Want a taste of Shogun-era Japan? It’s harder to find than you’d think

It’s rare to see all-out warfare, to witness bloody battles complete with gore and barbarity and think: ooh, I’d like to go there.

But if you’ve seen Shogun, the TV adaptation of the James Clavell novel that screened in Australia last year, you would be familiar with the sensation. This richly textured and beautifully shot series was set in 16th-century Japan, a time of warring domains, but also archetypal samurai customs and iconic architecture.

Shogun-era Matsumoto Castle has the oldest surviving castle tower in Japan.Credit: iStock

You couldn’t help but watch on as the lords battled for power in these gorgeous castles surrounded by thick forests and snow-covered mountains and think, ooh, I’d like to go there.

The only thing is, there’s not much of that history left in Japan. At least, not of a physical nature: many of the country’s shogun-era castles were either dismantled after 1868 (when samurai rule came to an end) or destroyed during World War II.

There are only 12 original castles left in the entire country, notably the likes of Hirosaki Castle, Himeji Castle, Kochi Castle … and this one, in Matsumoto.

Entering the castle today, it’s hard to spot any vestiges of samurai rule and shogunate warfare. The only checkpoint I have to pass on my way through the huge wooden gates is the one scanning entry tickets.

Tadanobu Asano (second from left) as Kashigi Yabushige and fellow warriors in a scene from Shogun.Credit: AP

That gate is reached by crossing a bridge over a mirror-still moat, the perfect feature for photography of the oldest surviving castle tower in Japan. Inside the grounds you can stroll the gardens and then enter the castle proper, following a set route up through the structure’s five tiers, ducking under massive wooden beams and taking in displays of samurai-era treasures, gazing out at the surrounding city through narrow windows designed for firing arrows.

No rival armies approach today. In fact, through the window what you can mostly see is the manicured gardens of Matsumoto Castle’s outer ring, and then Matsumoto itself, a modern city in the heart of the Nagano prefecture highlands, about 2½ hours by train north-west of Tokyo.

Matsumoto has history, clearly – the city was first settled in the 4th century. And though only a modest 250,000 people call Matsumoto home these days, it has been an important base for a long time, once the capital of the Shinano Province, from the 11th century, and later a seat of the powerful Tokugawa shogunate.

Battles have been fought in this verdant valley; much political jostling took place within the castle walls.

But what of Matsumoto now? There are few tourists here, certainly compared to the historic likes of Kyoto, Nara and Himeji. There aren’t many big-name attractions save for that towering castle. Which is all part of Matsumoto’s allure.

Regional specialty … Shinshu soba.Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

And anyway, there is soba. Modern-day Matsumoto is renowned around Japan for the quality of its soba noodles. Numerous restaurants here, both old-school and modern, proudly serve the local specialty: Shinshu soba, made using a combination of buckwheat and regular flour.

Kobayashi is one of the standouts, established in the early 1900s and still incredibly popular, where the decor and service are basic but comfortable, and the quality of the noodles is sky-high. We sit down and witness as locals order dish after dish of soba, each pile of noodles served in a lacquerware box with no sides but a cold, soy-based dipping sauce.

Outside, Matsumoto hums along to its own gentle rhythm, the clean mountain air a joy to breathe as you wander quiet streets and explore the souvenir shops down by the river.

The artist Yayoi Kusama, perhaps Japan’s most famous modern creator, was born in Matsumoto. Not surprisingly, the impressive Matsumoto City Museum of Art has a large permanent collection of Kusama’s works, including one of her iconic polka-dotted pumpkins.

Acclaimed artist Yayoi Kusama, pictured in 2018, was born in and celebrated in Matsumoto.Credit: Tokyo Lee Productions

Matsumoto is also an onsen town, the home of Asama hot springs, a sleepy district on the city’s outskirts that sits above temperate natural waters. There are numerous onsen facilities up here, some public, some part of private ryokan accommodation, though all easily accessible by bus from the city centre.

Several more hot spring areas lie a little further out from the city, and provide all the medicinal soaking you could ever hope for. Each brings a feeling of peace that, you have to remind yourself, is relatively new in Matsumoto.

The details

Visit
Matsumoto is in Nagano prefecture, accessible from Tokyo via the Asuza Limited Express train from Shinjuku. The castle is open for visits daily from 8.30am to 4.30pm; tickets cost ¥700 ($7.50) for adults. To stay, KAI Matsumoto is a beautifully appointed ryokan in Asama Onsen, rooms from ¥90,000 ($950). See hoshinoresorts.com

Fly
Qantas flies daily from Sydney to Tokyo Haneda airport, and Melbourne to Tokyo Narita. See qantas.com

The writer travelled at his own expense. See japan.travel