Matsumoto and the surrounding Nagano prefecture is a less crowded area to visit in Japan. With tourists flocking to Japan, the cities of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are becoming quite crowded. Matsumoto is still a city that is easy to get to and has plenty to offer, including some amazing day trips. We visited Matsumoto and Nagano as a family in June 2024.
See our full 2-week Japan itinerary.
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Is Matsumoto worth visiting?
Yes, Matsumoto is worth visiting. The city has so many great attractions and is easily walkable. Matsumoto is surrounded by the Japanese Alps, so there are spectacular mountain views from around the city. There are also several fantastic day trips close to Matsumoto. With the other cities becoming very busy with tourists, Matsumoto City and the surrounding area are a great way to avoid the crowds in Japan. While we did see some tourists at the more popular sights, it was nothing compared to the others.
So, how many days should you spend in Matsumoto? We think Matsumoto is worthy of at least 3 days but you could stay even longer with added day trips. Our family spent 4 nights in Matsumoto and mentioned it as a city we could live in.
Getting to Matsumoto
What also makes Matsumoto a great place to add to your Japan itinerary is the ease of getting there.
Matsumoto from Tokyo
The easiest way is to take the Limited Express trains on the Chuo line which gets you directly from Shinjuku Station to Matsumoto Station in about 2 hours 30 minutes. For a cheaper but slightly longer option, you can take a bus from Shinjuku to Matsumoto.
Matsumoto from Osaka/Kyoto
From either Osaka or Kyoto, you can take a Shinkansen to Nagoya and then change to a limited express train to Matsumoto Station. From Kyoto, the total journey time is around 2 hours 50 minutes and from Osaka, it is just over 3 hours.
Matsumoto from Nagano
The Limited Express train on the JR Shinano line takes about 50 minutes from Nagano Station to Matsumoto Station. As we had a rental car, we drove from Nagano to Matsumoto. This took just over 1 hour and cost ¥1680 for the toll road.
Getting around Matsumoto
As Matsumoto is a small city, the centre is very walkable. Matsumoto Station to the Castle is a 1km walk, with sights in between. We walked to all of the inner city sights in one day and loved seeing different areas of the city as we passed through them.
For areas outside of the city centre and day trips, we had a rental car however, Matsumoto has trains and busses to help you get around. We do think having a rental car is a great way to see the area and to escape the crowds of Japan.
With a rental car, you can just drive around viewing the little houses and rice fields, or stop to take in those epic mountain views.
Things to do in Matsumoto
Matsumoto Castle
One of Japan’s original castles, Matsumoto Castle is striking with its black and white exterior. Surrounded by a moat with koi fish swimming around and a red-arched bridge crossing the water, it’s such a beautiful scene.
You can enter Matsumoto Castle for a fee. Entry cost was ¥700 for adults and ¥300 for children. The Castle appears to have 5 levels from the outside but a hidden level means there are 6 interior levels and we were able to enter every one. The levels are joined by steep wooden stairs, some are more like ladders. It was very organised with people making sure visitors followed the right directions with one side going up and the other going down.
Inside the castle were displays of armour and weapons with descriptions in English. There was also information about the castle structure and we learnt that the fish on the top of the roof sprayed water in the case of a fire. We also learnt that the castle was due to be demolished but was saved with the help of a local activist.
The castle windows also gave us a great viewpoint over the castle grounds and the city.
Tour a Miso Brewery
Nagano Prefecture is the leading producer of Miso in Japan, and Matsumoto’s Iishi Miso Brewery uses a traditional and natural method. We entered the store,e and a lady asked if we were there for the tour in English. She then made a phone call and kept telling us it wouldn’t be long.
A man came to take us for the tour and as we were joined by Japanese people he switched between speaking in English and Japanese throughout the tour. We were all very impressed at his ability to give descriptive and entertaining explanations in both languages.
We were shown the wooden barrels and he explained each step of the miso-making process. Iishi Miso Brewery was founded in 1868, and they make a unique 3-year fermented miso. The small shop sells a variety of miso products, and as the tour was completely free, we felt it was respectful to make a purchase. We love miso anyway and ended up buying both their 1-year and 3-year miso pastes. There is also a dining area that offers meals.
See the works of Yayoi Kusama at the Museum of Art
The reason we visited Matsumoto City Museum of Art, apart from the air conditioning, was to view the collection of art by Yayoi Kusama. Yayoi Kusama was born in Matsumoto and became world-famous for her art pieces that often feature a spotty pattern. There was information explaining that her artwork was her escape from the hallucinations she suffered due to schizophrenia. Walking through the exhibition, we viewed different pieces, including the famous pumpkin. We queued to enter a tiny room with mirrors that reflected many lights that appeared to go on forever.
Walk through streets with preserved buildings
Nakamachi Dori
Nakamachi Street is a stretch of road lined on both sides by traditional storehouses. On this street, you will find cafes, restaurants and stores selling lacquerware, pottery and woodwork. The buildings are white with a black crisscross pattern along the bottom half. The street is on a busy road, so care must be taken when browsing.
Nawate Dori
Nawate Dori has a section that is a pedestrian-only shopping street. It is also known as ‘Frog Street’ due to many shops featuring frog items and a large frog statue at the start of the street. Matsumoto’s Nawate Dori runs along the Metoba River, whose frogs gave the street its theme. There are several souvenir-type shops, but our favourite part of the street was all the different food stands and stores.
First, we went to a little stand selling taiyaki, a sort of crispy pancake batter shaped like a fish and filled with sweet or savoury options. We tried both the red bean filling and the custard filling, with the red bean being the unanimous favourite. We then visited a senbai shop. Senbai are Japanese rice crackers, and the shop sells many varieties. We chose a pack that had both soy glaze and sesame seed crackers and found a seat overlooking the river to enjoy them. As it was a hot day in June and we had been walking around, our next stop was to get cool treats. Three of us chose to have ice cream, and the youngest ordered kakigori, a Japanese shaved ice dessert.
Stroll around
Our favourite thing to do (hence the blog name) in a new place is to just stroll around. Strolling down different streets and viewing unique buildings or houses. In Matsumoto, you can view the river as you walk around. We came across little shrines and I loved seeing little traditional-style buildings next to larger, more modern ones.
Day trips from Matsumoto
Daio Wasabi Farm
If you have a car, driving to Daio Wasabi Farm from Matsumoto City will take about 30 minutes, depending on traffic. There is also a toll road that costs ¥250 if the regular route is congested. It is also possible to get to the farm by taking a train and then either a bus or a taxi.
I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t research enough and was disappointed to turn up to the wasabi farm to find all of the plants growing in the river were completely covered in black tarps. This is to shield the wasabi plants from the hot summer sun. Entry to the farm is free though, so there was nothing lost. There is still an area of the river with wooden water wheels and overhanging trees, which is a beautiful scene. We walked around the entire grounds of the farm and tried a wasabi ice cream, but we couldn’t detect any wasabi flavour or hit.
This was our only time seeing a bus tour group, and there was only one small group. Walking further away from the entrance, we were mostly by ourselves. It did make us think maybe the place was a little too set up for tour packages, see the wasabi farm, have lunch at the cafe and a nice ice cream. Is that why we were left wondering where the wasabi hit was? After looking in the store, we ended up buying a piece of fresh wasabi from the outside stand to use back at our Airbnb.
Azumino
We came across Azumino because that is where the Wasabi farm is located. There is also a little sourdough bakery called Gappido Bread that we had to visit, as my husband is a sourdough baker. The entire area is stunning, and we found ourselves just driving around, looking at rice fields with mountain backdrops.
Narai Juku
Our original plan was to visit Narai Juku on the way back from our stay in Kiso Valley. A very rainy day in Matsumoto meant our plan to see mountain views needed to change. So, we did a day trip to Narai Juku.
The Nakasendo was a major road connecting Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) during the Edo period (1603 – 1867) and Narai Juku sits at the halfway point. The town has been very well preserved, and traditional wooden houses line the entire 1km stretch of road. A lot of the stores were closed. We weren’t sure if it was due to being off-season or because it was a very rainy day. The street was practically empty though, so we could understand why they were not open. We were still able to browse in some shops and have something to eat, including visiting a cute little cafe.
Read more in the Kiso Valley and Nakasendo with kids post.
To get to Narai Juku from Matsumoto by car takes just under an hour with no tolls. There is a toll road that costs ¥570 if the other is busy. From Matsumoto Station, there are a few train options to get to Narai Station. Train travel times are between 30 minutes to 50 minutes.
Snow Monkey Park
Yes, we visited the snow monkey park in the Summer. No, there was no snow, but there were lots of monkeys! Jigokudani Yaen Koen (Snow Monkey Park) is known for the Japanese Macaques that soak in the hot spring waters. Images usually show the monkeys in the steaming water surrounded by thick white snow. For this reason, we were unsure whether a visit in warmer months would be worthwhile.
We decided that the Jigokudani area looked interesting enough even if we didn’t see any monkeys. But, we saw lots! They were everywhere, and they had babies, and it was so incredible to just observe them roaming around in the beautiful surroundings. I’m assuming the park is busier in the winter months, but it was not at all crowded during our visit. Our visit to the Snow Monkey Park was in mid-June.
To get to the Snow Monkey Park from Matsumoto by car takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes and costs ¥2580 in tolls. You can also take a Limited Express train to Nagano and then catch a bus to the park, with the whole journey being around 2 hours.
Matsumoto with kids
Our kids (aged 12 and 8) enjoyed all of the things I’ve mentioned, the castle, learning about the making of miso, viewing the artwork in the museum, eating street food, and of course, seeing the monkeys. A couple of other places stand out for being amazing attractions for kids of all ages.
Matsumoto City Alps Park
We thought the park would be nice to stroll through, and I saw a photo of a rock climbing wall at the playground and thought it would be fun for our kids. There is so much more in this park. First, the rock climbing wall runs up a large boulder-like structure that can also be climbed with a slide to come down. Nearby is a viewpoint that looks down over the city and out to the mountains. Unfortunately, the day we were there was rainy and the mountains were covered in clouds, but we could tell it would be amazing on a clear day. The puddles made a fun extra challenge for our boys. This is a fantastic park to visit if you’re in Matsumoto with kids.
The park has a petting zoo and a ‘Dream Coaster’ sled ride. These were closed the day we were at the park. There is also a zoo, but photos show sad-looking snow monkeys sitting on concrete. Just up the hill from the first rock climbing playground was an obstacle course that then led further uphill to a climbing net tunnel and then the best part. A huge roller slide winding through the trees, and then another one and then another double side-by-side slide so the kids could race.
Throughout the park, there are little streams, plenty of picnic tables and an ice-cream vending machine. It’s a wonderful place for families to spend time.
Kids’ Ninja Village
This is a bit further from Matsumoto and you would need to take a train to Nagano and then a bus. If you have a car, it is just under 2 hours with tolls or just over without tolls. We visited while staying in Nagano but I wanted to add it here because it is a fantastic place for kids. The main obstacle course is included in the entry fee, and it is huge.
There are tightropes, a flying fox and lots of challenges. You can also pay to do extra activities such as star-throwing, shooting and sledding. Children can also choose to rent a ninja costume for the day. Parents can also join in, and it is a fun day out for the whole family. On arrival and for most of our time here, we had the entire area to ourselves. Towards the end, a small school group came, but this is definitely not a well-known place for tourists in Japan.
Where to stay in Matsumoto with kids
A lot of the hotels we came across in the Matsumoto city area were business hotels and not set up as family accommodations. We did find places outside of the city that looked incredible but we ended up choosing something else.
First was Northstar Loft, an alpine lodge in the Norikura highlands. We didn’t end up staying because at the time of our visit, the bus didn’t run up the mountain and we were unsure what else may be closed.
Another family accommodation that looks fun is L-BASE, with different types of guest houses. At the time, we were a little unsure about the room setups and how many people could fit. I see now it has been updated with clear details and images. L-BASE is located about 16 minutes by car from Matsumoto Station.
In the end, we decided that staying in Matsumoto City would be better so that we could walk into the city and see Matsumoto Castle as well as other sights. We stayed in this Airbnb house that had plenty of space for a longer stay and also provided a parking space. We enjoyed staying in a local neighbourhood, visiting the grocery store and walking into the city.
Nagano or Matsumoto?
Deciding whether you should stay in Nagano or Matsumoto? Both cities are a wonderful gateway to the Japanese Alps. I actually couldn’t choose so, we stayed in both.
The kids wanted to ride on a bullet train. With the Shinkansen running from Tokyo to Nagano, we decided we may as well stay there. Spending 2 nights in Nagano meant less driving time to the Snow Monkey Park and Kids’ Ninja Village.
We were also able to fit in a visit to Togakushi Shrine. After walking around the lower shrine, we drove to the parking area closest to the middle shrine. It is a 2km walk to the upper shrine. The walk is beautiful and takes you through a forest of sacred trees. It also passes through the picturesque thatched-roof gat,e which at the time of our visit was covered in green foliage. Some parts of the walk are uphill. While we did pass some people, there were hardly any tourists here and it was a very peaceful walk in nature.
Our Airbnb in Nagano was located near a train station and a short ride took us to Zenkoji Temple. Visiting later in the afternoon gave the temple grounds that beautiful golden hour glow.
Staying in Matsumoto for 4 nights gave us a day in the city, a day in Azumino and a day in the mountains which turned into a day trip to Narai Juku. On our last morning in Matsumoto, we left to hike the Nakasendo trail from Magome to Tsumago.
They aren’t that far apart, so you really can’t go wrong with either. Both Matsumoto and Nagano are areas we loved exploring and allowed us to see uncrowded parts of Japan. It is also a wonderful area to visit in Japan with kids.
After Matsumoto, we visited Kiso Valley and walked part of the Nakasendo trail.
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