Matsumoto Castle

Yesterday I went to Matsumoto, in Nagano prefecture, to visit the castle there.  Nagano city, which hosted the Winter Olympics is not too far away.

Matsumoto Castle is an original castle, and unlike the other castles I've visited, it's black.  It's a very attractive castle, too.

For those interested in Japanese castles, JCastle is a very informative site.  Japanese Castle Explorer is another good site.

I took the bus because the price was half that of the train.  Also, I'd be guaranteed a seat, something a commuter train doesn't offer.  And there was the possibility of an electrical plug-in. There was one by my seat on the bus to Matsumoto, but not on the way back. And, unlike a commuter train, there's a toilet.  The bus will make pit stops, but it's nice to have one on board.

I left my room at a bit before 5 am.  I wasn't sure exactly where the bus terminal was.  My experience with finding places is binary:  either I'll find it straightaway or I'll walk past it or around it 5 times before I find it.  I'd rather wait in Nagoya than miss my bus, even though I know few places will be open.

The bus was like the train -- it left when scheduled and arrived when scheduled.  I haven't ridden a Greyhound bus, but they have a reputation for being sketchy sometimes.  Not Japanese highway buses. They even offer seating for women that guarantees you'll be seated next to another woman.

Here is a map of the trip:

The train is Okazaki station, the bus is Meitetsu Bus Terminal, which is right next to Nagoya Station, and Matsuyama is up north.

The first thing I noticed on the way to Matsumoto, being from a relatively flat section of Wisconsin, is the mountains.  I wonder if the people who live there see them anymore.  I imagine that if someone from Matsumoto came to Wisconsin, their reaction would be, "It's so wide!  You can see forever!"

I say that because actual Japanese visitors to Wisconsin have said that.

Here is a manhole cover I found.

This statues was at the corner where I was supposed to turn.

Supposed to turn.

On my detour, I saw these lovely old-fashioned houses.

And a craft shop!  I can proudly say that I resisted temptation by not going in.

There was a scramble crossing, just like the famous one in Shibuya -- but with fewer people.  The lights let traffic on one road go, then the other, then all cars stop and all pedestrians go to whichever corner they want  to.  Seems rather efficient to me.

Here's a shopping street where old-style buildings have been preserved.

Can't argue with this.

Mountains are visible everywhere.

Here's another shopping street selling souvenirs to tourists.

This torii gate is unusual because it's not red.

 Now, to the star of the trip, Matsumoto Castle!

As I was walking around the castle, I came across a guy who had several rabbits, including some babies) and was letting people pet and hold them.  I imagine some of you cringing for the rabbits, the children handling them, or both.  I kind of did, too, even though everyone was very gentle with the rabbits and the rabbits seemed very tame.

He wasn't charging money for anything, and no rabbit or child screamed. It was in the park outside the castle.  I would not be surprised to learn that there are no rules against such things.  

There is also a seating area, to admire the view.  

Here's how you train a pine tree.

Here's the gate we came in.  It's very much designed to keep invaders out.

Detail from the gate:

From these holes, defenders could shoot at attackers.

I imagine this garden will look much better in a few months.

Here are some stats on the castle. Double-click on the picture to open it so it's a legible size.

Let's build a black, menacing-looking castle, then add a moon-viewing room.

It was hard to shoot pictures on the inside, since it was poorly lit and crowded. Like Inuyama, the stairs are steep!

Is this why my thighs hurt today?

The views are worth it, though.

There is chicken wire over the windows, I suppose to prevent people from throwing or dropping things. But there are also handy opening to poke camera lenses through.

After I left the castle, I saw this.

I like the castle better.

On the way back, I saw more mountains.

In Nagoya, I came across Nanachan, near the Meitetsu Bus Terminal. She's kind of a landmark, and they change her outfit regularly.

For you language geeks, the first character in Nagoya (名古屋), 名, can be pronounced "Na" or "Mei", depending on the word (Na is the Japanese reading, Mei is the Chinese reading).  So, Meitetsu (名鉄 ) is simply shorthand for "Nagoya Rail". The company also operates department stores and hotels.  名 is also the "na" in "namae" (名前), or "name"."Namae" and "name" are only coincidentally similar.  But I digress.

It's a bit out of the way, but I'd recommend adding Matsumoto Castle to your itinerary.  There is a monkey park nearby -- where you can see the famous snow monkeys bathing in natural hot springs, and there are hot springs for people nearby as well.  Also, if you want to see Shirakawa-go, that's nearby as well.  And obviously, if you came to Japan to ski, you'll likely come to Nagano.