Sitting in the southwest of Japan's Honshu Island, the prefecture of Shimane is home to relatively few people. The area is characterised by wet weather, producing dense greenery in most areas and plenty of snow atop the mountains that attract many skiers in the winter. Most cities are located along the coast of the Sea of Japan and in the north. The Chugoku mountain range provides a stunning backdrop for most cities and features many popular ski resorts. The Adachi Museum of Art in Yasugi is home to breathtaking gardens but admission is not cheap. The impressive feudal Matsue Castle, which dates from the early 17th century, is a few miles to the west. Many important shrines can be found nestling in the hills and mountains of the region. These include Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine, Hinomisaki Shrine, Takidani-inari Shrine and Ikoji Temple. Visitors interested in samurai life will enjoy Buke Yashiki, the former home of a mid-level samurai. Reaching hotels in Shimane and even getting around can take a while. If using public transport, expect to spend about three hours reaching Shimane with a combination of train and buses. Izumo Airport receives about five daily flights from Tokyo.

other spellings: shimanehotels, shimune otel,shimune hotell, shimune hote, hotle shimune