Must-see attractions in Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

  • Matsumoto-jō

    Matsumoto

    Must-see Matsumoto-jō is Japan's oldest wooden castle and one of four castles designated National Treasures – the others are Hikone, Himeji and Inuyama…

  • Chihiro Art Museum Azumino

    Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

    This popular art museum showcases the work of Chihiro Iwasaki (1918–74), who became world-renowned while specialising in children's-book illustrations…

  • Dai-ō Wasabi-Nōjo

    Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

    Fancy some wasabi wine or ice cream? This farm, a 15-minute bike ride from JR Hotaka Station, is a must for wasabi-lovers. An English map guides you among…

  • Japan Ukiyo-e Museum

    Matsumoto

    Housing more than 100,000 woodblock prints, paintings, screens and old books, this renowned museum exhibits but a fraction of its collection. The museum…

  • Nawate-dōri

    Matsumoto

    Nawate-dōri, a few blocks south from the castle, is a popular street for a stroll. Vendors along this riverside walk sell antiques, souvenirs, and…

  • Matsumoto City Museum of Art

    Matsumoto

    This sleek museum has a good collection of the work of Japanese artists, many of whom hail from Matsumoto or whose art depicts scenes of the surrounding…

  • Utsukushi-ga-hara Open Air Museum

    Matsumoto

    Atop Utsukushi-ga-hara-kōgen plateau you'll find this seemingly random sculpture garden with some 350 pieces, mostly by Japanese sculptors. The…

  • Matsumoto Open-Air Architectural Museum

    Matsumoto

    Adjacent to the better-known Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, amid fields and rice paddies beneath the gaze of the Alps, stand these five examples of striking late…

  • Rokuzan Bijutsukan

    Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

    Ten minutes' walk north from JR Hotaka Station, Rokuzan Bijutsukan showcases the work of Meiji-era sculptor Rokuzan Ogiwara (1879–1910; aka the 'Rodin of…

  • Kaichi School Museum

    Matsumoto

    A few blocks north of the castle, the former Kaichi School is both an Important Cultural Property and the oldest elementary school in Japan, founded in…

  • Matsumoto Timepiece Museum

    Matsumoto

    Home to Japan's largest pendulum clock (on the building's exterior) and over 300 other timepieces, including fascinating medieval Japanese creations, this…