Must-see attractions · Matsumoto
10 attractions with a verified description
Central Matsumoto · Castle
One of the five original castles in Japan, black, from 1594, with a moat and swans. ¥1,200 with an online ticket and ¥1,300 at the ticket office. Inside there are six floors of very steep stairs, climbed in socks, and a collection of guns.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Central Matsumoto · Free
A street along the river with frog statues on every corner, old toy shops and taiyaki stalls. Free. A flea market on weekends, and this is the street that kids love in Matsumoto.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Central Matsumoto · Free
A street of kura storehouses with checkered black and white walls, today shops of wood crafts, sake and cafes. Free. It runs parallel to Nawate, and the two together are a pleasant hour after the castle.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Central Matsumoto · Museum
The museum of the city where Yayoi Kusama was born in 1929: giant dotted flowers at the entrance, a dotted drinks machine, and a permanent wing with the infinity rooms. ¥700 for the collection with an e-ticket, ¥800 at the ticket office. Closed on Monday.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Matsumoto · Free
A small shrine next to Nawate Street, between the river and the shopping street, which is considered a shrine that grants wishes. Free. Quiet, and it serves as a natural passage between Nawate and Nakamachi.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: yoppy / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Central Matsumoto · Museum
A clock museum with a giant pendulum clock on the facade, one of the largest in Japan. ¥500 since April 2026. A collection of pocket watches, wall clocks and music boxes, and some of them are operated in demonstrations. Small, and good for a rainy hour.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Abasaa / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Western Matsumoto · Museum
The largest private collection of prints in the world (more than 100 thousand), of the Sakai family, in a concrete building by Kazuo Shinohara. ¥1,000. They are shown in rotation, so every visit is different. Outside the center.
Price checked September 2026
Northern Matsumoto · Historic building
The first Western-style school in Japan (1876), a National Treasure, in the style of 'European as a Japanese carpenter imagined it', with angels on the sign. ¥700 at the ticket office and ¥600 with an e-ticket. It was closed for earthquake reinforcement, so check in advance.
Price checked September 2026
Asama · Onsen
A long-standing onsen town on the edge of Matsumoto, 15 minutes by bus, where people already came in the Edo period. Day-use baths from ¥500. Less polished than Hakone, and also much cheaper and quieter. Entry to the town is free, and ¥500 is an estimate of the price of entry to one bath.
Central Matsumoto · Free
From the bridges in central Matsumoto and from the top of the castle you see the snowy ridge of the Northern Alps behind the city. Free. In the clear air of winter and early spring this is the view that explains why people come here.
Price checked September 2026
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