Turns out there are snowy peaks around Matsumoto. You would think huge mountains are hard to miss, and you would be mostly right. When we came in yesterday, it was so hazy we couldn’t tell the mountains had snow, but this morning we got the whole, majestic view. A clear, warm and sunny day is just the right thing to visit Matsumoto Castle and the surrounding parks. Granted, it’s the right kind of day for a large number of things when you’re on vacation, but it includes that.
First stop: breakfast at Kobayashi Soba. Some pictures of the facade on Google Maps were wrong, and it sent us on a wild goose chase, but in the end, we got in. Breakfast is cold soba and tempura. It was my first experience of cold noodles, and I really enjoyed it. It does change how you taste the soba.
Second on our list: Matsumoto Castle! This time, we’re going inside, and boy, is it worth it. The architecture of the place is impressive. It’s an all-wood structure with a stone foundation for a start. Each floor is an open space, yet each has a unique layout suited to its purpose. For example, the third floor (of 6) was dedicated to storage, with no windows and low ceilings. If you’re taller than 1.65m (5’3”), you’ll have to watch your head pretty much everywhere above the first floor. However, as the builders probably wanted to include irony in the building materials, they made the stair steps so steep and so far apart that if you’re 1.85m (6’1”) or taller, they are just the right height for you.
The castle grounds are beautiful, but it took us about 10 minutes to walk through. We did, after all, do the part outside the moat the previous evening. Still, we saw where the local swan nests, under a purpose-built awning of all things, and got to meet flowers to Karine’s unending pleasure.
From there, it’s an hour walk to the Matumotoshi Alps Park. You might think that the Alps Park would be high up in the mountains, but, actually, it’s only about 150m above the city, and you get there by constantly going up a low-grade slope for the 4km walk. It takes you through the suburbs of Matsumoto and some beautiful small roads, and some not-so-pretty boulevards.
One thing Matsumoto city doesn’t seem very good at is being consistent with its sidewalks. You’ll be walking on a sidewalk in town and, for no apparent reason, it stops only to continue on the other side of the road with no warning, no signs, nothing. Some boulevards have a sidewalk; others have a wide enough shoulder for pedestrians to walk on, but some (as on our walk) have nothing at all for them. The Japanese motorist, however, is very respectful and keeps a safe distance when passing, making us feel secure regardless of the infrastructure available to us.
Designed with families in mind, the Matsomotoshi Alps Park provides beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. What the park map won’t tell you is where those views are. As good troopers, we first walked toward the highest hill in the park that we could see. We discovered that, obviously, we weren’t high enough for the top to be denuded of trees. The first is beautiful but has limited views. We spent a good 45 minutes walking around the back trails of the park trying to get a good view of the alps only to learn that if we only had aimed for the observation tower in the southern part of the park we would have not only an unobstructed view from the patio next to the tower but that we could go up the tower and get a 360 view of all the mountains around Matsumoto. Live and learn, I guess.
Next stop: Park 城山公園, on our way to our hotel (Hotel Montagne) and, really, not worth it. The Alps Park had all we needed, and this one had nothing to see. The vending machine with cold green tea was its sole feature.
Around 17:00, we stepped into our room. We left it a little under 8 hours ago for what was a perfect day in Matsumoto. We went for dinner at Kura, a sashimi-and-tempura specialist. We chose a selection of appetizers to be sure we would get what we wanted, since communication with both the chef and the server was tenuous. Neither of the specialties was remarkably good or bad. Maybe Tokyo spoiled us for sashimi, and we’ll never find the right tuna elsewhere? Our breakfast tempura was lighter and the ingredients better, so it’s not just an impossibly high standard thing.
Tomorrow we’re making our way to Osaka, the city of food lovers, we’re told. We’re both very much looking forward to it.