I had a couple side trips planned during my week in Nagoya. Before I left for Japan I bought a JR nationwide pass for travel within 7 days. I had to calculate the cost of all the trips I was taking to make sure the pass would be cheaper. Even though I missed one of the trips (more on that later), it was definitely worth buying. I saved not only on the bullet train but also taking the local JR lines.

The first side trip I did was to Matsumoto. I had been there twice in the past and it was still the same as I remembered it. However this time I had a personal chauffeur to take me around!

After picking me up at the station, we drove over to Matsumoto Castle before grabbing lunch nearby. Then we made a stop at a nearby onsen town called Asama for a day visit. Day visits are a quick way to enjoy the onsen if you’re only spending a few hours in the city. Later that afternoon we drove to the Matsumoto City Museum so I could stop and take photos of the Kusama Yayoi sculpture garden. I was a little sad I missed her exhibition by a week, but at least I got to see her work outside the museum.

Since we really didn’t have much to do the rest of the afternoon, we killed time inside Aeon Mall, which is a new addition to the city. (How they survived without a shopping mall before I have no idea.) Later that night we stopped by a yakiniku restaurant for dinner, where I was a little astounded by how much my chauffeur ate. =P

I had the take the train back to Nagoya in the evening, so around 8pm we made our way back to the station. I don’t know if I was tired or just too full, but the train ride made it 10x worst. By some miracle I managed to make it back home, where I ended up throwing up twice in the middle of the night. Needless to say, I had to cancel my trip to Shizuoka the next day.

Aside from that, Matsumoto is definitely worth visiting as a side trip from Nagoya. Doing it as a day trip may be a little too ambitious though, so I recommend staying at least one night. And if you’re prone to carsickness like me, then it’s best to avoid taking the Shinano Express. =P