Matsumoto Castle Tour, Local Lunch and Sake Experience

This one-day tour in Matsumoto covers three parts: a visit to Matsumoto Castle, one of twelve castles in Japan with its original wooden keep still standing; a local lunch built around soba noodles or miso, and a tasting of sake from Nagano Prefecture. The tour starts at Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's most striking original castles before moving to a food experience and a lunch built around two dishes tied to Nagano Prefecture. Which experience runs on a given day depends on availability and season. The two options are a soba-making class or a miso brewery tour. Both food experiences include a lunch with vegetarian and vegan alternatives. Then, your guide will walk you through a tasting of several sake varieties, each reflecting different rice strains, fermentation methods, and aging processes. Between pours, you guide will explain how water quality, seasonal brewing cycles, and rice polishing ratios shape what's in your cup.