Learn why this garden has been crowned 'the most beautiful in Japan' for over 20 years

In Japan, gardening goes beyond a pastime – it's a revered art form with deep spiritual meaning.

While gardens across Japan are widely admired on social media, many locals swear by a hidden gem: the garden at the Adachi Museum of Art in tranquil Shimane, a three-hour train ride from Osaka.

The US-based Sukiya Living magazine, formerly the Journal of Japanese Gardening, has awarded the Adachi Museum its top honor – the title of 'most beautiful traditional garden' – for over two decades.

Despite international acclaim, the museum and its gardens remain relatively unknown compared to the more famous ones in Kyoto and Tokyo.

Many Western visitors to Japan are surprised to find no flowers in a traditional Japanese garden. These gardens focus on elements like moss, trees, or even carefully arranged rocks and sand. The beauty of Japanese gardens lies not in vibrant flowers, but in their more understated, nuanced appeal.

“Japanese gardens aim for a level of artistry that gardens in the West rarely achieve,” says Sophie Walker, author of ‘The Japanese Garden.’

“Mitate is the concept that the mind can transform. You might see a rock, recognize it as human-sized, but in an instant, your imagination can turn it into a mountain. This is why gardens are so impactful – they rely on the perspective of the viewer. What you bring to it matters, the state of mind you approach it with,” she explains.

A sense of place

The Adachi Museum of Art houses works by some of Japan's most renowned modern artists. Yet many visitors overlook the gallery and choose instead to spend their time gazing out at the garden through the windows.

The various gardens here – including a pine grove, a rock garden, and a moss garden – are designed to be admired, not walked through. They are crafted like living paintings, made from trees and plants rather than brushstrokes and pigments.

The museum itself was created to ‘frame’ the garden, with large picture windows carefully positioned to emphasize its most striking features.

“Japanese paintings are often hard to fully appreciate, even when visitors come to see them, whereas gardens are accessible and easy for anyone to enjoy,” explains Takodori Adachi, grandson of the museum’s founder Zenko Adachi and its current director.

“Before immersing yourself in Japanese paintings, you can first experience these gardens and appreciate them in this order. The museum was thoughtfully designed to make this process easier,”

Signs in both Japanese and English explain that gardeners or maintenance staff may be working in the garden during the day – a subtle reminder that human hands contribute to the gardens' flawless beauty.

Reaching the museum itself is a journey. Shimane and its neighbor Tottori are the least populated prefectures in Japan, located in the rural San'in region.

However, as Adachi points out, the true magic of the gardens lies not only in what’s within them but also in what surrounds them.

“The Japanese gardens are harmoniously integrated with the mountains behind them,” he explains. “While Kyoto has its share of gardens and shrines, they are often small and contained. But as soon as you step into this museum, you sense a profound unity with the towering mountain behind you,”

“These Japanese gardens were specifically designed for this unique location, which means the allure of the Adachi Museum of Art cannot be replicated elsewhere,”

Another way to immerse yourself in the scenery is by visiting one of the museum’s tea rooms. Guests can savor matcha and traditional sweets while enjoying stunning views, with windows strategically placed for the best vistas.

The journey itself

Japan’s iconic high-speed Shinkansen trains don’t reach here.

Instead, travelers can take an express train from Osaka or Tokyo to Okayama, then transfer to a slower local train that slowly makes its way north across Honshu, eventually reaching Matsue, the capital of Shimane.

To reach the Adachi Museum, visitors should take a local train from Matsue to the small town of Yasugi. At Yasugi station, a free shuttle bus runs regularly to transport visitors to and from the museum.

The shuttle bus has only 28 seats, which can become a problem during peak travel seasons in summer and spring, when long queues start forming early in the day.

While return trips to Yasugi are free, guests should grab a laminated ticket from the museum lobby to secure their seat, especially if they need to catch a specific return train.

The Matsue tourist information center, housed in a glass structure right outside Matsue station, offers helpful maps and train schedules in both English and Japanese.

The Adachi Museum’s gift shops are worth exploring as well. Beyond typical souvenirs like postcards and prints of popular artworks, these shops – located in separate buildings between the bus stop and museum entrance – feature local specialties from Shimane, primarily food and beverages.

Notable items include a line of craft beers named after Lafcadio Hearn, the Greek-born writer who spent much of his life in Matsue, soft-serve ice cream flavored with wild pears from the region, and genji maki – sweet red bean paste wrapped in mini crepe-like pancakes rolled into triangles.

With the exception of the soft-serve, most products are neatly packaged in beautifully designed boxes, making them perfect for souvenirs.

Like everything else at Adachi, the products in the shops are thoughtfully curated, down to the smallest cookie. “If the museum gains fame, it will help promote the surrounding region as well,” explains the museum’s director.

For now, the museum stands as a peaceful retreat in a country grappling with the challenges of overtourism at its more frequented sites.

Mount Fuji, for example, is facing the direct consequences of overcrowding, including issues like waste, erosion, and ‘reckless’ hikers, raising concerns that it could lose its UNESCO World Heritage status.

Adachi Museum of Art, 320 Furukawacho, Yasugi, Shimane 692-0064, Japan, +81 854-28-7111.