大雪の日の松本城

中央高速が通行止めだったので、関越道で大回りし安曇野から下道で松本入り。
通常3時間で行けるところ６時間かかりました（笑）

東京と同じくらい雪が降らない松本

大雪の次の日は青空でした。

お濠が凍った松本城は初めて見ました。

Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's oldest castles, is famous for its unique black exterior. Located in Matsumoto City for over 400 years, it houses a remarkable collection of weapons and armor from the Warring States Period. Despite never witnessing battle, it's a must-visit in Nagano Prefecture, especially during twilight hours for a peaceful experience. The sight of swans on the moat against the castle and the blueish-purple horizon is unforgettable.

秋の夕陽に染まる松本城です。
築城以来現存する数少ない城の一つです。
御覧の皆さんも是非一度足を運んでみてはいかが？

【松本城】
松本城 - Matsumoto Castle
長野

現存する五重六階の天守の中で日本最古の国宝の城である松本城。
1936年（昭和11年）に敷地全体が国宝に指定。その後、1952年（昭和27年）には、天守、乾子天守、渡櫓、辰巳附櫓、月見櫓の5棟が国宝に指定された。
半身を夕日に照らされ、光と影が見事な調和を成している。お堀でゆったりと泳ぐ家鴨が城の巨大さを引き立たせている。

長野県松本市にある松本城です。
天守の築造年代は文禄２～３（１５９３～４）年と考えられ、現存する五重六階の天守としては日本最古の城で、姫路城、彦根城、犬山城、松江城とともに国宝に指定されています。
多くの危難を乗り越えてきた歴史ある名城です。

長野県松本市「国宝松本城」

音楽に合わせて沢山の色のレーザ光線で
縦横無尽に照らされる光景は
古き時代の建物が、最先端による光のコラボが
未来感溢れてとても印象的でした。

Went on a trip to Matsumoto during the Obon holiday.

We arrived Friday and our first stop after checking in at our hotel was Matsumoto Castle. The statue in the first photo is of Banryu Shonin (播隆上人). Apparently he was a Buddhist monk and prominent mountaineer during the early 1800s. I thought it was interesting so I took a photo of it.

Matsumoto Castle was really incredible. I think it's definitely one of the most beautiful castles in Japan. If I had a better camera, I would have been able to take some nicer photos, but I'm pretty pleased with the photos I took, despite having taken them from my smartphone.
The inside of the castle was really awesome and I spent a lot of time looking at all of the different exhibits showing the weaponry used on the battlefield, etc. Most of the exhibits have English and Japanese too, which is nice if you don't speak Japanese but are interested in learning about the history of the castle.

On Saturday we took a bus to Kamikochi.
The bus to Kamokochi took about an hour longer than expected as there was a lot of people going there for the Obon holiday. The views were really incredible, and compared to the city of Matsumoto, the area was a nice cool temperature. One of the other bridges near Kappa Bridge (河童橋) was probably like 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the Kamikochi area too.

We hiked from Taisho Pond (大正池) to Kappa Bridge in about an hour. It was pretty good exercise and totally flat, so pretty much anyone can enjoy the walking trails.
There are a lot of scenic views along the trail from Taisho Pond to Kappa Bridge, and some of the views of the water were just magical. I wasn't able to capture just how beautiful the place is with my photos, but it's really gorgeous.
Once we got closer to Kappa Bridge we started seeing a lot of monkeys walking around too, which was kind of neat. Apparently their population is increasing in the area because people keep feeding them, so make sure not to do that if you visit.

On our last day in Matsumoto we decided to check out some other spots in town, and ended up visiting Nawate Street, a nice little shopping street with some cool shops and cafes. We got some ice cream and sat down by the river running through the town and relaxed for a bit.
After that we headed up to Joyama Park (the last photo). The walk to the park was pretty long with how hot it was outside but the view from the top was pretty incredible. It was a nice way to end our trip.

I think Matsumoto Castle and Kamikochi are definitely some of the best places to visit if you're sightseeing in Matsumoto, so definitely make some time to visit them.

「みんなの投稿」に投稿いただいたお写真をご紹介！

インバウンド観光情報SNS「クールジャパンビデオ」ピックアップ投稿です。
本日は「HKP」さんの投稿をご紹介します。

日中とは異なる神秘的な魅力を映した一枚ですね。

長野県松本市にある松本城（まつもとじょう）は、日本の国宝に指定された江戸時代の城郭です。
以前は深志城（ふかしじょう）と呼ばれていましたが、小笠原氏が城主となり「松本城」と名を改めました。

松本市のシンボルでもある松本城は見どころが満載。
五棟ある天守閣は松本城の特徴の一つ。5層6階の大天守は、城壁の上下が白漆喰、黒漆塗りと分かれており当時では珍しい造りとなっています。
他にも銭貨や甲冑など、多くの国宝や重要文化財が展示されており、日本の歴史や文化に興味のある方におすすめ。

春には本丸や庭園に桜が咲き誇り、桜の名所としても観光客に人気。
約300本の桜を楽しむことができ、多くの人が訪れるお花見スポットです。
また、夜にはライトアップイベント「光の回廊」も実施され、夜桜を満喫できます。

◆松本城◆
【住所】〒390-0873 長野県松本市丸の内4番1号
【交通アクセス】電車：JR篠ノ井線「松本駅」下車 徒歩で約20分
【駐車場】有り（有料）
詳細は公式ホームページをご覧ください。

Coolest Castle I have seen. 私が見た美しい城。