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Shimane: Lafcadio Hearn-Themed Bus Tour to Continue after NHK TV Drama Ends

Courtesy of West Japan Railway Co.
A bus designed for the “Bakebake” bus tour

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:00 JST, March 21, 2026

MATSUE — A bus tour themed on writer Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), also known as Koizumi Yakumo, and his wife Setsu will continue to operate from April to June in Matsue.

Hearn translated Japanese ghost stories and is credited with introducing them to the world. West Japan Railway Co. (JR West) launched the 3½-hour tour to coincide with the start of NHK TV drama “Bakebake” (“The Ghost Writer’s Wife”) inspired by the couple. Participants are taken with a guide to locations in Matsue, including the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum and Jozan Inari Shrine.

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About 600 people participated in the tour, which began last October and runs twice a day, mainly on weekends and holidays, until December.

JR West initially planned to run six tours in March, but the popularity of the drama led the company to increase the number to 34, and more than 700 people made reservations. To respond to demand during the spring tourism season, it decided to continue the tour even after the drama ends in March.

Sixty-six bus tours will be operated over 33 days, mainly on weekends. The tour costs ¥4,000 when departing from JR Matsue Station and ¥4,500 from Tamatsukuri-Onsen Station.

“The tour has surpassed our expectations,” said Takeshi Kitani, the branch manager of JR West’s Sanin office, at a press conference on Feb. 26. “We’d like to continue working to ensure the ‘Bakebake’ effect remains.”