking samurai once lay behind the traditional walls and gatehouses lining Shiomi Nawate Street, which runs alongside the northern moat of Matsue Castle . The highest-ranked samurai lived across the moat within the large castle grounds.
Matsue (Japanese: 松江市, Hepburn: Matsue-shi) is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. As of 31 March 2023, the city had an estimated population of 196,748 in 91287 households and a population density of 340 persons per km². The total area of the city is 572.99 square kilometres (221.23 sq mi). Matsue is home to the Tokugawa-era Matsue Castle, one of the last surviving feudal castles in Japan.