1
Ishii Miso

Shinshu miso accounts for 40% of all miso sold in Japan. The natural brewing process, which has been maintained since the company was founded in 1868, uses mainly Shinshu-grown domestic soybeans and is made in cedar vats, which are rare today.
The "three-year miso" matured for three years is an exquisite product. Matsumoto is famous for its spring water from the Alps Mountains, and this water is the key to the flavor of the miso. You can visit the museum with an explanation if you ask for it.

Miso shop with miso soup tasting and limited lunch

In Shinshu, there is an old saying, "Three years of miso is no more than four years. Miso matures quickly in the first year or two, but reaches its full maturity in the third year, and the flavor and aroma deteriorate with further maturation. The miso storehouse where this process can be seen is a 100-year-old building, lined with cedar barrels inside the storehouse and filled with the aroma of maturing miso.

In an effort to convey the flavor, the storehouse offers a miso soup tasting service and a limited 10-serving lunch made with three-year-old miso during lunch hours at the warehouse. The naturally brewed, additive-free, fresh miso is not heat sterilized, so the lactic acid bacteria and yeast are alive and well, and it is recommended that you go and purchase some.

Ishii Miso

• 1-8-1 Uzumibashi, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• 15 min. walk from Matsumoto Station
• Lunch 11:00-14:00/ Tour 8:00-17:00/ Shop 8:00-17:00
• No holidays
• 0120-141-302/0263-32-0534
• Free of charge

2
Matsumoto City Museum of Art

From Matsumoto Station to the museum, visitors can take the Polka Dot Ranbu, a town sneaker (a city bus) with an eye-catching Yayoi Kusama design, to get there without worrying about rain. The exterior walls of the museum are covered in polka dots. This Matsumoto art spot exhibits works by world-renowned artist Yayoi Kusama, a native of Matsumoto City, and other artists with ties to Matsumoto, as well as artworks with mountain and music themes.

In addition to the permanent exhibits, there are many other things to enjoy

Inside the museum, there is an art information library with interesting books and magazines on architecture and subcultures in addition to art and art, and many books for children, making it a great place for families as well. In the store, visitors can look forward to finding Yayoi Kusama goods and other products linked to special exhibitions, as well as museum goods.

Matsumoto City Museum of Art

• 4-2-22 Chuo, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• 12 minutes walk from Matsumoto Station
• From Matsumoto Station, take the Alpico Kotsu Bus "Kita City Line East-bound" and get off at Matsumoto City Museum of Art.
  From Matsumoto Station, take the Town Sneaker "East Course" and get off at Matsumoto City Museum of Art.
• 9:00-17:00 (admission until 16:30)
• Mondays, Year-end and New Year holidays
• Collection Exhibition: Adults 410 yen, college and high school students 200 yen, junior high school students and younger free
• 0263-39-7400
• Free of charge

3
Tagaki

Established in 1878, Tagaki is a long-established Shinshu soba restaurant. Located on Daimyocho Street, 2 minutes from Matsumoto Castle, the store offers souvenirs and folk crafts on the first floor, a soba restaurant serving jyuwari soba and local cuisine on the second and third floors, an event venue that also offers cultural experiences on the fourth floor, and a seasonal beer garden on the roof top.

The fourth floor is an event hall that offers cultural experiences, and the rooftop is a beer garden that is open seasonally. Visitors can experience Matsumoto's traditional crafts such as "Matsumoto Temari," which was first made by the children of the Matsumoto clan in the mid-Edo period, handmade soba noodles, and handmade oyaki, providing a great opportunity to experience Matsumoto culture.

The Matsumoto Temari Experience class takes about three hours, and reservations are generally made for a minimum of four people, so it is best to discuss individual needs when making a reservation.

Popular Handmade Soba Experience

The popular handmade soba (buckwheat noodle) class is an hour-long experience in which you can make authentic soba noodles using Shinshu buckwheat flour.
The soba you make yourself can be taken home as a souvenir or eaten on the spot, and the freshly made and boiled soba is exceptionally tasty. The freshly made, freshly boiled soba is exceptionally tasty, and it is a memorable experience that can only be experienced in Shinshu.

Takagi

• 3-5-12 Ote, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
• 15 minutes walk from Matsumoto Station
• April-October 11:00-21:00/November-March 11:00-20:00
• Soba making experience: 3,000 yen per bowl (for 3 people)
  Experience is not available during lunch hours during the peak season around GW and Obon, so please call in advance to confirm.
• 0263-32-5337
• Free of charge