Walking to the castle, I saw a small building with a table in front and a sign offering free tours in English.
Matsumoto is one of the 12 original castles.
Since the pandemic, the volunteer guides have not been able to guide inside the castle, so we said goodbye before I entered the castle. Mitsuto san was a knowledgeable and entertaining guide.
I visited Matsumoto Castle in 2018, and posted pictures of the inside of the castle then. Check it out of you are interested in seeing the inside. When I visited in 2018, the entry ticket was 610 yen. Now it is 1300 yen!
Information about the castle can be found online here.
After seeing pictures online of the Matsumoto Castle Projection Mapping, I wanted to see it for myself. I took the train to Matsumoto, arriving late afternoon, with time to check into the hotel and eat dinner before walking to the castle grounds. It was snowing and much colder than where I live, but well worth standing outside to see it.
After visiting Ueda Castle and Sanada Shrine, I walked around the rest of the castle park, then took myself back to the train station.
This is another shrine, but I don't know the name.
These men were happy to have me take a picture of their mikoshi.
This is in front of the Ueda train station.
Someday I'd like to take a trip on this train.
My own train was the local "One Man" train, meaning only one train employee who drives, sells and takes tickets, does it all.
Another great day exploring Japan.
