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Small Lacquerware Souvenirs in Matsumoto: A Stop at Ihara

You do not need to start with a large lacquered box to shop for lacquerware in Matsumoto. Ihara, on Nakamachi Street, also carries everyday pieces such as tea spoons and bowls. Choose a use before you choose a finish: something that fits your kitchen is more likely to earn a place in it.

White walls and namako-pattern plaster on Nakamachi Street, Matsumoto

The stop works well as part of a walk through Nakamachi’s white-walled storehouses, adding a small craft purchase to a day that might otherwise revolve around the castle.

A tea spoon, a bowl or a box?

Piece What to settle in the shop
Tea scoop Dimensions that fit your tea container and a comfortable handle.
Bowl Diameter, depth and weight for the food you serve at home.
Stacking box or gift Storage dimensions, box or wrapping, and luggage space.
Price and delivery Check the price of the individual piece in the shop. Agree wrapping, delivery destination and charges before paying; international shipping is not established by the current listing.

For a tea spoon, think about the tin you keep your tea in. For a bowl, consider the food you serve most often and the depth that suits it. A stacked jubako box can be beautiful, but it also needs storage space at home and room in your luggage.

Ask before handling a piece. Then look beyond its colour: how much does it weigh, how thick is the rim, and where do your fingers sit when you hold it?

Red Wajima lacquer rice bowl, shown as a lacquerware reference
A Wajima lacquer bowl shown for reference, not a product photographed at Ihara Lacquerware.

Ask about the piece, not lacquerware in general

Materials and finishes differ. Ask whether the item you have selected can go in a dishwasher or microwave, and how it should be cleaned. A photo or the English words on your phone can help you ask a specific question without a long conversation.

If care instructions are available on paper, keep them. They are useful at home and particularly helpful when the piece is a gift.

The wooden interior of Nakamachi Kurassic-kan

Make time for Nakamachi

  1. Matsumoto Station Castle Exit
  2. Town Sneaker East route
    About five minutes
  3. Nakamachi / Kura Chic stop
  4. Ihara Lacquerware
    2-10-16 Chuo, beside the stop

See the shop location in the official visitor listing

Ihara is at 2-10-16 Chuo, Matsumoto. The city’s tourism listing gives opening hours of 10:00am–5:30pm, with Wednesdays closed. From the Castle Exit of Matsumoto Station, the Town Sneaker East Course reaches the Nakamachi/Kura Chic stop in about five minutes; the shop is immediately nearby.

Leave time to look at the storehouses before or after shopping. The visit is more rewarding if you can ask how a piece is used rather than hurry through a list of shops.

Keep the wrapping for the journey

Even a small piece should be separated from keys and other hard souvenirs that could rub against its surface. Keep the shop’s wrapping, and ask about a box or a practical way to carry it.

For a broader look at materials and shapes, read the guide to Japanese tableware. One well-chosen piece for everyday meals can be a more satisfying souvenir than a larger object you have nowhere to use.

Practical visitor information checked: 5 October 2026.

Information checked: October 4, 2026.

Official sources
Photo credits