Established in 1878, Takagi has been in business over 130 years. There were no typical local souvenirs at that time, so they began to sell Matsumoto temari, a local specialty. There are now two shops: one in Matsumoto Station and one on Daimyocho Street.
Matsumoto temari are beautiful balls made of colorful thread. Young girls in the area used to make them by winding thread into balls for fun many years ago. Natural colored thread and French thread create patterns with vivid colors. If you want to try making a Matsumoto temari yourself you can do this at the shop. The cost is from 680 yen for a small one.
The first floor sells regional goodies, such as Matsumoto temari, masks of various gods, and arts and crafts made by local farmers. At the stairs to the basement you can see the masks of 12 gods.
On the second floor you can enjoy soba (buckwheat-noodles) and various other local specialty dishes. You can try making soba or oyaki dumplings for yourself!
The roof terrace houses a beer garden called “Beer Happy”. This is open from April to the first or second week of September. Not only can you enjoy nice beer but also a spectacular view of the surrounding area and Matsumoto castle nearby.
According to the old-map, when Takagi started its business they dealt exclusively in stationery and books. Later the shop sold souvenirs to visitors to the mountain made by cutting white birch and decorating with a hand-drawn picture. There were no typical local souvenirs at that time, so they began to sell Matsumoto temari as a local specialty.