Yakumoan

Published: Aug 11, 2026

Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Izumo sobakamo nanbanMatsueShiomi Nawatesamurai residence

Representative image — not a photograph of this location.

Yakumoan occupies a converted samurai residence on Shiomi Nawate, the street of preserved warrior houses running along the north moat of Matsue Castle. You eat looking at a garden and a carp pond, in a building with the low ceilings and dark timber of the class of house it was, a few doors from the Lafcadio Hearn residence.

The dish it is known for is kamo nanban — Izumo soba in a clear duck broth, which is a departure from the usual cold warigo format and, for a lot of people, the better introduction to the noodle. The broth is light and the duck fat sits on the surface. The shop also serves warigo in the standard stacked lacquer discs, with a tempura version. It opens only for lunch, closes at half past one, and stops when the soba runs out, which means it is one of those places you plan the morning around rather than wander into.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

10:30 AM – 1:30 PM (closes when the day's soba runs out)

Closed: Varies — confirm before travelling

Entrance Fee

Kamo nanban soba around ¥1,100 | With two-tier warigo around ¥1,470 | Tempura warigo around ¥1,880

Best Season

Year-round | Duck broth suits the cold months

Visit Duration

45–60 minutes

Getting There

Access Information

308 Kitahori-cho, Matsue, on Shiomi Nawate beside Matsue Castle's north moat. Around 20 minutes by Lakeline bus from JR Matsue Station. Open 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM, closing when the day's soba runs out. Kamo nanban soba around ¥1,100; kamo nanban with a two-tier warigo around ¥1,470; tempura warigo around ¥1,880. Confirm closing days before travelling.

Insider Guide

Premium

**The window is three hours.** Half past ten to half past one, and it can end earlier. This is not a place you fit around a castle visit — you fit the castle around it. Arriving before noon is the safe plan. **Order the kamo nanban.** The duck broth is what the shop is known for and it is an unusual way to serve Izumo soba, which is normally eaten cold. The combination set with a two-tier warigo gets you both formats in one order. **Sit facing the garden.** The building is a former samurai house and the value of eating here rather than at a soba counter is the room and the view of the pond. If there is a choice of seat, take the one looking out. **Do Shiomi Nawate on foot.** The Buke Yashiki samurai residence and the Lafcadio Hearn house are both within a couple of minutes, and the castle is across the moat. Lunch here anchors that whole walk. **Closing days are not clearly published.** Hours are consistent but rest days are not well documented online. Phone ahead if this is the anchor of your day.

View on Google Maps