Matsumoto Discovery - Half Day Walking Tour
- 3 hours
- Free cancellation up to 24h before
- Guided in English
- Instant confirmation
Highlights
Discover a real feudal era castle and the historical streets! Matsumoto is a city with deep-rooted living traditions and proud people who retain an ancestral way of life that we have to honor and respect! Get an introduction into Matsumoto’s past and present during a 3 hour half-day walking tour. Make your stay in Matsumoto the most unique and enjoyable experience possible! Your guide will help you enjoying the best of the city. Our half-day Matsumoto Castle Town Walking Tour is designed to reveal the living traditions of our city by following a different route to and from the castle, and in doing so, bring the history and tradition of the famous castle town to life! Take more than just a tour, discover ancient history and wisdom, have a unique and enlightening experience! Get a glimpse of all there is to explore in Matsumoto City!
Inclusions
What's included
- Entry/Admission – Matsumoto Castle
- English speaking Guide
What's not
- Transportation, miscellaneous fees for you during the activity (snacks, souvenir, etc...)
- Insurance (Travel Insurance, Private Insurance, etc...)
Itinerary
Matsumoto Castle is one of five castles designated as ‘National Treasures of Japan’ and the oldest castle donjon remaining in Japan. Construction began in 1592 of the elegant black and white structure with its three turrets. Because of the elegant black walls, Matsumoto Castle is sometimes called ‘Crow Castle’. Please note that the stairs to reach the top of Matsumoto Castle’s tower are steep and narrow.
Nawate Street is a row of small shops with a subtle but recurring frog theme. Aside from a variety of snack shops, the street also has plenty of little nick knack shops and souvenirs. Yohashira Shrine is also on Nawate Street and is a lovely place to sit while enjoying your taiyaki or rice crackers. Feel free to stroll along Nawate Street and enjoy a relaxed rural village atmosphere within the heart of the city. Here you will find warm culture and hospitality and maybe a souvenir or two!
Nakamachi Street is a historic shopping area known for its old traditional storehouses called “Kura” which are characterized by their black-and-white, criss-cross patterned walls. This beautiful street is also a popular shopping area among the locals with many shops and restaurants to choose from. You can find many Japanese handicrafts, such as pottery, lacquerware and wooden crafts. Nakamachi retains this mercantile spirit, landmark of which is the old “Kurassic-kan”, a fully restored Sake warehouse, open to the public for viewing and host to many cultural activities.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.
Reviews
4.9
- 550
- 42
- 31
- 20
- 10
Ratings come from 53 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.
Showing reviews written in English.
5Fantastic Guide, Great Expirience
Tom was a great guide —energetic, entertaining, very knowledgeable, and easy to talk to. We really enjoyed the tour and highly recommend him!
4Very kind and thoughtful guide
Wonderfully kind guide and very interesting castle. Could have had more stories to tell about the history of the area.
5Had a great tour with...
Had a great tour with Keith as the guide. Very knowledgeable. Climbing inside the castle is not for the faint of heart. Very steep.
5The Amazing Tom the Tour Guide
Tom was an excellent guide. He was super knowledgeable, fun and has been living in the area for a long time so he knew so much about Matsumoto. We had a wonderful time listening to his stories and he was very helpful with answering our questions and providing suggestions on where to eat in the area and in other towns we are going to visit. I can’t recommend this enough!
5Great tour of castle and city center
We enjoyed this tour with Keith! He did a wonderful job keeping us on track and dealing with our groups various pick up and drop off needs! Thanks Keith for all the insights and fun facts. We especially enjoyed getting to stop at the shrine for a quick visit and goshuin! Highly recommend this tour if you want to get to know a bit more about Matsumoto!
5It was a great tour for...
It was a great tour for learning about the area and visiting the castle. Our guide, Keith, was very knowledgeable, and easy to follow; a fellow Canadian!
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- Tour begins at Matsumoto Station at the front of the JR Line ticket office / Starbucks Coffee inside the station (2F)
- Pickup
- Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Group size
- Up to 15 travellers
- Operated by
- Welcome Matsumoto
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note that the stairs to reach the top of Matsumoto Castle’s tower are steep and narrow.
How it compares in Matsumoto
- Its from-price is 51% below the median of the 46 experiences we list in Matsumoto.
- Its length is typical for the group.
- By number of reviews it ranks 2 of 46.
- The operator lists free cancellation on it.
About Matsumoto
Matsumoto is a Japan Alps city in Nagano Prefecture, with a black-walled castle, Edo-period merchant streets and the mountain valley of Kamikochi nearby.
Matsumoto sits in a high basin ringed by the Northern Japan Alps, in the middle of Honshu. Matsumoto Castle, called Crow Castle for its black walls, dates from the late sixteenth century and is one of the few castles to survive with its original keep, a national treasure reflected in a moat. The old merchant street of Nakamachi has white-and-black storehouses, and the Old Kaichi School, an 1876 Western-style schoolhouse, is also a national treasure.
Special offers in Matsumoto
Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.
![Nagano :Matsumoto Local Food & Bar Hopping Tour with Area Options]()
40% offFree cancellation
