Matsumoto Castle
One of Japan's premier historic castles and a National Treasure, originally known as Fukashi Castle. Its black-walled keep, nicknamed Crow Castle for its colour, rises over a moat with the Japanese Alps behind it.
- Where
- Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan
- Grade
- Well known
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 1 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 36.2389, 137.9692
Get the Matsumoto Castle stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Matsumoto Castle. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Nagano volume with your photos and a note.
Near Matsumoto Castle
Kamikochi 30 km
A remote highland valley in the Hida Mountains of western Nagano, reached only by bus or taxi since private cars are kept out. Trails follow the clear Azusa River past Kappa Bridge, beneath the peaks of the Hotaka range.
Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route 54 km
A 37-kilometre mountain route through the Northern Alps between Tateyama in Toyama and Omachi in Nagano, opened in 1971, climbing through a height difference of up to 1,975 metres. It is travelled by cable car, ropeway and bus, past the Kurobe Dam and, in spring, high walls of snow.
Jigokudani Monkey Park 70 km
A steep valley in Joshinetsu Kogen National Park where wild Japanese macaques soak in hot spring pools, most memorably in winter snow. The name means Hell's Valley, for the steam and boiling water that rise from cracks in the frozen ground.
Tomioka Silk Mill 82 km
Japan's oldest modern silk reeling factory, set up by the government in 1872 to bring French machine reeling to the country. Its long brick buildings survive in very good condition, and in 2014 it was listed as a World Heritage Site.
Shirakawa-go 96 km
A mountain village in Gifu Prefecture known for its gassho-zukuri farmhouses, whose steep thatched roofs look like hands pressed together in prayer. With Gokayama in Toyama, it forms a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lake Kawaguchi 107 km
The second largest of the Fuji Five Lakes and the lowest, at about 800 metres, with the longest shoreline of the five. Its northern shore gives some of the classic views of Mount Fuji reflected across the water.
Arakurayama Sengen Park 111 km
A hillside park on Mount Arakura above Fujiyoshida, opened in 1959. A long stair climbs past its red five-storey Chūreitō pagoda to a lookout where pagoda and Mount Fuji line up in a single frame, most famously in cherry blossom season.
Mount Fuji 119 km
An active stratovolcano and Japan's highest mountain, rising to 3,776 metres on the island of Honshu. Its near-perfect cone has been painted and climbed for centuries, and in summer trails lead to the crater rim, where climbers wait for the sunrise.
More famous places to visit in Nagano
Questions
Where is Matsumoto Castle?
Matsumoto Castle is in Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Kamikochi (30 km), Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (54 km), Jigokudani Monkey Park (70 km).
How do I get the Matsumoto Castle stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Matsumoto Castle and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Nagano volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Matsumoto Castle before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Nagano volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.