While Central Nikko itself was a pretty sedate small town, we were loath to check out of Stay Nikko Guesthouse. Despite it not having the modern conveniences of numerous restaurants and cafes right at our doorstep — i.e. like at Toggle Hotel Suidobashi — the homely feel and warmth we received, even if just for two nights, made us all agree that this property has been the best we’d stayed in on this trip so far!
Our movement plan from Nikko to Matsumoto was slightly more complex than normal. Because we were trying to save money where we could, we opted to travel with somewhat slower trains and trickier timings. Basically, it went like this: JR Nikko Station to Utsunomiya Station (the ride was relatively bereft of passengers), change platform, then Utsunomiya Station to Omiya Station via Shinkansen limited express, change platform, then Omiya Station to Nagano Station via Hokuriku-Shinkansen, then finally a slow-poke train from Nagano Station to Matsumoto Station. The entire journey took about 4.5 hours, and we were glad that we were still in one piece when we finally arrived at Matsumoto Station at 11:45AM.
Our Matsumoto place of stay is Tabino Hotel Lit Matsumoto, a 3-star establishment that’s a quick 3-minute walk from Matsumoto Station. They were happy to receive our luggage, so we dropped that off, lunched at McDonald’s — the kids insisted — then began our exploration of Matsumoto city, starting with Matsumoto Castle. The castle is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel, but we took it slow to soak in the experience of visiting a laid-back city. Our walking path took us past Nawate Street, and we got to Matsumoto Castle itself at about 1:30PM. The castle is one of Japan’s originals and among its most beautiful, and it shows. Unlike the castles in Okayama or Himeji, Matsumoto Castle isn’t built on elevation, so it doesn’t loom at you from a distance. We simply walked down the straight street, turned the corner, and there it was. The weather was cooperative, and the sunny conditions provided for some gorgeous blue skies.
There were a fair number of visitors exploring the exterior compound, and a couple of tour groups likewise went through the admissions gate to explore the castle grounds and interiors. The castle is also apparently lit up during the winter season, so we’d likely come back on another evening to take a look.
We next looped back to Nawate Street, stopping first at a souvenir and crafts shop to browse their wares (the missus bought two cute tote bags), then proceeded onto the street itself. The shopping street isn’t particularly long, but there are shops and cafes on both sides — and the street has a, er, frog theme. Apparently, frogs populated the Metoba River that runs adjacent to the street, and the Japanese word for “frog” can also mean “to return home”. So frogs have special significance in this place. Or something like that.
There were few visitors about on the Wednesday 2:30PM-ish afternoon we visited. The place is probably a lot busier when there are more people around!
A fairly light day for Day 13 today then, and our first day in the city of Matsumoto. It’s also partly because we’d already spent half a day just trying to get here, and that the daughter has been feeling a little under the weather and needed to rest. Tomorrow we’d be visiting Daio Wasabi Farm, and snowfall is also expected. To be continued!