Hi there!
So whether you’re just in transit in Matsumoto and have a few hours before you catch your bus…
Or you’re staying in Matsumoto for a few days and have a few hours between the time you check out of your hotel and are leaving Matsumoto by bus…
The Matsumoto bus station isn’t such a bad place to have a few extra hours!
In my case, I arrived to Matsumoto by train from Hakuba. (I stayed at this hostel in Hakuba.) Then I had a few hours to explore Matsumoto. And then I got on a bus from Matsumoto to Takayama. (I stayed at this hostel in Takayama.)
The location of the bus station relative to the train station made the transfer from the train station to the bus station simple.
There were also coin lockers at the bus station, which meant I could leave my luggage there and go off around Matsumoto hands-free.
And since the bus station is located in a convenient part of town, it also made it easy to explore the streets of Matsumoto for a couple of hours. This included a visit to the Matsumoto Castle.
🗾🚌
Now…
Here’s a bit of a mini-tour of the Matsumoto bus terminal!
Arrive at Matsumoto bus terminal
Buying bus tickets
If you walk straight once you enter the building, you will almost immediately see the bus ticket counter and waiting area.
This is where you can find out information about bus timings from Matsumoto, as well as buy bus tickets.
And now, if you have time before your bus leaves…
Leaving luggage at the bus station
Leaving your luggage at the bus station is an option with the coin lockers at Matsumoto bus terminal.
These are located off to the right as soon as you enter the building through the main entrance.
There is a tourist information center at the Matsumoto train station, and it can be worth going here to pick up a walking map of the area!
FOOD!
In the same building as the bus terminal, you can find a cafe, a bakery, and restaurants at the food court.
There’s also a grocery store in the basement. Grocery stores are a place where you might be able to find some cheap food in Japan!
Gift shop
And there’s a gift shop in the building too.
Waiting area
Then, when you’ve finished exploring the rest of the building, you can head back to the bus ticket counter area, and there’s a waiting area.
You can also wait here for it to become closer to the time of your bus departure.
Time to leave to get on the bus!
Then, once it gets closer to the time that your bus departs, you can head outside to the platform.
There are information boards in the waiting area that will tell you what platform your bus will be at, and you can ask the workers at the bus ticket counter too.
And then you can head outside!
And then when your bus arrives…
Get on the bus!
HAPPY BUS RIDE FROM THE MATSUMOTO BUS TERMINAL!
