After visiting Tokyo a couple of times, I really wanted to go beyond the city and explore more of the Nagano area. I’d seen some beautiful towns while I was researching and my partner, Taylor, had a childhood dream of seeing the Japanese snow monkeys.
So we took the Shinkansen from Tokyo and spent 2 days in Matsumoto. We were honestly blown about by this charming, cute town and there are so many things to do in Matsumoto, yet it’s completely walkable - perfect for a short trip!
In this guide, I’m sharing what to do in Matsumoto, including a half day trip to Narai, Matsumoto attractions and where to eat and drink in Matsumoto.
Matsumoto Castle in Autumn
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How to get to Matsumoto from Tokyo
We took the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station. Then changed trains and took the Shinonoi Line (local train) from Nagano Station to Matsumoto Station.
Tickets for this cost 9,240 yen.
However you can also get to Matsumoto from Tokyo directly on the Limited Express train on the Chuo Line. It takes slightly longer but you don’t need to change trains and it only costs 6,620 yen.
If you’re planning to visit Nagano (which we did) then taking the Shinkansen to Nagano first, then doing the onward journey to Matsumoto a few days later makes more sense. Then you can easily take the Limited Express back to Tokyo if that’s where you need to be.
The view from the window of the Shinkansen on the way from Tokyo to Nagano
How long to spend in Matsumoto
We spent two days in Matsumoto during our time exploring Nagano prefecture and it was a great amount of time to explore the city, take a half day trip and enjoy the food too.
Plus it was a welcome change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo!
We visited Matsumoto in November and although there was still autumn leaves on the trees, it was below 0C most days. Had we visited Matsumoto in the summer, we could easily have stayed longer to do some of the popular mountain hikes and scenic areas in the mountains which are a short drive outside the city, such as Kamikochi, Kappa Bridge and Taisho Ike pond.
Is Matsumoto worth visiting?
Obviously this is subjective but in my opinion, yes it is.
There is a lot to do in Matsumoto and near Matsumoto which makes it a great city to explore and a base to use for trips further afield.
Plus it’s an easy destination to reach from Tokyo, but a much smaller city so it feels calmer, cute and honestly like you’re experiencing more of the authentic Japan, beyond the popular tourist trail of Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka.
My only word of warning would be if you visit Matsumoto in winter. We visited in late November and it was already below freezing every day (or sweet hotel gave out complementary handwarmers each day). While the cities are very well-maintained in Japan during the snow, you might find getting around or taking day trips very limiting. And it is honestly difficult to be outside for more than a few hours at a time when it’s that cold.
Equally, Nagano prefecture has some of the world-famous ski resorts, so if you’re a skier, Matsumoto could make a great addition to your trip!
Matsumoto city when you step outside of Matsumoto train station
Where to stay in Matsumoto
We stayed at the Iroha Grand Hotel Matsumoto Eki-Mae for both nights which was perfect for us. It’s located on the main street of the city, within walking distance of everything and just a 5 minute walk from Matsumoto train station.
The rooms are standard, nothing fancy but they’re modern, updated and minimal with all the facilities you need. Breakfast is available and lovely touches like handing out complementary hand warmers to guests for the cold weather were much appreciated.
We also looked at Tabino Hotel lit Matsumoto which was also in a great location but it wasn’t available when we booked last minute.
There’s also a world-famous onsen hotel just a couple of miles outside the centre of the city which I’ve had saved on my list for YEARS, but unfortunately we didn’t have a car for this section of our trip and that would have made getting to this hotel a lot easier. Matsumoto Jujo is a super-modern hotel in a traditional Japanse building and with a blend of modern and traditional styles. They have a stunning vaulted library with a sunken reading area, panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and ultra-minimal, traditional style as well as western-style rooms, be nosey and check it out here .
Iroho Grand Hotel in Matsumoto - the only photo I remembered to take of the hotel lobby!
The best things to do in Matsumoto, Japan
Visit Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto-jo Castle is one of the most unique Japanese castles because it’s painted black!
Built in 1594 with wooden fortifications dating back to 1467, Matsumoto Castle is one of the oldest castles in Japan and is a must-see in Matsumoto.
Positioned a stone structure with a surrounding Keep on the Inner Moat, you can visit the castle for 700 yen (adult) 300 yen (child) and see exhibits about the history of the castle, historic weapons, construction, repair and preservation and learn about the legends that surround the castle too.
Whether you choose to go inside or not, the castle moat is also gorgeous to wander around during every season. The waterside is surrounded by blossom in spring, lush greenery and flowers in summer and vibrant autumn leaves during the fall. I really want to return in the winter to see the dramatic black castle covered in snow - look up pictures of it in the snow on Instagram - it’s both beautiful and ominous.
Also walk over to the far side of the park where there’s a lovely red bridge over to the castle which is closed to pedestrians but makes a very picturesque photo spot.
During the spring and summer, you can also take boat rides on the water.
Matsumoto Castle
Yohashira-jinja Shrine
After leaving Tokyo, this was our first sign of autumn colours (despite it being late November and 0 degrees!) and it was gorgeous!
Yoashira-jinja is not a big shrine, in fact you can just wander into the courtyard area off the Nawate Shopping Street and have a look around because it’s free to visit.
If you are visiting during the autumn, I highly recommend it - the autumn foliage is beautiful!
The autumn leaves around the shrine are gorgeous
Part of Yohashira-jinja shrine in Matsumoto
Nawate Shopping Street
This is a popular pedestrian shopping street that runs along the Metoba River in the centre of the city.
Here you’ll find street food, souvenirs, antiques, ceramics, bars and cafes and for some reason, this street has a frog theme, so you’ll also see lots of frog statues, displays and souvenirs - very odd but also a lot of fun.
There are lots of local products here so this isn’t like a gimmicky tourist street which I know can often feel the case in popular shopping districts in places like Tokyo or Kyoto.
You can also take a stroll down to beside the bridge on the river and it feels like you’re in a Japanese postcard, or possibly an anime!
Nawate Shopping Street
Frog souvenirs
Nawate frong street statue
Nakamachi Dori
On the other side of the river in the Matsumoto downtown area and just a short walk from Nawate Street in Matsumoto, is Nakamachi Dori street. This is a craft street and it’s so fun to explore!
There’s a tatami shop, traditional toy shop, ceramic and chinaware shops, boutique clothing stores, vintage stores, souvenirs, a brewery taproom and more.
We picked up a couple of souvenirs from here but the shops are so fascinating just to walk around and see the different crafts and of course sample some of the beers or coffees along the way!
Nakamachi Dori shopping street
Nakamachi Dori shopping street
Restaurant Takahashi
Oh my this was the best happy accident of our trip to Matsumoto!
We were both really craving Tonkatsu so we just searched on Google Maps and this place was just around the corner from our hotel and WOW, I’m going to put a picture below of what we ordered. The woman didn’t speak any English but tried to tell us it was too much food for both of us to eat - I’m proud to say we both did manage to eat it haha!
The menu is in Japanese so we did a lot of pointing at pictures and using Google Translate but the portions were huge, prices were incredibly affordable, especially for how much food we got and this was exactly the Tonkatsu we were craving - we both had the medium cutlet set.
Tonkatsu set meal
Bacca Brewing
This was another happy accident. If you follow my content you’ll probably see a pattern of breweries. I love craft beer and breweries are usually small, independent, run by locals and all these means a great atmosphere, local recommendations for things to do in the area and great food (often great food too) - plus you’re supporting a local business.
We found Bacca Brewing down the street from our hotel and it’s a cute pub-style place which has been run by the same sweet couple for years.
The beer is really great and they have a snacking menu too. We found ourselves back here for two nights in a row!
Bacca Brewing
Matsumoto Brewery Taproom - rooftop
This is another brewery in the city and you can do here in the evening or daylight because I’m mainly recommending it for the views.
The beer was okay but the food and drink were quite overpriced and it’s a very polished place inside a community shopping centre. However they have balcony with the most stunning views down the main street in Matsumoto with mountains in the background.
If you time it right for sunset and without cloud cover, this is a beautiful spot! Unfortunately we only saw it with the cloud covering the mountains but you get the idea!
Two pints at Matsumoto Brewery
the view from Matsumoto Brewery
Morning trip to Narai-juku
On our second day in Matsumoto, we did a day trip to Narai-juku.
Narai is a historic town with some of the most stunning preserved Edo architecture I’ve ever seen in Japan. The town was once a staging post (stopping place) for travellers and traders, it was the 34th of 69 stations of the Nakasendo trail that connected Tokyo to Kyoto.
You can get to Narai-juku from Matsumoto station on the JR Shinonoi line. Depending on which train you get, you can remain onboard and the route becomes the Chuo Line local train, or sometimes you’ll have to get off and change to the Chuo Line at Shiojiri Station.
We found Google Maps perfectly accurate for how to get to Narai-juku from Matsumoto and train tickets only cost 600 yen each way.
If you take the direct train, it takes around 1 hour 15 minutes, if you change at Shiojiri, it’s slightly quicker at just under 1 hour.
Once you get to Narai-juku station is instantly feels like you’ve stepped back in time. The train station is THE CUTEST. It’s a beautiful preserved wooden station and I just love the local train culture in Japan anyway - always on time, so much pride it taking care of their trains and proper train etiquette, stunning scenic journey but it was even better to arrive and see this totally charming station too!
Come out of the station and turn left to start walking towards the village.
The village is long and narrow, we could probably walk from one end to the other in about 10 minutes but of course allow time for stopping for photos along the way because this is the best preserved Edo town I’ve seen this close to Tokyo.
We were still jetlagged when we visited and had ended up being awake and just getting an early train, so Narai-juku was so quite when we got there just after 8am. But even by the time we left at around 11am, it still wasn’t too busy. Although we were visiting at the end of November and it was extremely cold - so that could be why!
We spent time wandering and exploring, we stopped at tea shops to warm up and grab snacks, we picked up some handmade chopsticks and other small crafted souvenirs from the stalls that started to open around 9-10am.
We walked to the far end of the village to see the Shizume-jinja shrine and the Narakawa History and Folklore Museum. If you carried on up the trail, you’d also reach the Torii Pass walking train which we probably would have done if we had warmer clothes (flying to Japan in winter from spending 6 months in the heat and humidity of Southeast Asia was a hard adjustment for us and our wardrobe!)
We also stopped and saw the heritage steam locomotive by the tracks and saw Kiso Bridge. Right by Kiso Bridge we stumbled on an amazing antiques shop called hito.to which is only open 5 days a month and it happened to be open when were were there! It was FULL of treasures and the most gorgeous traditional furniture, antique decor and historical pieces - I could have shipped so much back home from here!
In the end we settled on some antique sake cups and a ceramic display piece which was over 100 years old - such great souvenirs from a historic town.
Narai-juku village
Visit Daio Wasabi Farm
Full caveat, unfortunately this was closed in late November when we were visiting (it opens usually from March to November)
We were recommended to visit Daio Wasabi Farm by one of my partner’s friends who has spent years and countless trips exploring Japan. I would highly recommend visiting during the spring or summer months when the gardens are all open.
You can learn about the history and growing process of wasabi, plus there are restaurants, cafes and shops where you can buy wasabi flavoured EVERYTHING! I’m talking wasabi drinks, noodles, burgers, sweets and soft serve ice cream.
You can get here directly from Narai-juku on the Shinonoi Line and get off at Akashina station which is two stops past Matsumoto (north). From Matsumoto you can also take the Oito Line to Hotaka Station. From both stations it is a 10 minute taxi ride or you can hire a bike from the station to cycle there. From Hotaka Station you could probably walk as it’s only 3km from the station to the farm.
In the area for longer? Here are the best day trips from Matsumoto
We were unfortunately on a time crunch as we had to cut our trip short by 3 weeks due to a family emergency. This left us with only 1 month to complete our Japan itinerary. We initially planned to spend at least 3-4 more days in the area around Nagano and Matsumoto. If we had been able to do that, these are the other places I was planning to include in your Matsumoto and Nagano itinerary.
We did continue on to Nagano city to do the Five Shrine train to Togakushi Shrine and also to see the Japanese snow monkeys which was really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Nagano
Kamikochi - Kappa Bridge and Myojin Bridge
Karasawa Cirque
Stay in onsen hotels
Komagatake Ropeway
Japanese snow monkeys
Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano City
Summary: Matsumoto things to do
I hope this Matsumoto travel guide has inspired you to explore Matsumoto and the surrounding areas. It really is a beautiful area of Japan and such a great way to experience the Japanese countryside and a quieter side to Japan that’s not too far from Tokyo.
The contrast between Tokyo and this area of Nagano can feel like a different country, the quietness and slower pace of life is so different but so beautiful to see and experience if you have time on your Japan itinerary.
Pin for later to plan your trip!
