Shiomi Nawate is a street that runs north of Matsue Castle beside the moat. It’s lined with traditional Japanese houses on one side and old pine trees on the other. It retains the charm and character of old Japan with its white-plastered samurai homes and old residences. Attractions along the street include a samurai residence with exhibits of feudal life, the Lafcadio Hearn Museum in the former residence of this writer of ghost stories, and the Tanabe Museum of Art, with tea utensils belonging to feudal lord Matsudaira Fumai. The Meimei–an tea house and Yakumo-an restaurant are both attractive places of refreshment.