Matsumoto Castle
Good to know
- Best time to go
- April for cherry blossoms around the moat; October for alpine backdrop clarity
- Budget
- $
- Accessibility
- limited
- Coordinates
- Open in maps
A sixteenth-century flatland castle whose black-and-white keep is among the oldest surviving original castle towers in Japan, a designation it shares with a small number of counterparts across the country. The castle's dark exterior earned it the nickname Crow Castle, and its reflection in the surrounding water-filled moat is a frequently photographed composition. The Japanese Alps provide a backdrop on clear days.
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