2025-08-01 / Last updated : 2025-08-01 Kevin Kato Nature

Mount Koboyama: A Big Destination with the Low Elevation

Here in Matsumoto there’s no shortage of beautiful mountain scenery. If you have the time, we highly recommend a trip up into the Northern Alps. But if you can’t quite, bike or hike just a bit south of town and check out Mount Koboyama, the big destination with the low elevation! 1,500 Year Old Physique Pass by its feet and you probably won’t notice anything special about this hill with the mountainous reputation. But you may notice something intriguing from afar – an angular, flat-topped profile that could only be man-made. And indeed, the top of this mountain was shaped by human hands. Excavation and research have shown that the […]
2024-07-19 / Last updated : 2024-07-19 Kevin Kato Events

Bon Bon Girls & Aoyama-Sama Boys: A Centuries-Old Matsumoto Tradition

All across Japan summer festivals abound. Matsumoto is no exception as thousands of people take to the streets of downtown in early August for the loud and lively Matsumoto Bon-Bon. This festival got its start almost fifty years ago – and is no match for the original Bon Bon, a unique Matsumoto tradition born centuries ago. Coupled with the Aoyama-sama, a ceremonial procession of young boys carrying a miniature shrine through the streets of their neighborhood, the Bon Bon, an elegant and understated festival for young girls, offers a glimpse into a centuries-old Matsumoto tradition. History During the Edo Era, when the Shogun still ruled the country with military might, […]
2023-12-18 / Last updated : 2023-12-18 Kevin Kato Sightseeing

Handmade Soba, Simple Hiking & Hot Springs, All in Asama Onsen

The hot spring village of Asama sits quietly in northern Matsumoto. It’s an easy twenty-minute bus ride from the station, or just a bit longer by bike. Once you’re there you’ll find a compact pocket of regional history hemmed in by modest mountains and packed with handmade soba, simple hiking and storybook hot springs. From a distance it’s easy to miss. Up close you’ll discover a lot. Hot Springs The onsen village of Asama is said to have been established in the earliest stages of Japan’s history as a nation. Known originally as Tsukama-no-Yu, the hot springs here attracted nobility and samurai from the Kamakura Era right down through the […]
2023-12-04 / Last updated : 2023-12-04 Kevin Kato Seasonal Topics

Winter Wonderland: 5 Ways to Put Your Feet in the Matsumoto Snow

In Matsumoto you can see winter coming from a mountain away. In every direction the peaks and slopes begin to turn white, and soon we’re all walking in a winter wonderland. So how to best take advantage of the fluffy stuff? Here are 5 ways to get out and put your feet in the winter Matsumoto snow. Ski & Snowboard Japan’s Best Powder in Hakuba The world was introduced to the slopes of Hakuba in 1998 when Nagano hosted the Winter Olympics. Since then millions have come to ski and snowboard what many consider to be the finest powder in all of Japan. It’s so good it even has its […]
2023-07-14 / Last updated : 2023-07-14 Kevin Kato Other

Shinshu Matsumoto Airport: Gateway to the Center of Japan

Shinshu Matsumoto Airport is a modest affair. There’s just one gate, one luggage carousel, and one runway for the twelve flights going in and out daily. But dive in and you’ll see not only why at least one person thinks this is the world’s greatest airport, but why this quiet strip of asphalt has earned the nickname Gateway to the Center of Japan. Anatomy of an Airport in the Highlands Shinshu Matsumoto Airport sits at 657.5 meters above sea level, making it the highest commercial airport in Japan. When it was built back in the 1960s the layout of the airport didn’t require much deliberation; with mountains to the east […]
2023-07-07 / Last updated : 2023-07-07 Kevin Kato History

Matsumoto’s Old Kaido Roads: On the Trails of History

During the Edo Era (1603-1868) the Japanese landscape was marked by an extensive network of old kaido roads– rugged trails used as transport routes, pilgrimage paths, and roads for the feudal lords traveling to and from Edo. There were five major kaido emanating outward from the capital city, and while none of these five ‘Go-Kaido’ passed through Matsumoto, four other important kaido did. These trails of history have largely been either paved over or simply lost to the march of time, but remnants of evidence do remain. Today we’re going to find them as we take a walk along Matsumoto’s old kaido roads. Zenkoji Kaido Zenko-ji is one of Japan’s […]
2023-06-23 / Last updated : 2023-06-23 Kevin Kato Sightseeing

A Traditional Feast Among the Eye-Catching Architecture of Matsumoto

Keep your eyes open as you walk around town and you’ll see some interesting, appealing, eye-catching architecture, from a century and further in the past. Go inside some of these buildings and you’ll see even more detail. Finding yourself inside one of these beautiful traditional buildings you might think the atmosphere, the setting, the view of the hidden garden outside, all of it is absolutely perfect. Nothing could be better. But then a traditional feast is served, and you find that the food here in Matsumoto can be every bit as amazing as the architecture. Let us show you what we mean. A Beautiful Old Neighborhood, Inside & Out The […]
2023-04-25 / Last updated : 2024-08-31 Kevin Kato Other

Craft Beer: The Latest Addition to Matsumoto’s Brewing Tradition

Taking in Matsumoto’s rich history is an experience to savor. Add a pint of great craft beer and it’s even tastier. Here’s where to go to drink in some of the best suds around. Matsumoto Brewery During the Edo Era (1603-1868) two important roads, the Nomugi-do and the Zenkoji-do, met to form a T-intersection in the middle of the castle town of Matsumoto. Today that same intersection sits lorded over by the shiny, modern Media Garden Building where, up on the third floor, you can find an impressive variety of excellent craft beer (and some finger-licking sides to pair it with) at the Matsumoto Brewery. The menu of brews changes […]
2023-03-17 / Last updated : 2023-03-17 Kevin Kato Outdoor Activities

Renting a Bicycle: A Great Way to See & Share More of Matsumoto

Downtown Matsumoto is a great place to get your Instagram on. From the grandeur of the castle backed by Mt. Jonen to the funky details of Frog Street there’s no end to the pics you can post. But if you’re looking for a great way to see and share more of Matsumoto, we highly recommend renting a bicycle and heading out of town. With e-Bikes available and a million roads to roll down, taking in the mountains and the countryside is a cinch. To make it even easier to find that perfect shot, let’s take a quick tour. Heading East Pedal this way and you’ll find yourself slowly rising toward […]
2023-01-30 / Last updated : 2023-01-30 Kevin Kato Culture

Feast Your Eyes on Some Silky, Colorful Temari – Traditional Japanese Toy & A Symbol of Matsumoto

As you explore this castle town you may notice a recurring round image. Something like a ball but just as much a work of art, these colorful spheres that pop up almost everywhere you look are called temari, and are both a traditional Japanese toy and a symbol of Matsumoto. The Temari Origin Story The name temari – written 手毬, meaning ‘hand ball’ – is said to have come from the term kemari (‘kick ball’), which referred to a toy brought to Japan from China over 1,300 years ago. Originally made of simple cloth ribbon wrapped around silk swaths of old kimono, temari eventually became objects of art, the rough […]
2022-10-28 / Last updated : 2022-10-28 Kevin Kato Local Food & Drinks

Shinshu Soba: The Best of Japan’s Simple Brown Noodle

The simple brown Japanese noodle known as soba has a long and lumpy history as well as the local Shinshu Soba. It is said that soba was introduced to Japan from China during the latter part of the Jomon Period, which ended around 300BC. There are written records of soba being grown in Japan during an 8th Century famine. A century later En-no-Gyoja, the founder of the ascetic mountain worship practice of Shugendo, introduced soba to the people inhabiting the places he visited, including the famed Togakushi mountains in northern Nagano. Yet it wasn’t until the Edo Era (1603-1868) that soba began to be served in noddle form. Until then […]
2022-09-22 / Last updated : 2022-09-22 Kevin Kato History

The Matsumoto Scale Museum: 1,300 Years in the Making

Among the iconic kura warehouses of Nakamachi Street sits an intriguing repository of Matsumoto’s past. Centuries of commerce and trade, A once-thriving sericulture industry. A couple of extra buildings out back and a collection of fuzzy photos from 1888. At a glance the range of exhibits appears quite eclectic. But there’s a common thread that winds through the Matsumoto Scale Museum, a part of town 1,300 years in the making. Keiichiro Tanaka’s Weighty Aspirations Born in the 19th Century in what is now the City of Ina, Keiichiro Tanaka came to Matsumoto in 1902. He opened up the Takeuchi Weights and Measures Shop. More than a retailer, Tanaka managed to […]