Matsumoto is a nice, compact city to walk around, and it was good to see that city officials want to make it a nice place for residents. So on its streets and intersections, you'll find a range of public art, variously cute, classical and traditional.
There's a fun little statue of the Buddhist deity Ebisu, lots of frogs on fun Nawate Street, several other statues at different points around the city, and some Yayoi Kusama sculptures at the City Museum of Art.
(I feel like it's slightly cheating of me to include the sculptures and statues at the City Museum of Art, but you can see them without paying to go into the museum, so they're in.)
There are also some Dosojin, knee-high sculptures of figures who act as roadside guardian deities. So as you're sightseeing in the city, see how many of these you can check off!
Getting there
Walk around the city and you'll find these scattered around, with a handful near the station and around Agata-no-mori Park.
Peter Sidell @peter.sidell
I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.
