Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, is a castle town surrounded by mountains in the central part of Japan, and is rich in history. Matsumoto Castle, a national treasure, is the oldest existing five-story, six-story castle tower in Japan. The castle tower is a national treasure, and the Honmaru and Ninomaru including the surrounding stonewalls and moat etc. are designated as national historic sites. The excellent castle-building techniques of the Warring States period are preserved today, and the area is registered as a three-star tourist attraction in the Michelin Green Guide.
Kamikochi, also known as "the land where the gods descend," is one of Japan's most scenic mountain areas and is designated as a "Special Place of Scenic Beauty and a Special Natural Monument." The area is home to mountain, green, and water landscapes, including the 3,000-meter-high peaks of the Northern Alps, the Norikura Highlands which has spectacular scenery throughout the four seasons, nurtured at an elevation of 1,500 meters and the Utsukushigahara Plateau, which offers a 360-degree panoramic view from an elevation of 2,000 meters above sea level.
The Shinshu Matsumoto Airport, the only air gateway to Nagano prefecture, [Sapporo (New Chitose and Okadama), Fukuoka, Kobe, and Osaka] and many charter flights to other parts of Japan and overseas.
Aiming to become "a town that makes you want to come back again and again," we are focusing on "experience tourism" rather than "sight tourism" by promoting gastronomy tourism utilizing history, art, culture, nature, hot springs, and food, and by providing information on Matsumoto's unique experiences (soba noodle making, traditional candy and crafts, etc.) so that visitors can relax and be satisfied with their visit. We are focusing on "experience tourism" instead of "sightseeing," and are putting our efforts into further developing and refining our resources.