Matsumoto and Kamikochi

Matsumoto lies in a basin of Nagano Prefecture, surrounded to the west by the Northern Japanese Alps. It is a mid-sized city known for Matsumoto Castle, one of the country’s few castles with its original main keep, preserved since the late 16th century and designated a national treasure. The center preserves streets of white-walled storehouses, the former Kaichi School—the first modern school designated a national treasure—and art museums.

To the west, about an hour and a half by public transport, is Kamikochi, a high valley at around 1,500 meters elevation in Chubu-Sangaku National Park. The Azusa River runs between larch and willow forests, with the Hotaka massif in the background and the Yake volcano to one side. The valley has no permanent residents and is open only from mid-April to mid-November; for the rest of the year the road closes and the hotels stop operating. Private cars are not allowed: access is by bus and licensed taxi.

Kamikochi offers easy riverside walks and ascents to Northern Alps peaks, and was publicized abroad in the late 19th century by the English missionary Walter Weston. Closer to Matsumoto, the Azumino plain features wasabi farms irrigated with snowmelt water, museums, and mountain views.

Matsumoto is also a gateway to Takayama via the road that crosses the Alps, and to Nagano and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

This destination brings together 1 city: Matsumoto.