Matsumoto City 松本市

In an elongated valley basin in Nagano prefecture, a castle and university town once situated on the Nakasendô – an overland road between Edo (now Tôkyô) and Kyôto – with a population of nearly 240,000. The city of Matsumoto is a starting point for excursions into the area of the Japanese Alps surrounding the city. The Matsumoto-jô fortress was built at the beginning of the 16th century.