Culture
Matsumoto City Museum of Art
JJ WalshYayoi Kusama's cheerful modern art displayed in the same building as traditional classic artwork in this beautifully designed museum.
Appreciation, representation, learning and communication are the four" "fundamental themes" "of the Matsumoto City Art Museum (Matsumoto-shi Bijutsu-kan), which features works by the city's most famous daughter, Yayoi Kusama, as well as other local artists.
Kusama was born in 1929 and is internationally known for her signature Pop Art works. The collection of the artist's works includes various paintings and sculptures created in her typically lively and colorful style. Outside the main entrance of the building you can also admire a large tulip sculpture of her, which was unveiled when the museum was founded in 2002.
The works of other artists are shown in a separate section of the museum, which rotate throughout the year. The museum also houses a shop that sells various souvenirs and art-related goods.
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Yayoi Kusama's cheerful modern art displayed in the same building as traditional classic artwork in this beautifully designed museum.
Colorful and fun artwork in pleasant surroundings, a must-see museum for art lovers visiting Matsumoto.
Enjoy a fantastic night by light of candles on green glass in the yard of the Matsumoto Museum of Art, with art and live music.
Take a break from your everyday routine with a healing retreat in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture. Here, cultural heritage, bountiful nature, and local charm coexist to create an environment where you can utterly relax and stimulate your mind in new ways.
In Matsumoto in central Japan's Nagano prefecture, Hotel M is a conveniently located, inexpensive hotel, mainly with capsules but with some private rooms.
Matsumoto Backpackers is a budget friendly hostel in the heart of Matsumoto with a traditional home feel.
In the middle of Matsumoto in central Japan's Nagano prefecture, Le Blanc is a charming French restaurant, serving tasty food at reasonable prices.
There are many miso breweries in Nagano and some of them have their own shop. At Ishii Miso Brewery, you can see inside the brewery and have a lunch containing miso soup, salad with miso dressing, rice balls, and even ice cream using their miso.
Matsumoto is Nagano Prefecture's second-largest city. If you're visiting as a vegetarian or vegan (or if you just love delicious plant-based cuisine), Healthy Penguin Cafe is a must-visit. The cafe is located just a short walk from the city's iconic castle.
Also known as "Crow's Castle" because of its unusual black exterior, Matsumoto Castle is one of the three most beautiful castles in Japan, along with Himeji and Kumamoto Rule of the Takeda clan and later the famous Tokugawa Ieyasu. The wooden interior of Matsumoto Castle offers an authentic experience that is different from what you get in many other castles rebuilt from reinforced concrete. The castle's most interesting features include steep wooden stairs, openings for archers, and an observation deck on the sixth floor of the main tower with great views of the surrounding city. In spring, Matsumoto Castle is a popular spot for the cherry blossom. Many visit the extensive castle grounds and the park for a walk. Hundreds of cherry trees stand along the outer moat and are in full bloom in mid-April each year.
The Ami Doll Shop in Matsumoto used an old technique of oshie and is the only one studio-shop that still produces oshie dolls of fine quality.
In the middle of Matsumoto in central Japan's Nagano prefecture, Ryuko-ji is a small, charming Buddhist temple, home to some interesting statues.