I had arrived at Nagano and using it as a base to explore central Japan. The central alps, to be exact. While Nagano is more well known, its neighbour, Matsumoto also packs a great punch. It has one of the last castles in Japan in its original state. It has more onsen than Nagano. As the smaller city, it was even more peaceful than Nagano, while still enjoying the convenience of being connected to the major cities via Shinkansen. This was how I explored the quaint city on a drizzly autumn day.
Getting to Matsumoto from Nagano
The 2 neighbouring cities are connected by the JR train, which makes commuting between them very convenient. With the JR Pass, usage of this part of the system is free. However, the one-way non reserved ride would set one back by JPY1,200 (USD9).
Nagano to Matsumoto vv
Train Line: JR Shinano
Duration: 0h 51m
Distance: 63.2km
Cost: (Covered by JR Pass)
JPY 1,200 (USD 8) Non-Reserved Seat
JPY 1,930 (USD 13) Reserved Seat
JPY 2,700 (USD 18) Green Car
No wifi onboard
Matsumoto Karaage Center
The first order of the day would be savouring the fried chicken from Matsumoto Karaage Center. Located inside the JR station, one can conveniently enjoy comfort food while waiting for the train.
The restaurant was decked out in heavy wooden furniture, giving it serious authentic feels. There were mostly booth seating, with some that were cordoned off for more private settings. If you didn’t tell me, I’d have thought I was dining in one of the historic streets of Japan!
I ordered the fried chicken set meal with grated radish and ponzi sauce. The JPY979 (USD7) meal was served with rice, miso soup and pasta salad on the side.
As a fried chicken lover, I was amazed at how light and crispy the chicken was on the outside and tender on the inside. The chicken may look pale, but it packed a punch of flavours within. For those desiring for a stronger flavour, the ponzu dip would add another layer to the taste.
Interestingly, the shop wasn’t crowded during lunch time. However, we couldn’t leave things to chance while travelling. I still had my plans ahead for the day!
Matsumoto Castle
We first took in the view of the castle from the innermost of its 3 moats. Matsumoto Castle is the tallest 6-storey castle in Japan, and one of the few well preserved ones. From the outside, it looked like it had 5 levels. However, it contained a hidden level (which I thought was โhalf levelโ, as it could barely allow one to stand up and walk around freely).
As one of the castles built at the end of the Warring Period, the castle was also designed for the newest defense weapons of the time. On top of the usual stone drops and canon holes, there were also small rectangular holes for muskets.
Touring the Castle
As we were part of a day tour, we have an express entry. That allowed us to beat the queue that seemed to extend to nowhere! Of course, given that it was raining from the post effect of Typhoon Kong Rey, I was more than happy to skip the queue and be out of the rain!
We had to take off our shoes and carry them with the plastic bags provided while we were in the castle. The route saw us advancing through the 6 levels of the castle, with exhibits of the castleโs fabled history on the lower levels.
At the top, we could take in the 360 degree view of Matsumoto city. It was once the command room for when the city was under attack. Now, people were pointing cameras out of the small windows, instead of bows and rifles.
To round off the tour, we came to the Moon Viewing Room, which was an extension of the castle. Used mainly for the imperial family’s leisure, it saw a departure from the main sectionโs fortification architecture. It was spacious, and the extensive windows let in more light than the rest of the castle.
Fun Aside…
One must take note though, the tour through the castle involved climbing up and down steep narrow steps (akin to ladders at some levels). It was obvious that many tourists had difficulties tackling those obstacles. The tight spaces were definitely not for the claustrophobic!
Now that I have visited Osaka Castle and Hirosaki Castle – which are also one of the last few remaining castles in Japan, I guess I’ll be on a quest to cover all of them. ๐ซฃ
Nawate shopping street
We next walked through the rain to Matsumoto’s historic shopping street – Nawate dori (Frog Street). It was so named because of the frogs that were native to the area. The river running parallel to the street used to be so polluted that the frogs were no longer found in the area. To revive it, the authorities cleaned up the river, and used the number of frogs living around it as its KPI.
To be honest, there were more charming historic shopping streets to be found in places like Takayama (link). Due to the rain, we also only stayed around for less than 30 minutes.
ๆๆชใฎๆนฏๅฑ ใใถ๏ฝRingo no Yuya Obu
Rounding off the day, I detoured to ๆๆชใฎๆนฏๅฑ ใใถ๏ฝ (Ringo no Yuya obu) located at the city centre fringe. It required a 15-minute bus ride from Matsumoto Bus Terminal and a further 5-minute walk through the quiet residential neighborhood.
The staff helped me through the payment despite their English proficiency. After handing over my shoe locker key, they handed me the bath locker key as well as a payment bracelet. With the bracelet, I could purchase anything – from food to massage – and pay for them before I left.
Exploring the public bath
The bath contained 5 indoor and 2 outdoor pools. Additionally, there were 3 single hot tubs and 2 single cold tubs. Yup, these were 2 ceramic vats which made me feel like I was practicing some hidden kungfu while I was taking a dip! It was also surreal that people would take a dip in the cold water during late Autumn. And I did.
The pools had various healing properties, which would change every season. What I loved about the place was the landscaping. There was one round pool where all the guys would face each other. There was another wet resting pool which was under some trees, so I could lie in the hot water looking up at the decorated sky, enjoying the cold autumnal breeze.
Each tree in the outdoor pool area was named and a scenery in its own right. In fact, the outdoor pool area was so well landscaped that I forgot I was in a neighbourhood public bath! The locker room also looked out into the aesthetic outdoor pools, which was a departure from the boring, plain ones found in other public baths.
Beyond the bath in Ringo no Yuya Obu
The spacious public bath also housed a sleeping area on the upper floor where I found some space age like massage chairs. On the lower level behind the reception was the F&B area. Unfortunately, I was there during the off peak hours, so the restaurant wasn’t open. I could only get some gelato, just for the sake of it.
All in all, the relaxation trip to Ringo no Yuya obu set me off by JPY2540 (USD 17). This included the admission fee of JPY800, towel and yukata rental (JPY680 and JPY360, respectively), as well as the use of a massage chair (JPY300) and gelato (JPY400).
Parting Words
My journey back to Nagano was accompanied by the autumn rain, which was a sign of what was to come for my day trip to Kamikochi the following day. It was surreal, though, to be strolling in the drizzle from Ringo no Yuya obu, and hiding from the rain outside of a local post office.
For the traveller who is tight on time, touring Matsumotoโs main sights – the Matsumoto Castle, Nawate shopping street and savouring fried chicken at Matsumoto Karaage Center in the train station – would suffice. The castle tour would easily take up half a day!
The side trip to Ringo no Yuya obu, an exquisite public bath at the city fringe, would be more palatable to introverted travellers like me. I mean, what’s travelling without experiencing local?
If you enjoyed my trip reports, do check out my travelogues getting in touch with the nature of central Japan.
Singapore to Tokyoโs Haneda Airport on ANA B787-9 Economy Class (NH842 SIN-HND): Trip review on the early flight out of the lion city to the land of the rising sun.
Hello Nagano: Sights and bites in Nagano in between day trips out of the city
[Review] 1-Day Kamikochi & Matsumoto Castle Tour (from Nagano / Matsumoto): Hiking in the land of the gods – in the rain.
Matsumoto in 10 hours: Visiting Japan’s 1 of 3 remaining original castles, and more.
Snow Monkey Park (Jigokudani Yaen Koen) in Nagano: No snow, no monkey?
Till then, stay wanderlust!
All photos and videos were taken using Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, and edited with Google Photos.
