REPORT

As the flagship facility of the “Matsumoto Marugoto Museum,” the Matsumoto City Museum moved to a new building on October 7, 2023 (Sat.). The building is impressive right as you enter, and the high ceiling of the entrance hall (pictured) is decorated with traditional Matsumoto Temari balls that were made with the help of local residents! The museum shop and Children’s Experience Plaza “Asobiba!” are located on the first floor, and free library reading and information rooms are available on the second floor.
[Matsumoto City Museum]

The permanent exhibition room introduces the characteristics of Matsumoto through eight major themes, and the large diorama (pictured) that serves as the centerpiece of the first theme, “A Town With a Castle,” impresses visitors. The period model of the town’s layout around national treasure Matsumoto Castle can be compared with the current townscape shown on the monitor in the foreground of the photo. The “Bustling Commercial City” section displays a treasure ship and the seven gods of good fortune that were built for a parade of portable shrines through the candy market, and in the “Power to Live” section, there is a steam-engine-powered fire truck that was used during the Taisho era (1912-1926).
[Matsumoto City Museum・Permanent Exhibition Room]

The Special Exhibition Room is currently holding the “Collected Exhibition of the Toda Vassals: The Last Samurai Group of the Matsumoto Domain” until 6/17 (Mon.). In fact, the museum itself is located in the San-no-maru area surrounding Matsumoto Castle, which corresponds to the area where the warriors who served the lord of the Matsumoto domain lived. In the “Chapter 2: Toda Clan, Section 3: Armor Arrangement in the 4th Year of Ansei” display, the five pieces of impressive samurai armor (pictured), including those of the Ishikawa family, caught my attention. An informative lecture is scheduled for 5/18 (Sat.), and a walking tour through the old samurai estate area will be held on 5/25 (Sat.) and 5/26 (Sun.) (*Pre-registration is required for both events.)
[Matsumoto City Museum・Special Exhibition Room]

On the first floor, the “Children’s Experience Plaza Asobiba!” has a wooden ball pool (pictured) filled with Matsumoto Temari, as well as toys and picture books that children can play with freely. I spoke with a couple from Chiba Prefecture (pictured, foreground), who told me, “We came to stay and play at the children’s grandparents’ house in Matsumoto for one night.” I also had a chat with another couple from Matsumoto who said, “Our child is always saying they wants to come to the museum, so we come here nearly every week. It’s nice to have a place where we can stretch out and play for free. They said, “It’s nice to have a place where we can stretch out and play for free.”
[Matsumoto City Museum・Children’s Experience Plaza “Asobiba!”]

　
[Matsumoto City Museum]
*Place … 3-2-21 Ote, Matsumoto City, Nagano
*Opening Hours … 1F 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m., 2F/3F Exhibition Room, 1F Children’s Experience Plaza Asoviva! 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. *Ticket sales for the exhibition room and Asoviva! Registration for entering the room will close at 4:30 p.m.
*Closing Day … 1F 3rd Tuesday of every month (in the case of a holiday, the following weekday), 2F/3F exhibition room and 1F children’s experience area Asoviva! Every Tuesday (in the case of a holiday, the following weekday), 12/29 – 1/3 All facilities closed) *Temporary closures may occur.
*Permanent Exhibition Admission Fee … Adult (18 years or older) JPY500, University student JPY250, High school students or younger or under 18 y/o and People over 70 y/o living in the city Free
*Special Exhibition (including permanent exhibition. until 6/17) … Adult (18 years or older) JPY1,000, University student JPY700, High school students or younger or under 18 y/o and People over 70 y/o living in the city Free (*Fees and other information will change for each special exhibition. Please refer to the official website for details.)
*Parking … No parking (*Please use nearby toll parking lots)

reported by Snownavi