From Cat Island to a Shiba Inu Airbnb: My Animal-Themed Road Trip Through Western Japan (Days 1-4)

In May 2026, I did a road trip around the Chugoku region（中国地方）covering some animal-related places I have longed to visit, such as cat island and a Shiba Inu Airbnb!

We visited after the Golden Week, hence it was not crowded and prices were normal. Weather was also good compared to April or June which is more rainy and unstable. 

Before the road trip, we visited Samoyed Cafe AL in Osaka, which costed around 3000 yen per person for 50 minutes. The dogs are super adorable and disciplined. We got to play, feed and take photo with them. All the dogs here are very young, only 1-2 years old.

As for the road trip, we rented a car near Osaka, our port of destination this time. (More details about expenses will be shared at the end of the second post.) The road trip started with a 3-hour drive to Matsue city（松江市）in Shimane prefecture（島根県）. It is at the Japan Sea side, northwest of Osaka. 

On the way, we went strawberry-picking at Sawako Strawberry Farm in Yasugi, Shimane, one of the highest rated in the region. Although May is the end of the season, there were still many strawberries available for picking (2500 yen per person for 50 minutes). This farm grows 7 varieties, and the strawberries were delicious. The staff was also very welcoming even though we arrived late due to unforeseen circumstances. 

We spent the rest of the day at Matsue, a very scenic and tranquil city that I yearned to visit again since my first visit more than a decade ago. It had become slightly more popular with tourists since then, partly due to a morning drama Bakebake whose protagonists are inspired by two local figures.

Must-dos at Matsue include visiting the Matsue Castle (with perfect English explanatory panels), the nearby samurai houses and museums, and the Shinjiko Lake（宍道湖）for the famous sunset view.

This time, I also stayed at the onsen town there-- Tamatsukuri Onsen（玉造温泉）. I booked one night's stay at Shiraishiya（白石屋）, an award-winning ryokan (Japanese inn) for consecutive years. Price was quite reasonable at around 24,000 yen per person inclusive of 2 meals. Overall, it is the best ryokan I have experienced for this price range. The dinner and service were particularly impressive. Though not sure why the A5 Kuroge Wagyu was from Kagoshima instead of Shimane. The local sake Gassan（月山）tasting set was nice too. I suppose now I have another reason to visit Shimane again for a third time in the future!

There are still not many foreign tourists in Matsue city or Shimane prefecture mostly because of poor accessibility (no shinkansen). On one hand I feel that it is a pity that this place is under-appreciated, but I am also thankful that the tranquil vibe has been retained.

Day 2 of the road trip was spent at Izumo city（出雲市）, west of Matsue city, also in Shimane prefecture. It is most famous for Izumo Taisha shrine（出雲大社）and Izumo soba. From my observation, most of the visitors here are still domestic tourists. More new shops and cafes have been opened along the street leading to the shrine. I got to try Kanoza's award-winning Matcha Fromage Tart, which was even more delicious than my all-time-favorite LeTao due to the additional buttery crust.

We visited a few other sights there such as a lighthouse, a local winery, etc, which turned out to be unmemorable, similar to the ryokan we stayed that night which was supposed to be pretty good. Service and food were below expectations, but the view from the room was nice. 

Anyway, prefectures along the Japan Sea are known for fresh sashimi, and nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) is not to be missed!

Day 3 was first spent grocery-shopping (for human and cats :P) for the next one to two days. Sidetrack: I bought a few recently launched beer and enjoyed side-by-side tasting. Finally managed to try the Good Ale beer which was as good as expected!

In the afternoon, we checked in to the Shiba Inu Airbnb -- Asari House in Gotsu city（江津市）, Shimane prefecture, one of the highlights of this trip! One night's stay was around 18,000 yen, regardless of the number of people (meals not included). 

The two Mameshiba dogs greeted us excitedly! I finally got to meet them after finding out about this Airbnb through a YouTube video. "Merlot" is possessive and gets jealous easily, while "Pinot Noir" is friendly and sticky.

We walked the dogs with the owner Takashi san in the evening. It was my first time walking dogs and it was tiring haha!

At night, it was possible to let the dogs come into the room to sleep with us, but we did not as it was the shedding season. It pained me a little to see Pino-kun wait outside our door patiently for us to let him in. We played with him in the common area instead.

It was possible to join another morning walk with the dogs the next day, but we skipped it due to our schedule. Bid goodbye to the adorable dogs, hope to visit again next time!

Day 4 was spent visiting attractions in Yamaguchi prefecture（山口県）. It was a 2-hour drive to Hagi（萩）, a well-preserved castle town known for prominent historical figures and pottery. It was my second visit, nice to see cafes opened just outside of the old town, providing areas for rest while sightseeing.

We had a good lunch at the top sushi restaurant Kappo Chiyo（割烹千代）in Hagi. The local sashimi lunch set at around 2600 yen was delicious. 

We then drove an hour to Motonosumi Inari Shrine（元乃隅稲成神社）at the northwest of the prefecture, famous for its red torii gates by the sea. It is highly popular with foreign and domestic tourists. 

Next, we drove to Tsunoshima bridge（角島大橋）not too faraway, a scenic bridge across cobalt blue sea. This attraction is usually combined with the above-mentioned shrine for day trips by bus from Fukuoka city.

We then drove 2 hours to Munakata city（宗像市）near Fukuoka city（福岡市）where we spent the night, convenient for visiting a cat island the next morning. We stayed at Hakuto（白兎）, the lodging area of an onsen facility Yamatsubasa, which has rooms with ensuite rotenburo (outdoor bath) for only around 20,000 yen (meals not included). There are plenty of dining options nearby.

In my next post, I will share about Day 5-7, the second part of this road trip. Stay tuned!