Living in Matsumoto for Two and a Half Years (2: To Matsumoto for a Limited Two and a Half Years)

This article covers the preparationsmade after deciding on a short-term move to the Matsumoto Basin, as well as the temperament of the people of Matsumoto.

The stay period becomes two years plus six months

I set the period for “stay-style travel” to two years so that I could grasp the seasonal events and excursion destinations in the first year and visit them systematically in the second. In fact, in the second year, my resolution for perceiving the seasons and viewing events increased. Although I moved my base of life, it was still a trip, so I kept my home in Chiba.

The departure was set for April 2023 due to the term of office for neighborhood association duties. April, after a two-year stay, is the start of the tourist season. Since it would be a waste to return, I also decided to live there until winter tires were needed. It is a
long trip of two and a half years. However, I had decided to keep the stay period flexible.

Having traveled frequently with Matsumoto as my base, by the third year, I reached the level where locals would ask me things like, “Did you find any good restaurants?”
From the third year onwards, you are a resident, not a traveler.

Living in Matsumoto City

After deciding on the stay, I spent a total of about five weeks staying in Azumino and Matsumoto to conduct field research on the Matsumoto Basin (2021). Azumino, where the mountains loom close, was my first choice, but there were no vacancies in the properties I targeted, so I found a room in Matsumoto, where there are more properties. The header photo is of the Northern Alps seen from Aeon Mall Matsumoto, which I visited during my field research. You can even see the tip of Mount Yari from the center of the city.

For detailed background and costs up to this point, please see the article below.
Learning from the Edo and Meiji Periods, Enjoying Travel (8: A Recommendation for Two Years and Two-Base Living)

The Matsumoto temperament I didn't know

*The following is information for those interested in Matsumoto.

For tourists, Matsumoto might be a stylish city with a castle, or a tourist city with Kamikochi and hot springs. But for the residents of Matsumoto, it seems a bit different. I felt this even during my short five-week stay, and when I said I was going to live in the Matsumoto Basin, people with experience living there, those from Nagano Prefecture, and those currently living in Nagano Prefecture gave me information.

In the first place, Matsumoto is the base of the former Matsumoto Domain, which held most of the Matsumoto Basin (from Otari Village in the north to the northern part of Shiojiri City in the south). It was once a
town where the lord lived, and it is still the center of the region today. Like other castle towns, it is said that the residents have high pride. Note that the Matsumoto Domain had an income of 60,000 koku (at the end of the Edo period), so it was not a large domain.

In the rest area of the Matsumoto City Museum, which opened in October 2023, there were three “Wells of Inquiry,” and inside, self-deprecating panels (top right) were on display.

Perhaps because they once vied with Nagano City to be the prefectural capital, many people in Matsumoto say "Shinshu" instead of "Nagano Prefecture." They don't say, "My favorite thing in Nagano is..." but rather, "My favorite thing in Shinshu is..."
Admittedly, since "Nagano" cannot distinguish between Nagano City and Nagano Prefecture, there is a tendency to use "Shinshu" in other parts of the prefecture as well.

It wasn't quite like this when I stayed in a weekly apartment in Azumino, but when I stayed in Matsumoto, I felt I needed to keep in the back of my mind that it was "Matsumoto in Shinshu," not "Matsumoto in Nagano."

However, after living there for a few months, I became a Matsumoto fan myself and somehow became anti-Nagano City. It's a strange thing.
The word "Nagano Prefecture" disappeared from my mind and was replaced by "Shinshu."

I think many people are proud to live in "Matsumoto".
It's not that they are arrogant; they just have strong local pride! That's a good thing.

Nagano, Ueda, Saku, and Karuizawa, which have the Shinkansen, are less than an hour and a half from Tokyo. They are easy places for day trips. Also convenient for living in two locations.
On the other hand, Matsumoto is less than three hours from Shinjuku by the "Limited Express Azusa." Depending on the time of day, the route that appears at the top of search results is to go to Tokyo via the Shinkansen from Nagano Station. It is far from Tokyo, which is highly centralized.

So, what will Matsumoto do?
When I was living there, Parco closed, and the local Inoue Department Store also shut its doors. Even though there were people who said, "Gift wrapping must be from Inoue."

Matsumoto's population is 230,000. Even though it is one of only 62 regional core cities in Japan (Nagano City and Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture), there is a sense of crisis regarding the vibrancy of the city and a nostalgia for the prosperity of the Showa era.
Stories from people born and raised in Matsumoto are worth savoring. They are full of good tales and allow you to touch history.

My love for Matsumoto has grown, and I've ended up talking for too long.

Now, having finished my trial move and felt a part of the Matsumoto temperament, it is finally time to move to Matsumoto.
Next is the unforgettable day of April 28, 2023, the day of the move.

■Next article Living in Matsumoto for Two and a Half Years (3. Arriving at the Apartment)
■Previous article Living in Matsumoto for Two and a Half Years (1. Longing for Matsumoto)
(This is the first article in the series)
■My book Published in 2025. I write about how villagers in the Edo and Meiji periods enjoyed themselves and how that applies to modern life.

■My blog I write in both Japanese and my poor English.