The starting point is JR/Kintetsu Matsusaka Station. There are many shops and tourist facilities nearby that can be enjoyed within walking distance from the station.

Start your walk around town wearing a kimono from MatsusakaCotton

If you are traveling to Matsusaka, dress like Matsusaka! We recommend the ``Matsusaka Momen Town Walk'' where you can enjoy sightseeing around the area wearing the traditional costume `` MatsusakaCotton'' kimono, which is perfect for walking around MatsusakaCotton Town!
The first place we visited was Wasokan Yawataya, a kimono shop with a history of over 110 years along Ise Kaido.

MatsusakaCotton is characterized by its calm indigo color and rich variety of striped patterns.
At Yawataya, you can choose from a wide variety of kimono rentals, around 30 types for both men and women.
You can rent accessories such as obi, sandals, and hair ornaments, so you can easily experience it♪

Yahataya's MatsusakaCotton kimono, which was originally developed by Yawataya with the idea that ``we want young people who don't know how to wear a kimono to become familiar with kimono culture,'' can be worn over clothes, and it only takes 5 minutes to put on. !
Because it's a simple obi, it doesn't feel too tight and doesn't fall off even when you walk for long periods of time, so you can enjoy eating to the fullest while walking around.

Wasokan Hachimanya

address

589-1 Hinocho MatsusakaCity

business hours

10：00〜19：00

Regular holiday

Monday/Thursday

telephone number

0598-21-0551

parking

can be

Access by public transportation

Approximately 5 minutes walk from JR/Kintetsu Matsusaka Station

Access by car

Approximately 15 minutes from Matsusaka IC on the Ise Expressway

Official website

https://kimono-yawataya.com/

Try MatsusakaCotton hand-weaving experience

After wearing a MatsusakaCotton kimono, the next place we visited was MatsusakaCotton Hand-Weaving Center.
During the Edo period, when common people were told to be frugal and were forbidden to dress well, MatsusakaCotton became popular with men and women of all ages with its stylish striped pattern.
MatsusakaCotton Hand-Weaving Center cherishes the traditions and techniques of MatsusakaCotton the Matsusaka brand.

Although machine weaving has become mainstream these days, the Petit Orihime Experience lets you remember the Edo period, when all MatsusakaCotton were hand-woven, and learn the depth of traditional weaving work.

In the experience, you will choose the pattern and weft you want to weave, and use a loom to weave a cloth for small items about 11 x 20 cm from the thread.
It seems that women in the past were also fascinated by the work of weaving cloth, using their hands and feet and concentrating on it.

After a while, you get used to the movements, and Yuumi is also good at it! You can take the woven cloth home as a souvenir. Recommended to use for single flower vases and small items.

There are also many other items using MatsusakaCotton, such as clothes, hats, bags, and accessories, which are also recommended as souvenirs.

Taste famous sweets from a long-established Japanese confectionery shop

While enjoying walking around the town, we next headed to the Japanese confectionery shop ``Yanagiya Hozen''.
Originally founded in Shiga Prefecture, the company moved to Matsusaka with the Sengoku period military commander, Gamo Ujisato, and started business there, and has a history of over 440 years! It is truly a long-established store.

Kuzu Bar (200 yen per bar), which is only available in the summer, is perfect for walking around on a hot day.
Since the ice lolly is made with kuzu powder, it looks like sorbet at first, but as time passes, it gradually develops into a plump, jelly-like texture!
You can choose from four flavors, including chestnut azuki and fruit mix.

In addition, ``Oinotomo'' (175 yen each), which has been a signature product since the company's founding, is a tea cake made by pouring red yokan instead of red bean paste into the middle of hardening and hardening it into a frosted glass shape by coating the surface with molasses. It is a perfect Japanese sweet.

There are 3 types of Ooban: ``Ooban Kokage'' from Ome, ``Mitsu Monaka'' with honey and lemon, and ``Natsu no Tomo'' (3 types), which are limited to summer and include ``Hana Kingyo'' containing morning glory and goldfish. There are also 2 pieces each for 2,300 yen), and we continue to express the Japanese spirit of changing seasons through sweets.

Hozen Yanagiya

address

1877 Nakamachi MatsusakaCity

business hours

9：00〜18：00

Regular holiday

Tuesday/Wednesday

telephone number

0598-21-0138

parking

none

Access by public transportation

Approximately 5 minutes walk from JR/Kintetsu Matsusaka Station

Access by car

Approximately 10 minutes from Ise Expressway “Matsusaka IC”

Official website

https://www.oinotomo.com/

Experience history at the former Ozu Seizaemon family home

During the Edo period, Matsusaka merchants expanded into Edo and Osaka, and the culture of Matsusaka merchants spread. Among them, the former Ozu Seizaemon family was the main residence of the Ozu family, which was said to be the largest paper wholesaler in Edo and became one of the wealthiest merchants in Japan along with the Mitsui family.

The current site is about one-third of what it was in its heyday, but it's still huge at about 1,000 square meters!
The building has features reminiscent of the past, such as tatami mats, sliding doors, and box staircases.

The ceiling is made of heavy beams, and natural light comes in from the skylight, and you can see what it was like back then through the stove and well where tea and meals were once served to travelers passing through the Sangu Road in front of it.

The lush garden is also a highlight, and you can enjoy the seasonal changes such as fresh greenery and autumn leaves.
Not only on sunny days, but also the greenery when wet with rain is vibrant and beautiful, and you can also feel the Japanese atmosphere in Hanachozu with seasonal flowers floating on it.

Enjoy Wadakin 's Matsusaka beef sukiyaki

Speaking of MatsusakaCity, you can't miss Matsusaka's proud branded meat, Matsusaka Beef!
I visited Wadakin, the original Matsusaka meat sukiyaki restaurant, to try Matsusaka beef.
Founded in 1878 (Meiji 11), this is a long-established restaurant that established the current style of sukiyaki.

Sukiyaki is served freshly prepared by the chef's chef in a calm private room with a red round Wajima lacquered table.

The chrysanthemum charcoal arranged in a tower shape is a custom-made item that has been specially fired for this purpose. As the fire gradually heats up, a faint charcoal scent wafts through the air.

The meat is laid out one by one in a hot Nanbu iron pot and seasoned with sugar, tamari soy sauce, and a little kelp stock. You can't help but admire the skill of the craftsmen who skillfully sprinkle the sugar and return the meat.

The sweet and fragrant ``wagyu aroma'' created by the melting fat of Matsusaka beef will whet your appetite.
“It smells so good!” Yuumi said as she took a bite of the grilled meat and mixed it with the beaten egg!
It's so soft that you can easily cut it with chopsticks, and the flavor spreads as soon as you put it in your mouth.

All of the meat served at Wadakin is Matsusaka beef raised on our own farm.
The more you chew, the leaner meat becomes more flavorful, and the more you chew, the richer the marbling of the fat, the more you bite into it.

Sukiyaki also comes with vegetables such as green onions, mitsuba leaves, and shiitake mushrooms.
In addition to this course, you can also enjoy elegant mousse made with seasonal vegetables, colorful jelly sauce, and grilled meat served with red wine jelly.

Wadakin

address

1878 Nakamachi MatsusakaCity

business hours

Meals 11:30-19:00 Last entry (11:00-on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
Over-the-counter sales 8:30-18:00

Regular holiday

4th Tuesday of the month (varies depending on the month), January 1st and 2nd

telephone number

0598-21-1188

parking

50台

Access by public transportation

Approximately 8 minutes walk from JR/Kintetsu Matsusaka Station

Access by car

Approximately 15 minutes from Matsusaka IC on the Ise Expressway

Official website

http://e-wadakin.co.jp/

Furthermore, if you go a little farther from the city center of MatsusakaCity, you can also enjoy areas rich in nature such as mountains and rivers!

Chakura Michi-no-eki surrounded by nature

MatsusakaCity Michi-no-eki Station, located about 30 to 40 minutes by car from downtown Matsusaka, is located in a lush green area sandwiched between National Route 166 and the clear Kushida River. Located in , it's the perfect place to take a break from your drive.

There is a food corner and food corner where you can buy special products, souvenirs, and local vegetables from the Iinan area where Chakura Station is located, the Iidaka area, and other surrounding areas, as well as a cafe on the second floor overlooking the Kushida River.

Furthermore, ``Chakura Bridge'' located right next to Chakura Station is also a must-see spot!
The bright red bridge stands out against the greenery of the mountains, and you can look down on the Kushida River from the top of the bridge.

Experience nature with a canoe in kahadavalley

You can also enjoy outdoor activities at kahadavalley, a valley located between Iinan Town and Iidaka Town, which is rich in nature!

One of these is kahadavalley canoe run by the non-profit corporation i sierra, which holds various outdoor programs such as canoeing, trekking, and cycling in the Iinan and Iidaka regions.

kahadavalley is said to be the best canoeing spot in Mie Prefecture, as steep mountain streams and calm sloughs alternate, allowing you to enjoy the strength and weakness of the streams.However, for beginners, choose a course with a gentle flow. You can rest assured that you will receive it.

After putting on a life jacket and receiving a lecture from the instructor, the experience begins!
You can see the surrounding mountains from the surface of the water, spot flowers blooming on the shore, see small waterfalls, and experience the natural scenery to the fullest in the clear air!

Specified non-profit corporation i sierra

telephone number

080-3630-4396 (Ota)

Official website

http://i-sierra.com/

A one-day model course packed with Matsusaka's representative food, history, traditional culture, nature, and various other attractions of Matsusaka in one day! Please use this information to plan your trip to Matsusaka!

*All prices include tax.

Article production: MSLP & Senmaki Printing Industry Co., Ltd.