Who was Koizumi Yakumo and why is there a memorial hall dedicated to him?

Koizumi Yakumo, also known as Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), was a Greek-born writer who became one of Japan's most important foreign literary figures. He moved to Matsue in 1890 as an English teacher and later married a local samurai's daughter. Hearn is renowned for introducing Japanese culture and folklore to Western audiences through works like "Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan". The memorial hall was established in 1933 to preserve his legacy and showcase his contributions to cross-cultural understanding between Japan and the West.

What can visitors expect to see at the memorial hall?

The museum houses over 1,000 items related to Hearn's life and work, including his handwritten manuscripts, personal belongings, and correspondence. Notable exhibits include his spectacles, dumb-bells, Japanese pipes, writing desk, and newspapers he used to teach English to his son. Visitors can also see a handmade English vocabulary book created by his Japanese wife, Setsu. The museum underwent major renovation in July 2016, featuring modernized displays while maintaining its historical character.

What are the museum's operating hours and admission details?

The museum operates with seasonal hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM from April to September (last admission 5:30 PM) and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM from October to March (last admission 4:30 PM). The museum is open year-round but closes on select maintenance days throughout the year. Visitors should check current admission fees and any temporary closures before visiting, as these details may change seasonally.

Where is the memorial hall located and how can visitors get there?

The Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Hall is located in Matsue's historic castle district in Shimane Prefecture, directly adjacent to Hearn's former residence. The museum is within walking distance of Matsue Castle and other historical attractions in the compact city center. Visitors can reach the location via local buses from Matsue Station or take a short taxi ride through the historic districts. The proximity to Hearn's actual former home adds authenticity to the museum experience.

Can visitors also see Lafcadio Hearn's former residence?

Yes, Hearn's former residence is located next door to the memorial hall, where he lived with his Japanese wife in the 1890s. This allows visitors to experience both the comprehensive museum collection and the actual physical spaces where the famous writer lived and worked. The combination of the memorial hall and residence provides a complete picture of Hearn's life in Matsue and his deep connection to Japanese culture during his time there.

Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Hall, Matsue

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The Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Hall, officially known as the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum, stands as a tribute to one of Japan's most significant foreign literary figures in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture. Established in 1933, it is dedicated to the life and work of writer and translator Lafcadio Hearn, also known by the name Yakumo Koizumi. The original museum design was inspired by the Goethe-Nationalmuseum in Weimar, Germany, and its initial collection included 22 manuscripts donated by the Koizumi family through the efforts of Hearn's disciples, Teizaburo Ochiai and Seiichi Kishi.

Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), an open-minded writer who and world-traveller who was born in Greece, lived in various countries, and moved to Matsue as an English teacher in 1890. He is best known with his books about Japan and introduced Matsue to the world through many writings such as the famous "Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan". Hearn became one of the earliest Western writers to comprehensively document Japanese culture and folklore for international audiences, earning him lasting recognition as a cultural bridge between East and West.

The museum houses an extensive collection of over 1,000 items related to Hearn's life and work. This museum houses more than 1,000 collections such as Hearn's handwritten drafts, his belongings and the handmade English vocabulary book that Setsu, Hearn's wife, made etc. Visitors can examine the writer's personal effects – including his dumb-bells, spectacles and a stack of Japanese newspapers on which he wrote words and phrases to teach English to his son. His favourite Japanese pipes and desk make visitors imagine the days the literary legend, Lafcadio Hearn, was at work. The museum underwent significant renovation in July 2016, modernizing its displays while preserving its historical character.

Located next door is the Memorial Museum dedicated to Hearn and his works. The museum is situated in Matsue's historic castle district, adjacent to Hearn's former residence where he lived with his Japanese wife, the daughter of a samurai family. This proximity allows visitors to experience both the physical spaces where Hearn lived and worked alongside comprehensive documentation of his literary achievements.

Note that the museum closes on select days throughout the year for maintenance. The facility is easily accessible within Matsue's compact city center, within walking distance of Matsue Castle and other historical attractions. Visitors traveling by public transportation can reach the museum via local buses from Matsue Station or by taking a short taxi ride through the city's historic districts.

Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Hall, Matsue

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What other travelers are saying about Koizumi Yakumo Memorial Hall, Matsue

As of December 2025, I learned that Yaizu City has a memorial museum for Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo), the protagonist of the NHK morning drama series "Bakeke," so I went to visit. Koizumi Yakumo's connection to Yaizu is that in his later years, when he was a professor at the University of Tokyo, he used to visit Yaizu as a summer resort for seven years until his death at the age of 54. He apparently stayed on the second floor of the home of fishmonger Yamaguchi Otokichi, and chose Yaizu because the coast around Hamatoume, which isn't shallow, is suitable for swimming. The reason is The design is unique and very much like Yakumo. Letters and other exhibits from that time convey the joys he had, teaching children how to swim in Yaizu's ocean, taking walks, and watching festivals. The museum building is located next to the Yaizu City Cultural Center and is reasonably busy with tour groups and families. There are fascinating videos summarizing Lafcadio Hearn's life and his connection to Yaizu, providing a thorough learning experience. You can also learn about the background of works such as "Otokichi and the Daruma." Lafcadio Hearn and his wife moved from Matsue to Kumamoto to Osaka to Tokyo, so I wondered why they chose Yaizu, but this museum helped me understand why they loved Yaizu so much. Apparently, just before his death, he asked Otokichi to find land for a private residence in Yaizu.

中田智也

Dec 21, 2025

The TV drama "Bakeke" begins airing on Monday, September 29, 2025 (Reiwa 7). 📺 I visited for the first time on Tuesday, September 30. 🚗 Admission is free, and you can only take photos inside the museum without using a flash. 🆗 There were already a lot of visitors. 😊 My second visit was on Friday, October 10. The number of visitors had increased, including elderly ladies. ✨ My third visit was on Sunday, October 12. Since it was a national holiday, there were even more visitors, including parents with children and groups of middle-aged women. 🎶 Inside the museum, there was a letter written by Yakumo to Setsu. ✉️ The katakana writing was so cute! ❣️ There were also tools used by Yakumo during his lifetime and items related to the Koizumi family. The walls are dotted with Yakumo's writings 🖋️ Can local residents borrow books related to Yakumo?❓ A panel inside the museum features Yakumo as a handsome man❣️ Yamaguchi Otokichi, who Yakumo described as "a god-like person," I'd love to see him in a morning drama 😊 When you stamp the stamp, you can see a conversation between Yakumo and Otokichi 🎶 I discover something new every time I visit, so I'd love to return 😌

After watching the NHK drama series "Bakeke," I visited the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum in Yaizu City. Admission was free. The facility is small, but there are many letters and paintings written by Hearn on display, so I took my time looking around. This will make watching the drama even more interesting. I'm glad I went. Next, I also visited Yakumo Street, which is a little further away.

I visited the museum after watching the morning drama Bakeke. It's a free facility, and you can use the large parking lot at the cultural center on the same premises. It's free. Yaizu is a place that Koizumi Yakumo has a special connection to, as he visited there several times in the summer in his later years as a summer resort. Although there are exhibits of letters written by Yakumo and the pipe he used, more than anything, you can learn about Koizumi Yakumo's life, his wife Setsu, and his family, so it's a tourist facility that I recommend now.

This museum effectively summarizes the life and personality of Lafcadio Hearn, focusing on letters and episodes from Yaizu, where he would return every year in his later years to escape the summer heat. The quality of the exhibits is high. The amount is neither too much nor too little, making it enjoyable and educational even for tourists. It's surprising that it's free. Photography is allowed as long as you don't use a flash. The house of Otokichi, the fishmonger where Lafcadio Hearn stayed in Yaizu, has been relocated to Meiji Village in Aichi Prefecture. While there aren't many direct reminders of that time left in the area, the existence of this museum makes it worthwhile for Lafcadio Hearn fans to visit the town.