Unlike most castles which was built on a mountain or beside a river. This castle was built on flat land. For protection, the defence system consisted of a triple moat.
Experience the beauty of the castle by visiting the castle during the various seasons. The public park surrounding the castle turns into a cherry blossom viewing spot in the day and at night during spring(April). The Taiko Festival and Takigi Noh are held on the grounds every summer. In Autumn, participate in the moon viewing party and catch sight of the moon from the Moon Viewing pavilion.
I like the castle's unique architecture. From the outside, the castle creates the illusion that there are only 5 levels. Actually the castle has 6 Levels, 1 Level is a hidden level. The viewing deck on the uppermost floor, provides a bird's eye view of Matsumoto City. The outline of the Alps are clearly visible in the distance. Inside, you will find documents and artifacts depicting life during the "Sengoku period". On the way out, do visit the Moon Viewing pavilion. It is attached to the western wing of the main fortress and was designed not for defence, but for entertainment. Okayama Castle and Matsumoto Castle are the only two castles in Japan with a Moon Viewing Wing.
*Please note that the Ticket for the castle includes free admission into the museum in the park. Therefore please include sufficient time for viewing these two places of interest.
*An Awesome find at the Museum Shop - A box of Dark Chocolate Kit Kat with Chilli filling! The spiciness was a perfect combi with the chocolate!My favourite Kit Kat Flavour
Lodging for the night was at Utsukushigahara Ohgatou Hotel 美ヶ原王ヶ頭ホテル The website is in Japanese.
You might be interested in -
Staying at Ohgatou Hotel
Matsue Castle in Okayama, which is also another black castle. I prefer Matsumoto Castle.
Getting to Matsumoto City
I took the JR line from Tokyo Station to Matsumoto Station
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