Matsusaka City Is More Than Just Matsusaka Beef

This video was created by the Matsusaka Tourist Association. This video will introduce you to Matsusaka, Mie, in Japan's Tokai region.
It's called "Matsusaka-city tour video [Japanese]" (松阪市観光動画【日本語】).

Matsusaka city is located in the center of Mie prefecture.
Matsusaka is a gateway to Ise Shima, and it is about 15 minutes by train to Ise, a castle town with a traditional atmosphere.
In this video, two beautiful ladies tour Matsusaka in order to introduce you to gourmet food, tradition, and culture.
You'll be raring to visit Matsusaka after watching the video.

What to Eat in Matsusaka

Photo：Sukiyaki

Lots of good food can be found in Matsusaka city. We especially recommend Matsusaka beef, introduced in the video at 0:33.
A world-famous brand, Matsusaka beef comes from Matsusaka cows that drink beer and get massages.
This peculiar way of raising cows gives the meat an amazing flavor, and no other beef has the same taste.
It is so soft that if you touch the beef, the fat starts to melt.
In the video at 1:02, Shigenobu Kajio from the Matsusaka Tourist Association talks about the beautiful marbling, sweetness, and top quality of Matsusaka beef.

If you're visiting Matsusaka, the most famous Matsusaka beef dish, sukiyaki, is one you've gotta try!
They show how to cook this at 1:21 in the video.
Of course, there's more ways than just sukiyaki to enjoy Matsusaka beef.
Other ways include steaks, yakiniku, and more!

Matsusaka local food includes Japanese sweets like Oinotomo, Matsusaka tea, Monaka Ice cream (wafers filled with bean jam), and there's the popular Japanese sweets store, Yanagiya Hozen, where you can buy some of these.
There are also many restaurants serving lunch as well as popular ramen stores throughout the area.

A restaurant called "Kappo Ryokan Yachiyo" serves many different Matsusaka beef dishes such as shabu-shabu, steaks, rare, lightly roasted beef, and beef stew.

Matsusaka is full of flavor!

Historical Spots in Matsusaka

Photo：Gojoban Yashiki

After filling up at a local restaurant, enjoy a walk around the city and admire the history.
During the warring states period (late 1400s to late 1600s), Matsusaka City in Mie Prefecture prospered as a merchant city under the command of Gamo Ujisato, a military commander of the Warring States period.

At the "Matsusaka Cotton Hand Weaving Center" introduced in the video, they sell Matsusaka cotton textiles, such as dresses, accessories, Kimonos, and Yukata (summer Kimono).
You can also try the weaving experience to get more in touch with Japanese culture.

In the castle town, Matsusaka, there are number of tourist spots where you can enjoy the city’s history such as Gojoban Yashiki, Matsusaka Castle Ruins, Ozu Yasujiro Seishunkan Museum, Matsusaka City History and Folklore Museum, Former residence of Hasegawa, Ozu Seizaemon, Hasegawa Jirobei, and the birthplace of the Mitsui Family.
You can see the details in the video at 3:39.
There are many great places for taking Instagram photos as well.
Norinaga Motoori, a famous person in the Kojiki (A record of ancient matters), was from Matsusaka, and there are facilities related to Motoori Norinaga such as the Museum of Motoori Norinaga, and the former residence of Motoori Norinaga "Suzu-no-ya."

Japanese explorer, Takeshiro Matsuura, who was the first person to document the inner reaches of Hokkaido, was also from Matsusaka.
He is the one that named Hokkaido "Ainu."

Access to Matsusaka

It's more convenient to use trains to get to Matsusaka.
From Osaka or Kyoto, it takes just under 2 hours, while from Nagoya it's only a 70 minute journey.
From Kansai International Airport, change at Namba Station, and from Chubu International Airport Centrair, change at Nagoya Station. It is also easily accessible from Kyoto and Nara.

Festivals in Matsusaka

Source :YouTube screenshot

There are many events in Matsusaka.
Take a look at the video at 4:48 to see some of them.

The Ujisato Festival held in autumn in memory of Gamo Ujisato is a very powerful event! There is also the Hatsuuma Festival, the Norinaga Festival, and the Matsusaka Gion Festival.
Many people come to the Matsusaka Beef Festival where they auction off Matsusaka cattle.

The Matsusaka City Marathon is also very popular.

Other Tourist Spots Around Matsusaka

There are number of tourist spots that weren't introduced in the video.

If you want to relax, we recommend visiting Mie Ureshino hot springs and Matsusaka Kumano-no sato hot hprings.
If you want to buy souvenirs and Matsusaka goods, you can visit roadside stations Iitaka and Chakura, or places like Matsusaka Bell Farm, Matsuzakashi Santaro, and local street markets. We highly recommend having lunch at Matsusaka's local restaurants!

There are more exciting spots in Matsusaka as well:
Matsusaka Castle Ruins, Matsusaka Park, Chubudai Athletic Park, Komyo-ji Temple, Matsusaka City History and Folklore Museum, wealthy merchant town Matsusaka, Matsusaka Tourist Information Center, Takeshiro Matsuura Museum, ceramic art space “Niji no Izumi,” Matsusaka Suzu no Mori Park, and Mount Takami.
Find your favorite place amongst the beautiful scenery of Matsusaka.

Overview of Matsusaka

Interested in checking out Matsusaka city?
Don't forget to try Matsusaka's local cuisine, Matsusaka beef when you visit!
Check out the video to see the delicious Matsusaka beef. We don't recommend watching it on an empty stomach!

【Official Website】Mie Prefecture Matsusaka city, city hall
https://www.city.matsusaka.mie.jp/site/userguide/foreignlanguage.html