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…
Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps
Boasting some of Japan's most magnificent peaks and dramatic scenery, the northern Japan Alps (北アルプス) are truly spectacular, with stunning 3000m peaks accessible even to amateur hikers. Also known as the Hida Range (飛騨山脈), the mountains are protected within Chūbu-Sangaku National Park (中部山岳国立公園). Put very simply, the northern Alps are in the shape of a big 'Y'. The northwestern arm is based around the Tateyama peaks and accessed from Murodō on the Tateyama–Kurobe Alpine Route. The lovely resort village of Kamikōchi, at the base of the 'Y', is the access point for hiking in the south, while the northeastern arm of the 'Y' is accessed from Hakuba, home to various events at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
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Must-see attractions
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…
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…
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…
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
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…
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