The road running between Matsmoto Shrine and the castle is surrounded by so many trees that we would like to call it a greenbelt.
  The merit of that Matsumoto City has the castle-park in its core-zone is plentiful green. Such a landscape is getting in nice harmony with the moutains and highlands encircling the city.

▲Water-well in Matsumoto Shrine on shade of Keyaki trees

  Kaichi is the residential town having a retrospective atmosphere, as it neighboring the castle park. There are many sites, each of which is representing Edo period, Meiji period, Taisho period and Showa period.
  For example, on the westside of Matsumoto Shrine we meet an old red post just in front of a house of Showa period style.

▲Post in old style

  Walking nortwards from the castle we find Kaichi Elemantary School which is of the contemporary design. Its tower looking like a pencil top is very imrpessive.
  Next to it Kaichi School which was built in Meiji period is standing. The past and the present in the architecture make a acute contrast.
  The road to Kaichi School is bordered with a greenbelt. The beautiful school house is a national cultural herritage which symbolizes modernization -westernization in Japan.
  The building is of the style of quasi-european architecture, so to speak the mixture of Japanese and European.
  It is a hip-roof style house which has a gable of Karahafu over a balcony at the central front.
  Thus the building is condensation of the history of eight centuries long, which symbolizes Japanese mind taking foreign techniques-cultures and combining them with its own style.