Matsumoto Alps Park
A 71.1-hectare hilltop park northwest of Matsumoto that holds a zoo and a nature museum.
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Matsumoto Alps Park
SaveA 71.1-hectare hilltop park northwest of Matsumoto that holds a zoo and a nature museum.
A 630-meter sled run drops down the hillside, and its sleds seat two, so a preschooler can ride with a parent.
MoreWhat kind of place
The park covers 71.1 hectares (about 176 acres) on the hills northwest of Matsumoto, divided into a family zone with 12 facilities and a wildlife forest with nine.
The zoo, called the forest of birds and small animals, opened in September 1978 to mark 70 years since Matsumoto became a city, and it keeps about 250 animals from roughly 30 species, including macaques, deer, and ponies.
The mountain and nature museum came much later, in 2007, and it shares its building with a radio relay station run by the government office in charge of landslide prevention.
Inside, it shows mountaineering gear from the late 1800s onward, and the observation room on the fifth floor gives a full 360-degree view, out to the North Alps.
Sources and evidence (24)
- It sits on the hills northwest of central Matsumoto, looking west to the North Alps and the Azumino plain and east to the Utsukushigahara highland and the city.source
- The grounds are divided into two parts: a family zone with 12 facilities and a wildlife forest with nine.source
- The forest of birds and small animals keeps about 250 animals from roughly 30 species, including Japanese macaques, sika deer, and ponies.source
- At the petting area by the zoo entrance, children can touch goats and other animals.source
- The petting area runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a break from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and it is called off in rain.source
- The observation room on the museum's fifth floor gives a 360-degree view that takes in the North Alps.source
- The museum's first floor covers Matsumoto's four seasons and how people live with them, built around a character from the local Derabocchi legend and a traditional board game of the city's yearly events.source
- The museum also shows a large collection of mountaineering gear from the late 1800s through the 1900s, along with insect specimens.source
- The museum opened in May 2007 in a building it shares with a radio relay station for the government's landslide-prevention network, and the Matsumoto office in charge of that work has an exhibit room on the first floor.source
- The children's adventure playground has a long roller slide that runs through the woods down to the forest entrance plaza, plus an obstacle course, a zip line, and many other structures.source
- The rock slide and the wooden climbing structure are the favorites there, and the playground fills with children on weekends.source
- The park's own family itinerary starts and ends at the south entrance parking lot, taking the coaster and then the forest of birds and small animals in the morning.source
- That itinerary suggests lunch in the shaded cherry grove called Sakura no Mori.source
- Its afternoon covers the children's adventure playground and the waterside lawn, the mountain and nature museum, and the lookout plaza.source
- The forest entrance rest house is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has solid wood tables and chairs that anyone can use for a packed lunch or a book; booking the place for private use costs a fee.source
- The rest house holds a small library, and its books can be read anywhere in the park.source
- The picnic lawn at the park's western edge looks out over the North Alps and Azumino, and a dinosaur figure hides in one corner.source
- The park map's legend includes restrooms, accessible restrooms, ostomy facilities, a nursing room, a kids' corner, vending machines, food service, and an AED.source
- The forest entrance rest house, which shares its building with the TOYBOX service center on the second floor, is marked as having a kids' corner.source
- Vending machines are marked at the east entrance parking lot and the coaster boarding area among other spots, and no food service symbol appears anywhere on the map.source
- A barbecue pit sits beside the old farmhouse learning center, drawn on the map with a picture and its name.source
- The same visitor (June 4, 2024) wrote that the park has no shops at all, only drink vending machines, and that you can eat a packed lunch inside the rest house, which also has a reading corner.source
- A visitor (March 14, 2023) wrote that families eat packed lunches or barbecue at the family lawn, and that a few food stalls sometimes come on weekends and event days.source
- That 2017 review adds that the nursing room has no diaper bin, so used diapers go home with you.source
With kidsThe part that matters
The sled ride seats two, so a preschooler can go down with a parent: 630 meters (about 2,000 feet) of slope for 410 yen an adult, 200 yen a child.
The park covers a whole hillside northwest of Matsumoto, with a big playground plus a zoo and a nature museum that cost nothing to enter.
Vending machines sell drinks and nothing else, so bring lunch and eat it at the rest house by the forest entrance, where the wooden tables are open to anyone.
The park's own family plan takes the sled and the zoo in the morning, then the playground and the museum in the afternoon.
The museum is also where the park's one nursing room is, on the second floor with two diaper-changing tables.
Sources and evidence (3)
- With a 3-year-old: the south lot is nearest the play field and roller slide. Coaster ¥410/¥200; come early on weekends.source
- No shops at all, only vending machines. The 630 m coaster runs 11:00-16:00: ¥410 adult, ¥200 child, free preschool.source
- Three gates: south (180 spaces) sits nearest tower, coaster and frames; east has 466; north's 23 suit families least.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The Forest of Birds and Small Animals is free to enter and never closes, and it keeps about 250 animals of some 30 species, among them Japanese macaques, sika deer and ponies. Parts of the ground are gravel, but there are no stairs, so as one visitor's account puts it you can go round it with a stroller. At the Matsumoto Mountain and Nature Museum, also free, the 5th-floor observation room gives a 360-degree view that takes in the Northern Alps.There is one nursing room, on the 2nd floor of the Mountain and Nature Museum: a nursing space screened off by a partition, plus two diaper-changing tables. It is air-conditioned and roomy enough to take a stroller inside. There is no bin for diapers, so take them away with you. Accessible toilets are marked at the south entrance car park, the east entrance car park, the north entrance plaza, the Mountain and Nature Museum, the Forest Entrance Rest House, beside the Children's Adventure Ground, Sakura no Mori, the Dream Coaster boarding point, inside the Forest of Birds and Small Animals, and the old folk house learning facility. The park has no shop at all, only drink vending machines, so bring a packed lunch and eat it inside the Forest Entrance Rest House (9:00-17:00).
- Ages 2-3At the Petting Area by the zoo entrance they can touch goats and other animals (10:00-15:00, closed 11:30-13:30, cancelled in rain). The Alps Dream Coaster's sled seats two, so a preschooler rides down the 630-meter hillside course together with a parent. The Picnic Ground looks out over the Northern Alps and the Azumino plain, and a dinosaur hides in one corner of it.At the Petting Area a guardian must stay with a preschool child, and food for the animals may not be brought in from outside. A single Dream Coaster ticket is 410 yen for adults and 200 yen for children, and on busy days ticket sales can end earlier than closing time. Pets cannot enter the Forest of Birds and Small Animals, although they are allowed in the rest of the park on a lead. Cycling inside the park is prohibited, except that a child may practice with a guardian beside them.
- Ages 4-6The Children's Adventure Ground has a roller slide that runs down through the forest to the Forest Entrance Plaza, along with field athletics, a Tarzan rope and many other pieces; the rocky-hill slide and the wooden play structure are favorites. On the Alps Dream Coaster they ride a roller sled down the 630-meter course (200 yen for a child). At the free Mountain and Nature Museum, the 1st floor has the Deerabocchi legend character and a Matsumoto yearly-events sugoroku board, plus a large display of mountaineering gear from the Meiji through Showa eras and insect specimens.The Mountain and Nature Museum closes on Tuesdays (open if that is a public holiday, closed the next weekday instead) and from December 29 to January 3, and no eating or drinking is allowed inside. The Dream Coaster also sells a six-ride book (2,050 yen for adults, 1,000 yen for children), valid one year from the date of issue. The park's own family model course starts and ends at the south entrance car park: the Dream Coaster and the Forest of Birds and Small Animals in the morning, lunch in the shady Sakura no Mori, then the Children's Adventure Ground and Waterside Plaza, the Mountain and Nature Museum and the Observation Plaza in the afternoon. The whole park is non-smoking, and you take your rubbish home. The Alps Park bus from Matsumoto Bus Terminal runs twice a day (10:00 and 14:00, 350 yen for an adult).
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe petting area at the zoo entrance, where you can meet the goats, is canceled in the rain. The place to get in out of it is the Matsumoto Mountain and Nature Museum, free to enter and open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed Tuesdays).
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed4 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：none
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (1)
Kids' toilet seat & step stool
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
With a 3-year-old: the south lot is nearest the play field and roller slide. Coaster ¥410/¥200; come early on weekends.
Alps Park, Matsumoto: big views and a pile of play, with children
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
No shops at all, only vending machines. The 630 m coaster runs 11:00-16:00: ¥410 adult, ¥200 child, free preschool.
A 630m dream coaster and free parking: Matsumoto Alps Park
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
Three gates: south (180 spaces) sits nearest tower, coaster and frames; east has 466; north's 23 suit families least.
Matsumoto Alps Park: a park for adults and children on a Matsumoto trip
Matsumoto Alps Park · Links & reads ▾
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Where it is
Before you go
- Riding bicycles in the park is not allowed, except that children may practice when a parent is with them.source
- Pets are welcome in the park as long as they are kept on a leash and owners carry their waste out.source
- Preschool children need an adult with them at the petting area, and food brought from outside cannot be fed to the animals.source
- Pets cannot go inside the forest of birds and small animals, though they are fine elsewhere in the park on a leash.source
- On busy days the Alps Dream Coaster, the sled ride, can stop selling tickets before its posted closing time.source
More notes (9)
- Smoking is not allowed anywhere on the grounds.source
- Camping is not allowed, and tents and sun shades cannot be set up.source
- The park asks visitors to take their trash home with them.source
- Fireworks are not allowed, including handheld ones, and neither are drones or radio-controlled planes weighing 100 grams or more.source
- Groups, and anyone who wants exclusive use of a facility, need permission in advance.source
- Eating and drinking are not allowed inside the museum.source
- The family lawn is grass all the way across and is used for picnics, games, and barbecues; fires are allowed in a container, but not directly on the ground.source
- Matsumoto's official tourism site also notes that some areas of the park allow barbecues.source
- The mountain and nature museum is free to enter, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m., and closed on Tuesdays (or the next weekday when that Tuesday is a public holiday) and from December 29 to January 3; no eating or drinking is allowed inside.source
Basics
- Fee：The zoo (Forest of Small Birds and Animals) and the Mountain & Nature Museum are both free. The Alps Dream Coaster is paid: ¥410 adults / ¥200 children per ride, or a 6-ride book at ¥2,050 / ¥1,000 (valid one year). No admission fee is stated for the park itself.source
- Hours：The zoo opens 9:00-16:30 (to 16:00 from November to March) and never closes for a day off. The Mountain & Nature Museum opens 9:00-17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed Tuesdays (open if a holiday, closed the next weekday) and 29 Dec-3 Jan. Hours for the park itself are not stated.source
- Time to allow：4 h
- Booking：-sourceOfficial booking site ↗
- The whole park is non-smoking. Camping and putting up tents or sun shades are not allowed. Pets are allowed in the park on a lead, but not inside the zoo.source
Basics in detail (13)
Other
Fees
- The zoo, the forest of birds and small animals, is free to enter, open every day, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (until 4 p.m. from November through March).source
- The Matsumoto City Mountain and Nature Museum is free to enter and open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4:30 p.m.source
- The Alps Dream Coaster is a paid ride: a 630-meter (about 2,000-foot) course down the park's slope on a sled fitted with rollers.source
- One ride on the Alps Dream Coaster costs 410 yen for adults and 200 yen for children, and a book of six costs 2,050 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children.source
- Coaster tickets stay valid for one year from the date they are issued.source
Hours and closures
- The mountain and nature museum closes on Tuesdays; when that Tuesday is a public holiday it stays open and closes the next weekday instead. It also closes from December 29 to January 3.source
Getting there
- By car it is 25 minutes from the Matsumoto and Azumino interchanges on the Nagano Expressway, and 15 minutes from the Azusagawa smart interchange, which only cars with an ETC toll card can use.source
- The Alps Park bus line takes 20 minutes from Matsumoto Bus Terminal, but it runs only twice a day.source
- Walking from Matsumoto Station takes about an hour, roughly 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).source
- The Alps Park bus leaves Matsumoto Bus Terminal at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., twice a day each way, and costs 350 yen for adults; from the last stop at Alps Park the museum is a five-minute walk.source
Contact
- The park is run by TOYBOX Inc., and the Alps Park service center can be reached at 0263-34-5640.
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (8)
- mamamap.jp: Diaper changing table, Nursing space, Diaper disposal bin
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: Best-fit ages (guide)
- Official: Outside food allowed
- Official: Family restroom
- Official: main site
The park covers 71.1 hectares of hillside northwest of Matsumoto, looking west to the Northern Alps. Its zoo, the Forest of Small Birds and Animals, keeps about 30 species and 250 animals. Goats can be petted in the petting area by its entrance. The Alps Dream Coaster sends two-seat sleds 630 meters down the slope. In the adventure playground a roller slide runs through the woods, beside a rock slide and a rope swing. The Mountain and Nature Museum has a fifth floor with a view in every direction.
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | A 71.1-hectare hilltop park walked outdoors, with the Mountain & Nature Museum indoors. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | toybox-net.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outside food allowed | OK to bring your own | No shops or restaurants inside, only drink vending machines. The Forest Entrance Rest House has tables and chairs for eating your own lunch, and barbecues are allowed at Kazoku Hiroba and Sakura-no-Mori (no open fires on the ground). No eating inside the museum. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | toybox-net.jp |
| Stroller friendly | Yes | A hilltop park, but the paths are maintained and wide. The zoo has no steps, though part of its ground is gravel. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | ikuji-eiyo.com |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | Two tables in the nursing room on the museum's 2nd floor; at Hana-no-Oka a fold-down sheet inside the accessible restroom. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | mamamap.jp |
| Nursing space | Yes (1) | On the 2nd floor of the Mountain and Nature Museum: a partitioned space with a two-seater sofa, two diaper tables and air conditioning. The door does not lock. Room for a stroller inside. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | mamamap.jp |
| Family restroom | Yes | At all three entrance parking lots (south, east, north), the museum, by the adventure playground, Sakura-no-Mori, the coaster boarding point and inside the zoo. The south-entrance one also serves ostomates. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | toybox-net.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | No | The park asks visitors to take their trash home. There is no diaper bin, even in the nursing room. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | mamamap.jp |
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | 未就学児から | Guide only. The Dream Coaster sled seats two, so a preschooler can ride with a parent. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | toybox-net.jp |
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