Matsumoto 松本
Matsumoto (pop. 203,000) lies at the heart of the Japanese Alps and geographic center of Nagano prefecture, roughly halfway between Nagoya and Niigata on the JR Chuo Line.
It is an convenient base for treks to the Hodaka-dake and Kamikochi area.
The town was first mentioned in the 8th century. It became the stronghold of the Ogasawara clan in the 14th and 15th century.
The local culinary speciality is "soba" (buckwheat noodles).
Matsumoto-jo Castle 松本城
Matsumoto is famed above all for its splendid medieval castle, built between 1592 and 1614.
Matsumoto-jo's particularity is its black and white colour, while most Japanese castles are all white. Furthermore, it is one of Japan's few remaining original castles (as opposed to reconstructed), making it a must-see for castle lovers.
The castle is about 15min walk north-east from the station. It is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm (closed from 29 December to 3 January), and admission is ￥500 and includes the adjacent Japan Folklore Museum (日本民俗資料館).
The museum is located next to the castle's entrance. It displays various artifacts such as clocks and watches from the all over the world (including a Rolls Royce clock), and others related to folklore, history, archeology, fauna and flora of the Matsumoto region.
Japan Ukiyoe Museum (日本浮世絵博物館)
Another noteworthy museums is the Japan Ukiyoe Museum. Over 100,000 wooden block paintings, prints, screens and old books have been gathered there by the Sakai family.
It shouldn't be missed by ukiyoe enthusiasts, not least because it is the largest private collection of its kind in the world. There are only limited signs in English, but explanatory leaflets in the tongue of Shakespeare are provided.
The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Admission cost a hefty ￥900, which adds up to the taxi fare to get there from Matsumoto station. Foot access is possible from Oniwa (大庭) station on the Dentetsu line, but it is rather difficult to find.
How to get to Matsumoto
By train, the journey from Tokyo's Shinjuku station with the Azusa limited express takes about 2 hours 40 minutes and cost a bit less than ￥4,000.
From Nagano, the JR Shinano limited express makes the trip in 50min for about ￥1,100.
From Nagoya, the same JR Shinano takes a bit over 2 hours and cost ￥3,250.
Shinshu Matsumoto Airport has flights to Sapporo, Osaka and Fukuoka.
Dentetsu has daily buses between Matsumoto and Shinjuku for about ￥3,400 one-way and ￥5,950 return
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