Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [218]
MATSUMOTO PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
Architect Itō Toyō has broken all the rules with this 2004 building. Undulating exterior walls are punctuated with frosted glass cut-outs that look like rocks – impressive at night. Among other performance spaces, the Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre (33-3800; 3-10-1 Fukashi) is the key venue for the Saitō Kinen Festival (opposite). Heading east on Ekimae-dōri from the city centre, it’s just off the map on the right.
MATSUMOTO CITY MUSEUM OF ART
This sleek museum (39-7400; 4-2-22 Chūō; adult/child/high-school & college student ¥400/free/200; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) has a good collection of Japanese artists, many of whom hail from Matsumoto or depict scenes of the surrounding countryside. Highlights include the striking avant-garde works of Kusama Yayoi (look for the ‘Infinity Mirrored Room’), the finely crafted landscapes of Tamura Kazuo, the calligraphy of Kamijo Shinzan and temporary exhibitions. The striking contemporary building (2002) borrows motifs (black facade, stone walls, impressive greenery and minimoat) from the castle. It’s about 100m past the Performing Arts Centre, across the street.
JAPAN UKIYO-E MUSEUM
Several generations of the Sakai family have collected more than 100,000 wood-block prints, paintings, screens and old books to create reputedly the largest private collection in the world. This museum (47-4440; 2206-1 Koshiba, Shimadachi; adult/child ¥1050/530; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) exhibits a minuscule fraction of the collection at any one time, in a contemporary building. English signage is minimal, but an explanatory leaflet in English is provided.
The museum is approximately 3km from Matsumoto Station, 15 minutes’ walk from Ōniwa Station on the Matsumoto Dentetsu line (¥170, six minutes), or about ¥2000 by taxi.
UTSUKUSHI-GA-HARA & ASAMA ONSENS
These two onsen resort towns are northeast of town. Utsukushi-ga-hara Onsen (not to be confused with Utsukushi-ga-hara Kōgen) is the more beautiful of the two, with a quaint main street and views across the valley, while Asama Onsen’s history is said to date back to the 10th century and includes writers and poets, though it looks quite generic now. The waters in both places are said to be good for gastrointestinal and skin troubles, and women’s disorders. Hot Plaza Asama (; 46-6278; adult/child ¥840/420; 10am-8pm Wed-Mon) feels like a neighbourhood sentō but boasts many pools and sauna.
Both towns are easily reached by bus from Matsumoto’s bus terminal (Utsukushi-ga-hara Onsen: ¥330, 18 minutes, twice hourly; Asama Onsen: ¥350, 23 minutes, hourly).
UTSUKUSHI-GA-HARA KŌGEN
Not to be confused with Utsukushi-ga-hara Onsen, this alpine plateau (2000m) is a popular warm-weather excursion from Matsumoto, reached via an ooh-and-ahh drive on twisty mountain roads called Azalea Line and Venus Line.
Utsukushi-ga-hara Bijutsukan (; Utsukushi-ga-hara Open-Air Museum; 86-2331; adult/child/student ¥1000/700/800; 9am-5pm late-Apr–mid-Nov), in the same vein (with the same owner) as the Hakone Open-Air Museum, is a large sculpture garden (some 350 pieces, mostly by Japanese sculptors), and the surrounding mountains provide an inspiring backdrop in clear weather.
Nearby are pleasant walks and the opportunity to see cows in pasture (a constant source of fascination in Japan). Furusato-kan (; 0268-86-2311), the shop at the hilltop farm, sells ice cream made from local kokemomo (lingonberries).
Most Japanese visitors reach the museum by car. Buses (¥1300, 80 minutes) run several times daily in midsummer, with spotty-to-nonexistent service the rest of the season; check before you go. Taxis to the museum are upwards of ¥10,000 each way, so renting a car may make sense. Click here for information on car hire.
Festivals & Events
Matsumoto-jō Sakura Matsuri Cherry-blossom time (late April) coincides with mood lighting at the castle.
Tenjin Matsuri The festival at Fukashi-jinja on 23 and 24 July features elaborately decorated yatai.
Takigi Nō Matsuri This atmospheric festival during August features