City-Operated Parking Lots
There are three large parking garages operated by Matsumoto City that offer convenient parking right downtown. These parking lots offer easy access on foot to Matsumoto Castle, Nawate Street, and Nakamachi Street and are located near Town Sneaker bus stops for access to other points of interest.
- Matsumoto Castle Otemon Parking Lot
Hours: 7:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m. - Chuo Parking Lot (M-Wing North)
Hours: 7:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m. - I-Park Isemachi (Chuo-Nishi Parking Lot)
Hours: 7:30 a.m.–11:00 p.m.
Rates: ¥150/30 min
Overnight parking: ¥1,020 (10:00 p.m.–8:30 a.m.)
Other Parking Lots
Nakamachi “Kuranoaru” Parking Lot
A small yet convenient parking lot located right in the charming Nakamachi area. Very useful for sightseeing around downtown Matsumoto.
Hours: 9:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
Rates: ¥300/1 hr
Overnight parking: ¥800 (6:30 p.m.–8:00 a.m.)
Matsumoto Museum of Art Parking Lot
The museum has its own parking lot, so it’s especially convenient if it is one of your main destinations. Considering parking is free, it can fill up fast. In this case, it may be easier parking in one of the larger parking garages and walking/taking the Town Sneaker bus.
Hours: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
AEON Mall Parking Lot
If you want to do some shopping while you’re in Matsumoto, AEON Mall offers three hours of free parking. It’s also very near Nakamachi Street, Nawate Street, and the art museum. Beware of weekends though; the mall gets extremely crowded, and the parking lots fill up fast! If you’re shopping at AEON, you can pay your parking ticket at one of the stores. You get an additional free hour of parking for every ¥2,000 you spend for a total of up to five free hours of parking.
Hours: 7:00 a.m. –1:00 a.m. (subject to change)
Rates: First 3 hours free, ¥200/30 min afterwards
Automated Parking Lots
There are also numerous small automated parking lots scattered about the city that you can use if you need parking closer to a certain location or if other parking lots happen to be full.
Most of these parking lots use an automated lever located below the car to “lock” it in place until the parking fee is paid. To unlock the car, usually you will need to use the pay machine located in the same lot. In general, you just need to input the number of the parking space into the machine and it will display what you owe. Insert money into the machine and it will lower the lever so you can drive out. Just make sure you pay before you try to drive out or else you’ll end up with a damaged car!