Matsumoto

Guide to Matsumoto Japan including getting to Matsumoto, Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto food and Matsumoto hotels. Matsumoto (松本) is in Nagano Prefecture at the eastern end of the Japan Alps. Matsumoto is surrounded by mountains and is acclaimed for its beautiful views. Access to hiking and climbing in the mountains is readily available by local bus transportation. Matsumoto has several historic features, such as Matsumoto Castle (松本城 -jō, a traditional Japanese castle), Kaichi school (Kaichi gakkō) and Temari (traditional Japanese handball). Matsumoto Castle Matsumoto Castle was built more than 400 years ago. It is also called Crow Castle (Karasu Jō) because of its black appearance. The castle is open to tourists and displays many ancient weapons from and inspired by Europe including muskets and rifles. Matsumoto Castle, Japan by Fg2 Kaichi School is the first junior high school in Japan. The beautiful appearance of Kaichi School is much acclaimed. Matsumoto is attractive to travellers not only because of the traditional culture but also its calm climate and its products. Matsumoto soba is famous and many are delighted by its delicate taste. Just north of Matsumoto is the world’s largest wasabi farm. Wasabi can only be grown in extremely clean water and there is much local pride. In addition, Saitou Kinen Orchestra (Saitou commemorative orchestra) performs every year from summer to autumn and many famous musicians such as Seiji Ozawa come to play musical instruments. It is very popular and difficult to get tickets and many people wait in the line beginning two days before tickets go on sale. Matsumoto, like many areas of Japan is home to abundant onsen (温泉 or hot springs). Getting to Matsumoto By planeMatsumoto has a small local airport. Travel time to downtown is roughly 20 minutes. From the closest major airport, the new Chubu Centrair International Airport near Nagoya, Matsumoto can be reached by rail in roughly three hours by the Meitetsu line and JR limited express train (change in Nagoya). Buses connect Centrair with Matsumoto in around 3 1/2 to 4 hours for ¥3500. From Narita Airport, Matsumoto can be reached in 4 1/2 to 5 hours by limited express rail service (change in Shinjuku). By trainMatsumoto is on the Chuo Main Line between Tokyo and Nagoya. Limited express trains run to Matsumoto from Tokyo’s Shinjuku station. The Super Azusa (スーパーあずさ) makes the run in about 2 1/2 hours; the Azusa (あずさ) makes the journey in about three hours (¥6710 for both). Taking several local JR trains will cost roughly ¥4000, getting you from Shinjuku to Matsumoto in around six hours… in which case, you’re better off using a bus (see below). From just north of Tokyo in Saitama, there’s the option of taking the Nagano Shinkansen Asama (あさま) from Omiya to Nagano station, then taking the Wide View Shinano (ワイドビューしなの) limited express to Matsumoto (2 1/2 hours, ¥8470). The Wide View Shinano also runs from Nagoya station, where there are connections with the Shinkansen line (towards Kyoto and Osaka). The run from Nagoya to Matsumoto takes 2 hours on the limited express and costs ¥6070; local trains cost ¥3260 and take between 4 and 5 hours, depending on the available trains and connections. All of the above mentioned rail trips are free when using the Japan Rail Pass. By busHighway buses from JR Matsumoto station connect to Shinjuku in Tokyo (3 hours, ¥3400), and various destinations in the Japan Alps, notably the Oku-Hida Onsen Villages (90 min, ¥2300-2800). Matsumoto Accommodation Looking for accommodation in Matsumoto? Please support our site by using our Matsumoto Hotel reservation system. Matsumoto Hotel (Getting to Matsumoto section of article based on Wikitravel article by Wikitravel users Jpatokal. Based on work by Jose Ramos. Based on work by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Article used under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.) (First section of article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License) |