Local Guide
Matsumoto is a great place to visit with children. 5 Experience spots where you can learn and have fun!

There are many famous soba noodle stores and sightseeing spots in Matsumoto, where you can have various experiences while learning and having fun with your children. For example, you can experience handmade buckwheat noodles at a long-established buckwheat noodle shop, visit Matsumoto Castle, which still retains the appearance of the Warring States Period, or have a workshop at a fossil museum where you can encounter prehistoric creatures. Here are some recommended spots for children that will stimulate their senses and enhance their imagination.

Enjoy Matsumoto's unique culture at a long-established soba noodle shop!

Matsumoto's folk art
Matsumoto's folk art "Matsumoto Temari

Daimyo-dori Avenue runs straight from Chitose Bridge over the Metoba River to the outer moat of Matsumoto Castle. Located along the street is "Tagaki," a long-established buckwheat noodle restaurant established in 1878. In addition to soba noodles, the store also offers a variety of souvenirs and folk crafts, as well as culture classes where you can Experience Matsumoto's traditions. Visitors can experience Matsumoto's traditional culture in a casual and fun way by trying their hand at "Matsumoto Temari", "Handmade Soba", and "Handmade Oyaki".
Reservations are required for culture classes. Since the starting time of each Experience is fixed, we recommend that you make your schedule according to your sightseeing schedule on the day of the Experience.

Experience the popular handmade buckwheat noodles that you can take home as a souvenir.

Experience everything from buckwheat noodle making to cutting and boiling. Handmade soba experience workshop (3,000 yen per bowl, for 3 people)
Experience everything from buckwheat noodle making to cutting and boiling. Handmade soba experience workshop (3,000 yen per bowl, for 3 people)

The most popular culture class is the handmade soba (buckwheat noodles) experience, in which three servings of Shinshu buckwheat noodles are prepared in one bowl, and visitors use the buckwheat flour to knead, stretch, and cut the noodles. Although the process of making real buckwheat noodles is quite difficult, the experience of making buckwheat noodles together with parents and children while learning from the store staff is an irreplaceable bonding experience. Visitors can choose whether to take home the buckwheat noodles they have made as souvenirs or to eat them on the spot. If you stop by as part of your Matsumoto walking tour, you are guaranteed to have a memorable experience.

Local Guide Comment
Even beginners are welcome as they are carefully taught. The taste of soba made by yourself is exceptional!
Takagi
  • Address 3-5-12 Ote, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 15 minutes walk from Matsumoto Station
  • Business Hours April-October 11:00-21:00/November-March 11:00-20:00
  • Admission Fee 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.
  • TEL 0263-32-5337
  • Parking Free of charge

A treasure trove of fossils to arouse your curiosity

Shiga Sperm Whale Fossil
Shiga Sperm Whale Fossil

The Matsumoto Shiga Fossil Museum, located about 40 minutes by bus from Matsumoto Station, exhibits many fossils of ancient marine life that prove this area was once an ocean about 13 million years ago.
First of all, visitors are greeted by the fossil of the Shiga sperm whale, discovered in the former Shiga district of Matsumoto City, which is a powerful sight to behold. Other exhibits include a fossil of the frontal bone of the marine mammal Sinanoarodes musculus (Sinanotodo), which is designated as a natural treasure by Nagano Prefecture. Among them is a valuable fossil of a whole-body skeleton of a Shiga sperm whale, said to be the world's oldest major discovery and only the second in the Pacific Rim region. Up close, you will be overwhelmed by the power of the fossil.
Also, in the second floor exhibition room, visitors can see stuffed polar bears, snow leopards, and other rare creatures up close.

Experience workshops such as fossil workshops

The area surrounding the Matsumoto Shiga Fossil Museum is still a treasure trove of fossils of ancient marine life. Taking advantage of this environment, various events are held throughout the year. Experience-type workshops in which parents and children can participate are held from time to time, and the Fossil Classroom, where visitors can enjoy a treasure hunt, is particularly popular. Children and adults alike become absorbed in the search for fossils in the river, and the joy they experience when they are able to collect a fossil is something to be treasured. The sense of accomplishment will remain as a treasured memory of the trip.

Local Guide Comment
It is a wonder that there were whales in Shinshu.... The "Dinosaur Coloring Contest," a coloring contest held almost every month, is also popular among visitors.
Matsumoto Shiga Fossil Museum
  • Address 85-1 Nanarashi, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
  • Bus Direction From JR Matsumoto Station, take the Alpico Kotsu bus on the Shiga Line (approx. 36 min.), and get off at the Fossil Museum stop.
  • Business hours 9:00-17:00 (last admission 16:30)
  • Closed Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be open on Monday and closed the following day)
    Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29 - January 3)
    Open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays from December through the end of February.
  • Admission Fee Adults (high school students and older): 300 yen, children (junior high school students and younger): 150 yen
  • TEL 0263-64-3900

Matsumoto City is proud of its beautiful five-story castle tower, a national treasure

Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto Castle" overlooking the Northern Alps (image courtesy of Matsumoto Castle Management Office)

Matsumoto Castle, designated a National Treasure in 1936, was built during the Warring States Period (15th-16th century) and is the oldest surviving five-story, six-story castle tower and the symbol of Matsumoto City. The highlight of the castle is the devices and exhibits inside the castle that were designed to give the visitors an advantage in battle. The structure of the castle, which has not changed since it was built, and the weapons preserved in the castle give visitors a glimpse of what it was like in those days.
Another highlight is the view from the top floor of the castle tower. Although the slope of the staircase is a bit steep, the view at the top of the stairs is outstanding. The panoramic view of the Northern Alps and the castle town is a must-see when visiting Matsumoto Castle.

The interior of the castle still retains the atmosphere of those days

Firearms on display (image courtesy of Matsumoto Castle Management Office)
Firearms on display (image courtesy of Matsumoto Castle Management Office)

Inside the castle, weapons, arms, and paintings believed to have been used during the Warring States period are on display, and visitors can see the lattice windows designed for firing flintlock rifles on the second floor, narrow walls, stone walls, and other devices used in battle throughout the castle. This is a place where parents and children can learn and discover many things as they tour the castle.
The tour inside the castle keep takes approximately one hour, but during peak seasons such as cherry blossom season, Golden Week, and summer vacation, it is recommended to go early in the morning as it is often crowded with visitors. Matsumoto Castle also hosts a variety of events throughout the year. You can visit Matsumoto Castle during the season or on the day of the event, such as nighttime cherry blossom viewing or tea ceremonies.

Local Guide Comment
Matsumoto Castle, which shows various faces depending on the season and weather, is an attraction that visitors will never get tired of no matter how many times they visit.
(Image courtesy of Matsumoto Castle Administration Office)
(Image courtesy of Matsumoto Castle Administration Office)
Matsumoto Castle
  • Address 4-1 Marunouchi, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
  • Direction Approximately 15 minutes on foot from JR Matsumoto Station
  • Direction Approx. 21 min. on the Town Sneaker North Course bus from JR Matsumoto Station to the Matsumoto Castle/Shiyakusho-mae stop.
  • Business hours 8:30-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
    G.W. and summer: 8:00-18:00 (last admission at 17:30)
    New Year's Eve 10:00 - 15:30 (last admission at 15:00)
  • Closed Year-end (December 29-31)
  • Admission Fee Adults 1,300 yen, Elementary/junior high school students 400 yen
  • TEL 0263-32-2902

Visit the miso warehouse of a long-established miso maker

One cedar vat produces about 4.5 tons of miso, enough to make about 370,000 bowls of miso soup.
One cedar vat produces about 4.5 tons of miso, enough to make about 370,000 bowls of miso soup.

A miso manufacturer that has been making miso for about 150 years, focusing on domestically grown soybeans and natural brewing. The red miso called "Shinshu Sannen Miso," made with Shinshu-grown soybeans and spring water from the Alps Mountains, takes as long as three years to become a commercial product, as its name suggests.
The president and staff/staff members involved in the miso production process will take you on a tour of the miso brewery, which began in 1998. The tour is an enjoyable way to learn about the health benefits of red miso, which is made over a long period of time through the maturation and fermentation of bacteria.

After the tour, experience the delicious taste of miso at the Dining Area.

The
The "Kuramoto Lunch" (1,100 yen), a taste of "Shinshu Sannen Miso" (three year old miso).

The "Kuramoto Lunch" is available at the Dining Area next to the brewery, which is decorated in the style of an old private house. Miso rice balls and special pork miso soup using "Shinshu three-year miso" are popular for their gentle and deep flavor. The miso ice cream for dessert is also a must-try. 10 servings per day are limited, so reservations are required.
You can also taste "miso soft serve" made with miso. You will be surprised at how well miso and soft-serve ice cream match each other beyond your imagination. In addition, the shop sells "Shinshu three-year miso," limited edition brewed miso, koji miso, and other miso products. It is also recommended as a souvenir.

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

Many retro and stylish radios

A collection of old radios you wouldn't recognize unless you were told they were radios.
A collection of old radios you wouldn't recognize unless you were told they were radios.

The museum's collection includes more than 100 radios, including radios manufactured in the prewar 1920s and many others from different eras. In addition to those collected by the director himself, many were donated from all over Japan, and the collection is constantly growing.
Each radio is accompanied by detailed explanations of its features and historical background, allowing visitors to enjoy learning about the evolution of technology and design as they tour the collection.

There are also interesting radios with TVs and radios for use in the bathtub, etc.

A radio restored so that its internal structure can be seen
A radio restored so that its internal structure can be seen

The museum also exhibits models that are so rare that people from the broadcasting and consumer electronics industries go out of their way to visit. Visitors can encounter unique radios that are hard to find anywhere else, such as rare vintage radios, limited edition models specially produced by home appliance manufacturers to commemorate the 50th anniversary of radio broadcasting, radios with color TVs, waterproof radios for use only in the bath, and radios made by manufacturers that do not exist today.
Each reflects its era and is not only interesting to look at, but also provides visitors with an insight into the differences between life then and now.

Japan Radio Museum
  • Address 3-10-1 Tsukama, Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture MAP
  • Direction 25 minutes drive from Matsumoto IC of Nagano Expressway
  • Bus Direction 7 min. walk from Nishi-Tskama bus stop on the Town Sneaker southbound bus from JR Matsumoto Station.
  • Business hours 12:00 - 16:00
    Open Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays, Golden Week, and during Obon vacations (August 8-16 in 2020). Closed during winter from December to February.
  • Admission Fee Adults 500 yen, 15 years old and younger 200 yen (elementary school students and younger free of charge) *Persons with disability certificate and accompanying persons: Adults 200 yen, 15 years old and younger free of charge
  • TEL 0263-27-2535 (only during opening hours)
  • Parking Yes (3 cars)

MAP

＜Recommended Experience Spots in Matsumoto
Hoshino Resorts facilities nearby
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The information in this article is current as of the date of the update. Please check before visiting as they are subject to change.