Matsumoto: The Crow Castle and Streets of Folk Craft

Take the Limited Express Azusa from Shinjuku, and after 2 hours and 30 minutes — as the mountains draw closer and closer outside your window before opening up into a wide basin — you've arrived in Matsumoto (松本).

Matsumoto is a far more appealing city for travelers than Nagano City, the actual prefectural capital. It's small enough to explore entirely on foot with the National Treasure Matsumoto Castle at its center, and folk craft studios, soba restaurants, and quirky little cafés are tucked away around every corner.

Matsumoto Castle (松本城)

One of only five castle keeps in Japan designated as National Treasures. Its black exterior walls have earned it the nickname "Crow Castle" (烏城).

Inside, you'll need to climb steep wooden stairs up six floors. The incline is close to 60 degrees, so it's a bit of a workout. But once you reach the top, you're rewarded with the still water of the castle moat (堀) below and the sweeping panorama of the Northern Alps stretching behind it.

• Admission: 700 yen (~$5)
• Hours: 8:30-17:00 (extended hours during Golden Week and summer)
• Time needed: 40 minutes to 1 hour
• 15-minute walk from Matsumoto Station

Tip: Go right when it opens at 8:30 AM. After 10:00, the interior gets quite crowded. On a winter morning, when the castle reflects in the moat with snow-capped Alps behind it — that's the absolute best view.

Nawate-dōri (繩手通り)

A 5-minute walk from Matsumoto Castle. This charming little alley has frogs as its mascot.

Antique shops, artisan bakeries, pottery studios, and a tiny shrine are all clustered together here. It feels more like a neighborhood shopping street than a major tourist attraction, which is exactly what gives it its charm.

True to its nickname as "Frog Street," you'll find frog statues and frog goods scattered throughout the alley — plenty of photo-worthy spots.

Nakamachi-dōri (中町通り)

One block over from Nawate-dōri. This street is lined with buildings in the Edo-era style, featuring distinctive white namako-kabe (sea cucumber pattern) walls.

This is where you can get a taste of Matsumoto's mingei (民藝) culture — Japan's folk craft movement that celebrates beauty in everyday objects. Matsumoto has long been one of the centers of the mingei movement in Japan.

Recommended: Matsumoto Mingei-kan (Folk Craft Museum, free admission) — exhibits of practical yet beautiful everyday ceramics.

Soba Restaurants

Matsumoto is the soba capital of Nagano Prefecture. The clear water and cool climate produce exceptional buckwheat flour.

Nomugi (のむぎ) The soba spot most recommended by Matsumoto locals. The hand-cut noodles have a wonderful texture and a rich buckwheat aroma.

• Zaru soba from 850 yen ($6), lunch set from 1,200 yen ($8)
• Hours: 11:30-14:30 (closes when soba sells out)
• 10-minute walk from Matsumoto Station

Kobayashi Soba (小林そば) The place to try Togakushi-style bochi-mori soba in Matsumoto. The noodles are served in small portions on bamboo trays — a distinctive visual presentation.

• Bochi-mori soba from 1,000 yen (~$7)

Alps View Cafés

One of Matsumoto's hidden charms: cafés where the Japanese Alps are visible right through the window.

Coffee Lab Specialty coffee + Alps view. Near Matsumoto Station. Latte from 500 yen (~$3.50)

Getting There