A stroll-style Japanese garden on Daikonshima Island, where the floating peony display during Golden Week is a spectacular sight.
Yūshien is a 10,000-tsubo (approximately 40,000 m²) Japanese stroll garden located on Daikonshima Island in Yatsuka-chō, Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. Daikonshima, floating in Lake Nakaumi, has cultivated peonies for about 250 years and is known as "Japan's top producer of peony seedlings"; the garden opened on this island in 1975.
Conceived under the concept of "a miniature garden of Izumo Province," the grounds feature a sculpted hill modeled after Mt. Daisen and water landscapes evoking Lake Nakaumi and Lake Shinji, with flowers and trees welcoming visitors through every season. The highlight is the "Ikesen Botan" display around Golden Week, when peonies float across the entire surface of the pond — a breathtaking scene that has become the garden's defining spring spectacle. At the "Botan no Yakata" pavilion, large-bloomed peonies can be enjoyed throughout the year.
The garden is about a 30-minute drive from central Matsue. The neighboring island is also known for its active Korean ginseng cultivation, and a museum within the garden offers visitors a chance to learn about its history.