Town Sneaker Loop Buses Matsumoto

Is it possible to use Suica cards on these Buses?
We plan to go to the City Art Museum and the Japan Ukiyoe Museum (we have been to the Castle 2 times previously: will no doubt drop by for the requisite photos)
What would be the best way to get to and from these museums?
We are staying at the Maranouchi Hotel near the castle
Many thanks

It is scheduled that the buses will accept Suica cards and the other 9 nationwide IC cards from spring 2026. Until then, you can use cash, credit card (tap) or the "QR Ticket" app (Japanese only).

The art museum is in walking distance, and the ukiyoe museum best accessed by taxi.

Thank you as always Uji. Excellent information.

I encourage using Matsumoto's super good (free) city bikes! Wish I had one like this at home...

I think the free bike service got recently replaced by a bicycle share service that comes with a not-very-user-friendly app (Hello Cycling):
https://visitmatsumoto.com/en/guide/free-bikes/

At our age bikes are not happening, lol

If your visiting the Ukiyo Museums and don't have a full day - then the Matsumoto Historical Village (free entry) is right next doors. It's not the most revolutionary place in the world - but most people will find something interesting there. Note that it has an old courthouse and jail there as well.

https://matsu-haku.com/rekishinosato/shisetsu

From memory - Matsumoto made lots of the smaller museums in the city free and then significantly hiked up the castle and 1 or 2 other museums I can't remember. As such - there are a couple of ok museums which are worth visiting that are free to enter.

If you are of gnon-bikingh age, you are probably eligible for a fair number of discounts, as you presumably already know. I donft know about in Matsumoto, but they exist in many other places. For example, at Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, admission is free for people over the age of 65. In other places there are substantial discounts (or in some cases puny ones). They donft always automatically offer them (possibly because they might feel that itfs impolite to ask your age), so itfs good to look at price charts at ticket booths, etc.

The best trick I know for seniors is that you can avoid having to wait in the regular passport control line at Haneda by going through the line for seniors, families with children, and people with mobility issues. This is completely legitimate (not cheating), and can be a real blessing after a 12-hour flight. I donft know if the other major gateway airports have such a line, but probably. The time I first learned about it, an attendant who was hanging around DID ask me my age, which struck me as odd until she pointed me to this gVIPh line, which was quite wonderful.

There is a traditional miso brewery about 5 minutes walk from the City Art Museum that does short free tours and tastings. Ask the guide at the tourist information centre in the train station for directions (they have a walking map and will point out the City Art Museum and the Miso Brewery.)