Japan's oldest castle tower, host to an exciting summer drum festival. The town also has a beautiful view of the Northern Alps.

Matsumoto, situated almost right in the center of Nagano and known as the gate to the Northern Alps' climbing routes, prospered as a castle town at the foot of Matsumoto Castle. The castle's tower, a 5-story, 6-layer tower built in the Bunroku Period (1593-1594) is Japan's oldest existing castle tower and is designated as a national treasure. In summer, the Taiko (Japanese drum) Festival and the Takigi-Noh (Noh play under torchlight) are held at the castle and attract many visitors.

Along the Nakamachi-dori Street to the south of the castle are many old merchant houses built in the 'kura-zukuri' style and warehouses built with 'namako' walls covered with square tiles jointed with raised plaster. The Matsumoto City Hakari-kan is a former warehouse of the Tanaka family, a weights and measures shop that was established in 1902 that now serves as a museum exhibiting a collection of measuring tools. The Old Kaichi School building is a western-style building built in 1876 and is open to the public as an education museum. To visit these places, you may want to take a Matsumoto round-trip bus which charges you a fixed fare to go to any of the stops along the route.

The large, green Shiroyama-koen Park, at an altitude of 800 meters, is where Dejiro, the guarding branch castle for Matsumoto Castle, used to be located. The view of the Northern Alps from the park is beautiful, and it is a famous cherry blossom viewing spot in spring. The neighboring Matsumoto City Alps Park has popular field athletic facilities, as well as the 630-meter-long Dream Coaster.

A plateau surrounded by white birch, plum, and larch trees. Drinkable hot spring water that is a tonic for various ailments.

Norikura is a highland around Nagano's western border with Gifu. It ranges in height from 1,400 to 1,500 meters, and is surrounded by white birch, plum and larch trees. Mt. Norikura-dake near the highland is the location of the Ushidome-ike Pond, which was formed by a volcanic eruption. It is surrounded by evergreen trees, and its surface reflects their green leaves and the 23 peaks of Mt. Norikura-dake.

Dairy cows are put out to graze from early summer till autumn in the Ichinose-enchi Pasture, located almost in the middle of the Norikura-kogen Highlands. There are many walking courses to be enjoyed around the pond. The time required to complete a walk ranges from 40 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. On the walking course near the Zengoro-no-taki Falls, you can go near enough to the waterfall to be showered by its spray.

The Shirahone-onsen Hot Spring in the north of Norikura is said to have already been opened in the Kamakura Period (12-14th century). The hot water is milky and contains pure hydrogen sulfide. It is drinkable and retains heat, making it good for ailments of the stomach and intestines.