Why is Nawate Street called Frog Street?

The kajika frog once lived in the Metoba River in numbers before water quality declined after the war. In 1971, when the local shopping cooperative was founded, the community enshrined a small Kaeru Daimyojin, or Frog Great Deity, wishing for the river to become clean enough for the frogs to return, a wish that plays on kaeru meaning both frog and to return. Some other sources tell different versions of this story, but this account is the one corroborated by local Japanese-language sources.

Is Nawate Street free to visit?

Yes. It's a public pedestrian street with no admission fee of any kind.

How far is Nawate Street from Matsumoto Castle?

Roughly 5 to 10 minutes on foot, reported inconsistently across sources as either about 470 meters or a general 5-to-10-minute walk.

Is Nawate Street open 24 hours?

The public walkway itself has unrestricted, always-open access, so in that narrow sense, yes. That doesn't mean every shop is open at all times; each business keeps its own hours, and most close by early evening.

What is the difference between Nawate Street and Nakamachi Street?

Nawate Street runs along the castle side of the Metoba River and centers on a casual, food-stall-and-novelty-shopping experience built around its verified frog theme. Nakamachi Street runs parallel on the opposite bank and centers on preserved kura storehouse architecture and craft-and-gallery shopping, a quieter, more upscale-feeling street. Neither is pedestrian-only in exactly the same way: Nawate Street is a pedestrian zone, while Nakamachi Street carries some vehicle traffic.

Can you visit Nawate Street and Nakamachi Street in the same day?

Yes, easily. They sit on opposite banks of the same short stretch of river, both within a few minutes of Matsumoto Castle, and most visitors walk both as a single castle-area loop.

Is Nawate Street wheelchair accessible?

The street is pedestrian-only 365 days a year, described by its own official listing as allowing small children, pets, and wheelchair users to move around safely, which implies a flat, step-free walking surface. Individual shop entrances weren't independently assessed for step-free access.

How long do you need to visit Nawate Street?

Well under 30 minutes for a brisk walk-through, given the street's short length. A fuller visit with shopping and food runs closer to 30 to 60 minutes.

Is Nawate Street pedestrian-only?

Yes, it's a pedestrian-only zone 365 days a year, with no vehicle traffic.

Nawate Street

Q: What are Nawate Street's opening hours?

The street itself has no gate and no closing time. Individual shops, cafes, and food stalls set their own hours independently, generally through the daytime into early evening.

By Andrew Liyan · Last updated: August 18, 2026 · Facts verified: August 18, 2026

Quick Answer

Hours

Open at all times as a public pedestrian street; individual shops and food stalls set their own hours

Admission

Free

Nearest Station

Matsumoto Station, about 10 minutes on foot; Matsumoto Castle is roughly 5 to 10 minutes on foot

Best Time

Weekday mornings for a quieter walk; weekend afternoons are the liveliest

Visit Duration

Well under 30 minutes for a brisk walk-through; 30 to 60 minutes with shopping and food

Frog statues and traditional shopfronts along Nawate Street beside the Metoba River in Matsumoto

Area: Metoba riverside, castle side, Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture
Best For: Frog Theme, Casual Food Stalls, Families, Free Activities
Nearby: Nakamachi Street, Matsumoto · Matsumoto Castle

Visiting Nawate Street

Nawate Street is a free, pedestrian-only street in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, running along the Metoba River on the Matsumoto Castle side, a short walk from the castle itself. Popularly nicknamed Frog Street, it's lined with more than 50 small shops, food stalls, and cafes. It's worth naming the adjacent Nakamachi Street right away, since the two run parallel to each other on opposite banks of the same river and are easy to confuse: Nakamachi Street is the quieter, craft-and-storehouse-focused street across the water, while Nawate Street is this page's own subject, the casual, food-and-novelty-shopping street on the castle side.

The name Nawate, or Nawate-dori in Japanese, comes from the narrow, rope-thin embankment the street occupies, wedged between Matsumoto Castle's southern moat and the Metoba River. The street developed as the approach road to Yohashira Shrine after the shrine was established at its present location in 1879.

The frog theme has a specific, verifiable origin worth telling accurately, since it gets repeated inconsistently elsewhere. The kajika frog, a species that can only live in clean water, once inhabited the Metoba River in numbers, but the river's water quality declined as the area developed after the war, and the frogs' chorus disappeared. In 1971, when the Nawate-dori Shopping Street Cooperative Association was founded, the community enshrined a small Kaeru Daimyojin, or Frog Great Deity, explicitly wishing for the river to become clean enough for kajika frogs to live in again, a wish that plays on kaeru meaning both frog and to return. A 2020 survey confirmed kajika frogs living again in the river's upper reaches. Some other sources tell a different version of the story, tying the frog theme to a 1959 typhoon or to the shrine's Meiji-era founding instead; those accounts weren't corroborated by local Japanese-language sources checked for this guide, so the 1971 Kaeru Daimyojin account is presented here as the verified version.

A walk down the street passes hardware and tool stores, candy shops, taiyaki and other food stalls, general stores, and a concentration of frog-themed souvenir shops, with frog statues and signage, including two mascot figures named Metoba and Gouta, appearing throughout. The street runs directly past Yohashira Shrine, for which it once served as the formal approach.

The street itself carries no admission fee and no closing time, though individual shops keep their own hours. A brisk walk-through takes well under 30 minutes given the street's short length, while browsing shops and stopping for food stretches a visit closer to an hour. Most visitors pair it with a walk across the river to Nakamachi Street for a genuinely different kind of browsing experience on the same short outing.

Things to Do at Nawate Street

Walk the Pedestrian Lane's Shops and Food Stalls
The core of a visit is walking the short, flat, pedestrian lane past small, traditional wooden-fronted shopfronts: hardware and tool stores, candy shops, taiyaki and other food stalls, general stores, and a concentration of frog-themed souvenir shops. It's a casual, browsing-and-snacking kind of street rather than a formal sightseeing stop.
Visit the Kaeru Daimyojin Shrine
The small Kaeru Daimyojin, or Frog Great Deity, was enshrined in 1971 when the local shopping cooperative was founded, expressing a wish for the Metoba River to become clean enough for kajika frogs to live in again. It's the literal source of the street's frog theme and its nickname, Frog Street.
Meet Metoba and Gouta, the Street's Frog Mascots
Two frog mascot figures, Metoba and Gouta, appear at the street's entrances alongside frog statues and signage scattered throughout, a recurring visual motif that ties the whole street together.
See Yohashira Shrine at the Street's End
Nawate Street developed as the approach road to Yohashira Shrine after the shrine was established at its present location in 1879, and the street still runs directly toward it, giving the walk a genuine historic destination rather than just a row of shops.
Shop for Frog-Themed Souvenirs
Frog-themed novelty goods are the street's signature shopping category, sold alongside traditional hardware, candy, and general-store items. Some reviewers note souvenir pricing runs a bit high for what's on offer, worth knowing before you browse.
Cross the River to Nakamachi Street
Nawate Street and Nakamachi Street sit on opposite banks of the same short stretch of the Metoba River, both within a few minutes of Matsumoto Castle. Crossing over for a walk through Nakamachi's quieter, storehouse-lined streets makes a natural second half to a Nawate Street visit.

How to Get to Nawate Street

Nawate Street sits a short walk from Matsumoto Castle, on the castle side of the Metoba River.

Most visitors arrive on foot, either from the castle or directly from Matsumoto Station.

On Foot from Matsumoto Castle
The street is roughly 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Matsumoto Castle, reported inconsistently across sources as either about 470 meters or a general 5-to-10-minute walk.
On Foot from Matsumoto Station
From Matsumoto Station, it's approximately a 10-minute walk, consistently reported across sources.
Crossing to Nakamachi Street
Nakamachi Street runs parallel on the opposite bank of the Metoba River, reachable by crossing one of the nearby bridges, making it easy to walk both streets on the same outing.

Map

Open Nawate Street in Google Maps

Best Time to Visit Nawate Street

Weekday mornings for a quieter walk; weekend afternoons are described as the liveliest, when shops are fully open. Spring, during cherry blossom season, is noted by some sources as busier and more scenic, though no official season-by-season source exists specifically for this street. The Matsumoto Frog Festival is held annually, reported in June, with the exact date varying year to year, so confirm current dates close to your visit if timing around it. A smaller Kaeru Daimyojin shrine ritual is held each January 2.

Entry Fee & Hours

🎟️

Admission

Free. Nawate Street is a public pedestrian street with no admission fee and no ticket of any kind.

⏰

Hours

The street itself has unrestricted, always-open pedestrian access, with no gate and no closing time. Individual shops, cafes, and food stalls set their own hours independently, generally through the daytime into early evening; there is no single unified schedule for the street as a whole.

💡Good to Know

•The street is pedestrian-only 365 days a year, per its own official listing, described as allowing small children, pets, and wheelchair users to move around safely, implying a flat, step-free walking surface. This is the operator's own accessibility framing rather than an independently audited rating; individual shop entrances weren't assessed for step-free access and shouldn't be assumed accessible without checking directly.
•One competitor description states the street is open 24 hours. That's technically true of the public walkway itself, but it doesn't mean every shop is open at all times; each business sets its own hours.
•The frog statues and the Kaeru Daimyojin shrine signage are the signature shot. The traditional wooden shopfronts along the Metoba River, and the river-facing view toward Nakamachi Street's storehouse architecture on the opposite bank, offer a complementary angle. No official photography restriction was found for the public street itself; individual shop interiors may have their own policies.