Matsumoto City Museum, Relocated in 2023
Architecture with a Traditional Japanese Feel
The last sightseeing stop on day one was Matsumoto City Museum.
It was originally located inside Matsumoto Castle, but in October 2023 it moved to the downtown area. In the spacious lobby with its high ceiling, a mobile of Matsumoto-temari, one of Matsumoto’s traditional crafts, is on display.
I heard the mobile was made by local residents of Matsumoto!
Get to Know Matsumoto More Deeply!
The museum is on the third floor, up the stairs.
When I went inside, the first thing that caught my eye was a huge model recreating what central Matsumoto looked like in the past. It really helped me understand that Matsumoto was a castle town centered around Matsumoto Castle.
Around the model, there were also exhibits explaining it by comparing it with footage of present-day Matsumoto, which made everything very easy to understand.
Farther inside, there was a wide range of exhibits where I could learn about Matsumoto’s history, customs, and culture from many different perspectives.
What impressed me most was a map showing that Matsumoto had been a crossroads connecting various towns.
Looking at the map, you can see that the roads at those junctions are still traced today by major roads and railway lines.
I stepped back outside the museum. In the cafe space on the first floor, I saw what looked like local residents using it to work or take a break.
The chairs looked like Matsumoto folk-craft furniture, but there wasn’t any particular explanation about them.
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