JAPN Matsumoto Castle and City Guide: One of Japan's Best Castles
Matsumoto Castle and City Guide: One of Japan’s Best Castles
The Crow Castle
Matsumoto Castle, nicknamed Karasu-jo (Crow Castle) for its striking black exterior, is one of only twelve original castles remaining in Japan with its keep intact since 1594. The six-story main tower, though appearing as five stories from outside due to a hidden floor, was built for both defense and administrative purposes during the Warring States period. The steep wooden staircases inside tilt at near-ladder angles, and the top floor provides 360-degree views of the Japanese Alps to the west when weather permits. Admission costs 700 yen.
The castle’s distinctive black-and-white color scheme results from alternating black lacquered wooden boards and white plaster walls. The adjacent moon-viewing turret, added in 1634 during peaceful times, opens its red-railed balcony toward the moat and reflects a shift from martial to aesthetic priorities. The moat surrounding the castle fills with cherry blossoms in mid-April and is illuminated at night during the Sakura Matsuri festival. In winter, the black tower against snow-covered Alps creates Matsumoto’s most dramatic photograph.
City Arts and Crafts
Matsumoto is a designated Craft City with a strong tradition in woodwork, lacquerware, and glass. The Matsumoto City Museum of Art houses the largest collection of works by Yayoi Kusama, who was born in Matsumoto in 1929. Her giant polka-dot flower sculpture stands outside the entrance. Nakamachi Street, a preserved row of thick-walled kura storehouses with distinctive black-and-white namako-kabe walls, now houses cafes, craft shops, and galleries. The buildings’ fire-resistant design reflects Matsumoto’s history of devastating fires.
The city hosts Saito Kinen Festival, renamed the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival in 2015, one of Asia’s premier classical music events held each August and September. Former Boston Symphony conductor Ozawa Seiji founded the festival in 1992, and performances take place in concert halls and historic buildings across the city. Nawate Street, running along the Metoba River, is lined with frog-themed shops and stalls since the frog is the district’s mascot, with vendors selling antiques, street food, and handmade crafts.
Day Trips and Alps Access
Matsumoto serves as the eastern gateway to the Kamikochi alpine valley in the Northern Alps, accessible from April to November by bus in 65 minutes from the bus terminal. Private cars are banned from Kamikochi, which preserves the pristine river valley surrounded by 3,000-meter peaks including Hotakadake and Yarigatake. The Kappa Bridge at Kamikochi’s center spans the crystal-clear Azusa River with a view of the Hotaka Range that defines the Japanese Alps in popular imagination.
Daio Wasabi Farm, 20 minutes north of Matsumoto by car, cultivates wasabi in spring-water fields fed by snowmelt from the Alps. The farm is free to enter and includes a waterwheel-lined stream, wasabi ice cream, and wasabi beer. Hotaka Shrine nearby has a branch shrine on the summit of Okuhotakadake, the third-highest mountain in Japan. Utsukushigahara Highlands, accessible by car or bus, offer open meadows at 2,000 meters with wildflowers in summer and panoramic views spanning from Fuji to the Japan Sea coast.
Getting There
JR Shinano limited express connects Matsumoto to Nagoya in two hours and to Shinjuku by the Azusa express in two and a half hours. The city sits at the junction of routes leading to Kamikochi, Takayama, and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Matsumoto Station is compact and walkable, with the castle 15 minutes on foot through the city center. Bicycle rental from the station tourist office costs 200 yen per day for the basic model and covers the city efficiently.
Related Guides
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