Matsumoto

Chubu, Japan · City

The black castle is one of the few originals still standing, and in August noh is performed by torchlight in its own moat. The city is scattered with signposted wells and mountain springs where locals go to fill their bottles; it is Yayoi Kusama's hometown, polka-dot buses and all, and one of the centres of Japanese lacquered furniture. January brings the candy market, autumn the apple orchards.

The essentials

Getting there

Train — Direct train from Nagoya or Tokyo

Frequently asked questions about Matsumoto

What to do in Matsumoto: 31 activities

• Matsumoto Castle (the Crow Castle) 2 h must-see

  An original castle with a black facade, one of the oldest in Japan.

• Basashi, sanzoku-yaki and Shinshu soba 1.5 h

  The local trio: horse sashimi, a huge garlic-fried chicken thigh known as 'bandit style', and the region's soba, sometimes served in a hot pot.

• Daio wasabi farm 2 h

  The largest wasabi plantation in Japan, with channels of exceptionally clear water where Kurosawa shot a scene from 'Dreams'; there is even wasabi ice cream to try.

• Yayoi Kusama route 2 h

  Matsumoto is Yayoi Kusama's home city: the museum has a permanent room and a floral sculpture of hers at the entrance, and buses and vending machines covered in polka dots circulate around the centre.

• Cycling route through Azumino 3 h

  Flat lanes between irrigation channels, rice paddies and farms with the Northern Alps always in the background, in the valley next to the city.

• Folk Craft Museum 1.5 h

  Matsumoto was one of the centres of the mingei movement; the museum brings together handmade ceramics, textiles and everyday objects from all over Japan.

• Japan Ukiyo-e Museum 1.5 h

  The private collection of a merchant family, with some 100,000 prints: the largest in the world, on the outskirts of the city.

• Matsumoto City Museum of Art 1.5 h

  Includes works by Yayoi Kusama, who was born in the city.

• Matsumoto Crafts Fair 3 h only late May

  One of Japan's largest craft fairs, held in late May at Agata no Mori Park with hundreds of artisans from across the country.

• Matsumoto lacquered furniture and temari balls 1.5 h

  Matsumoto furniture is among the most prized in Japan, and embroidered temari thread balls are the city's folk craft; there are workshops and shops in the storehouse district.

• Norikura Kogen and its alpine road 5 h

  A bus up to 2,700 metres along one of the highest roads in Japan (closed to private cars), with trails and waterfalls on the plateau.

• Old Kaichi School (Kaichi Gakko) 1 h

  An 1876 school building designated a National Treasure, a pioneering example of hybrid Western-Japanese architecture from the Meiji era.

• Route of the wells and springs 1.5 h

  The city is studded with fountains and wells of drinkable mountain water, free and signposted along a route: residents come to fill their bottles.

• Sake and craft beer with Alpine water 2 h

  Several sake breweries use water coming down from the Northern Alps, and the city also has its own brewery and bars in the centre.

• Seiji Ozawa music festival 3 h booking only mid-August to early September

  Between August and September, one of the world's great classical music festivals, with the Saito Kinen orchestra; tickets sell out months in advance.

• Shirahone Onsen 4 h

  Within the same municipality but already up in the mountains: milky sulphurous water with open-air baths beside the river and ryokan of deep tradition.

• A Matsumoto Yamaga match 3 h booking

  The city's team has one of the loudest followings in Japanese football for its division, at a stadium on the outskirts.

• Ame-ichi, the candy market 2 h only the second weekend of January

  On the second weekend of January, a fair of Edo origin fills the streets with stalls of traditional sweets and daruma dolls.

• Apple and grape picking 1.5 h booking

  In autumn the apple and Shine Muscat grape orchards open on the slopes east of the city.

• Asama Onsen 2 h

  A hot spring district on the outskirts of Matsumoto with over a thousand years of history, featuring public baths and traditional ryokan.

• Azumino blown glass 1.5 h booking

  Glass studios in the neighbouring valley, with demonstrations and sessions for blowing a piece of your own.

• Gofuku-ji Temple 1 h

  Off the tourist routes, it keeps as its gate a karamon that was a National Treasure, brought from Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano.

• Hotaka Shrine in Azumino 1 h

  A shrine dedicated to a god of seafarers deep in the mountains, the valley seat of the small shrine inside Kamikochi.

• Matsumoto Alps Park 3 h

  A free public park on the hill, with a long summer slide, a play area and a small zoo.

• Matsumoto Bon Bon and Takigi Noh 3 h only the first Saturday of August

  On the first Saturday of August thousands of residents dance through the centre; that same month noh theatre is performed by torchlight in the castle moat.

• Nakamachi Warehouse District 1 h

  White-walled warehouses converted into craft shops and cafes.

• Nawate Dori Street 1 h

  A shopping street along the river with craft shops and cafes.

• Toyo Ito's Performing Arts Centre 1 h

  A 2004 building with a rippling glass facade, the work of Toyo Ito, and home of the city's great classical music festival.

• Utsukushigahara Highlands and Open-Air Museum 3 h

  A plateau at nearly 2,000 metres of altitude with meadows, grazing cattle, and Japan's largest open-air sculpture museum, with views of the Alps.

• Settings of the manga 'Orange' 1.5 h

  The manga and anime 'Orange' takes place in Matsumoto: Yohashira Shrine, Nawate and the hill park appear exactly as they are.

• Yohashira Shrine 0.5 h

  A small shrine next to the castle, a quick stop on the way downtown.

What only happens on specific dates

• Ame-ichi, the candy market the second weekend of January
• Matsumoto Crafts Fair late May
• Seiji Ozawa music festival mid-August to early September
• Matsumoto Bon Bon and Takigi Noh the first Saturday of August

Ready-made routes through Matsumoto

Chains well with

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