Tourism Matsumoto to increase castle fees, introduce accommodation tax

The fee hikes to enter Matsumoto Castle will be the first since January 2020, following the results of a quake-resistance diagnosis for the main tower keep. The study found the keep would not withstand an earthquake with an intensity of 6 to 7 on the Japanese seismic scale. The added revenue from the ticket price increases was needed to cover costs to deploy additional personnel to prepare for emergency situations. The hikes this time are for "building a comfortable environment for tourists to see around the castle," Gaun said. According to city officials, around 900,000 tourists visited the castle last fiscal year, about the same as pre-pandemic levels. Foreign visitors accounted for about 160,000 of the total, a record high. Matsumoto city is reinforcing the main tower keep and restoring the outer moat to preserve the castle, a main sightseeing spot in the city. The total estimated cost for those projects exceeds 7.4 billion yen.

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