Matsue is known throughout Japan as a famous town of the tea ceremony, which was made famous by the 7th lord of the castle, ‘Fumai’, who made his own school. As sweets are traditionally eaten in the tea ceremony, confectionary also grew along with the tea culture.

A famous confectioner in Matsue is ‘Saiun-do’, which has been making sweets in the city since 1874.

The sweets are made with traditional ingredients such as red beans, buckwheat, rice powder and Japanese sugar. In 2006 Saiun Do took their sweets to New York, where they were a great hit.

The sweets change with the seasons and are a great present to take home. (As the ingredients are fresh, it’s a good idea to buy them on the last day of your trip!)

English pamphlet available and some English spoken.

Opening Times of the main shop: 9:00am – 6:30pm.

Getting there: From the north exit of Matsue station go out onto the main road in front of you and turn left. Keep going past the banks and hotels and cross the next two sets of traffic lights. The shop is at the next cross roads on your left. span>