Mascots

There are many mascots characters around town, including Appare-kun –a fictional fuedal lord said to have been born on 5 April 1607, at the time of building the castle–and his wife, Shijimi-hime (“Shijimi Clam Princess”). You can often see them around Matsue History Museum.

Shimanekko is Shimane Prefecture’s tourism mascot. This cat is dressed as a Shinto shrine like Izumo Taisha, with a roof as a hat and a shimenawa (sacred rope) around his/her neck. This smiling cat of undisclosed gender and age makes many appearances at events in Matsue, Shimane’s capital.

Another famous character associated with Shimane Prefecture is Yoshida-kun, a character from a popular flash animation cartoon called “Eagle Talon.” Despite his scowl, he loves Shimane, and can be spotted around Matsue.