Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

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Overview

Boasting some of Japan's most magnificent peaks and dramatic scenery, the northern Japan Alps (北アルプス) are truly spectacular, with stunning 3000m peaks accessible even to amateur hikers. Also known as the Hida Range (飛騨山脈), the mountains are protected within Chūbu-Sangaku National Park (中部山岳国立公園). Put very simply, the northern Alps are in the shape of a big 'Y'. The northwestern arm is based around the Tateyama peaks and accessed from Murodō on the Tateyama–Kurobe Alpine Route. The lovely resort village of Kamikōchi, at the base of the 'Y', is the access point for hiking in the south, while the northeastern arm of the 'Y' is accessed from Hakuba, home to various events at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Matsumoto-jō

Matsumoto

Must-see Matsumoto-jō is Japan's oldest wooden castle and one of four castles designated National Treasures – the others are Hikone, Himeji and Inuyama…

Chihiro Art Museum Azumino

Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

This popular art museum showcases the work of Chihiro Iwasaki (1918–74), who became world-renowned while specialising in children's-book illustrations…

Utsukushi-ga-hara Open Air Museum

Matsumoto

Atop Utsukushi-ga-hara-kōgen plateau you'll find this seemingly random sculpture garden with some 350 pieces, mostly by Japanese sculptors. The…

Dai-ō Wasabi-Nōjo

Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

Fancy some wasabi wine or ice cream? This farm, a 15-minute bike ride from JR Hotaka Station, is a must for wasabi-lovers. An English map guides you among…

Matsumoto Open-Air Architectural Museum

Matsumoto

Adjacent to the better-known Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, amid fields and rice paddies beneath the gaze of the Alps, stand these five examples of striking late…

Rokuzan Bijutsukan

Matsumoto & the Northern Japan Alps

Ten minutes' walk north from JR Hotaka Station, Rokuzan Bijutsukan showcases the work of Meiji-era sculptor Rokuzan Ogiwara (1879–1910; aka the 'Rodin of…

Japan Ukiyo-e Museum

Matsumoto

Housing more than 100,000 woodblock prints, paintings, screens and old books, this renowned museum exhibits but a fraction of its collection. The museum…