So, you’ve made your way to Matsumoto? A good choice! Matsumoto is a beautiful, friendly city with lots of hidden cafe’s, cozy restaurants and an artsy scene. There’s so much to do, so I’ve compiled a list of the things I think you must see when in Matsumoto for a day!

1. Stroll around Matsumoto Castle & Garden

So this can be first or last in your itinerary for the day, but a Matsumoto Castle visit is a must! This “national treasure of Japan” is a famous sight because of its beautiful reflection in the moat around it, but also because the keep (main building) still maintains its original wooden interior and stone exterior since the 16th century. It has a long and interesting history, which I recommend you to read beforehand :).

Even if you don’t go into the castle, both in the morning and evening you can take a stroll around the aesthetic park and observe the beautiful structure and its reflection (and take a cool reflection shot at one of the “photo spots” indicated on the park map). At night the castle it lit up.

Entrance fee: 700 yen
Open: 8.30-17.00
Website

2. Matsumoto City Museum of Art

This is one of the most fun museums I’ve been to in Japan. The Matsumoto City Museum of Art has a wonderful, interactive permanent exhibition by Yayoi Kusama. It is beautifully done. You can read about her life, thoughts and ideas, while at the same time walking through and experiencing her art. In my opinion, just this collection is worth the visit. They also host permanent exhibitions by local artists as well as a changing special exhibition.

Entrance fee: 410 yen (permanent exh.), special exh. changes
Open: 9:00-17:00
Website

3. Visit a coffeeshop

Grab a drink and/or lunch at one of the cute coffee shops
Matsumoto is Nagano’s second biggest city and with the coffee culture becoming increasingly popular in Japan over the past years, Matsumoto has seen the opening of many new and cute cafés. Also around the museum! They make a great place for a break, a snack and in most cases also delicious lunch. I’ve included places with vegetarian/vegan options for those looking for it :).

– Sioribi: a coffeeshop/bookshop with amazing vegan donuts!
– Organic Foods & Music: a bit out of the way, but delicious and cute food and coffee!
– Hop Frog Café: unique assortment of coffees, nice owners and vegetarian/vegan food options available
– Alps Gohan: very popular restaurant that can make vegetarian (and possibly) vegan alternatives for their dishes
– High Five Coffee Stand: modern coffeehouse with good coffee and some pastries (not vegan)

For opening times, check Google maps!

4. Visit a traditional miso brewery

Not many people know about it, but this is a hidden gem in Matsumoto in my opinion. The Ishii miso factory has been making miso since 1868 and is still owned by the original family. The miso is still made in the traditional way, in cedar barrels, with the natural brewing method. This is quite rare nowadays since miso is often produced in bulk using fast fermentation (3-4 months) and metal barrels. To learn more about this process and the factory, just enter the giftshop and ask if they can give you a tour. When I was there they were more than willing and brought out the owner/boss (6th generation) to give me a tour in English.

After the tour you’ll have the opportunity to try all kinds of miso products, such as 3 year fermented miso, ice cream, candy, cookies, soup, or even have lunch there. But be aware that none of the lunch options (even the onigiri) are vegan because of dashi or pork ingredients. The only vegetarian option was the miso cheese pizza at the time.

Entrance fee: free
Open: 8:00-17:00 factory & shop, 11:00-14:00 lunch
Website

5. Check out Nakamachi Dori and one of the bars/restaurants

Nakamachi Dori is one of the old, well-preserved areas in Matsumoto city centre. It’s where the merchants used to live around the Do-period so you can see old warehouses, shops and restaurants. There are many food options in this area and it’s just fun to walk around and experience it yourself. But for those on a vegetarian or vegan diet I can recommend the following places:

– Itoya: A small Izakaya run by one cool lady. Since it’s an Izakaya style restaurant you have to order at least one drink, and can then choose from a bunch of vegetarian and vegan dishes. The restaurant has about 10 seats, so depending on the season and the day you might have to wait!
– Asian Station: Asian fusion restaurant in a cute tiny street. Has many vegetarian and vegan options
– Kobayashi Soba: Soba is a must try, since it’s one of the famous Nagano dishes. Kobayashi soba is one of the unique places that offer soba with a vegetarian/vegan broth (most contain dashi), so a great place to try it if you haven’t had it yet :).

For opening times, check Google maps.

Bonus: keep an eye out for one of the 20 natural springwater fountains

Matsumoto hosts a bunch of natural springwater fountains where you can have a free refreshing drink. Keep an eye out and you might find one along the way!

I hope you likes this one day itinerary for Matsumoto! Let me know what you think and if I’ve missed a definitely-must-do in the comments below! Keep an eye out for future blogs about what to do AROUND Matsumoto!