As soon as the sun sets, the city of Matsumoto is plunged into darkness.
There are few streets that are brightly lit as far as the eye can see like in Tokyo. If you go a little way from the station, there are not many people walking around even on weekend nights...where are they all drinking? There are strangely few people on the streets. But don't worry. If you look inside each shop, there are customers there. In the lovely bars quietly dotted around the city.
So today I'm going to tell you a little secret about my favorite bar in my hometown, Matsumoto (sorry to everyone who's already craving a drink in the morning).
The bar is about a five-minute walk from Matsumoto Castle, in a neighborhood that used to be a bustling downtown area filled with restaurants. The name of the bar is Waterloo .
Around the small square where this bar is located, there are many old buildings from the Showa era that remain intact, as well as the bakery and pastry shop that I've been buying from since I was a child, so I feel nostalgic every time I come here.
Since the castle is nearby, it is crowded with tourists during the day, but at night it changes completely. The old neon signs and arched signs light up here and there, creating a surreal scene like walking through a movie set. Bar Waterloo is located in a corner of such an area. I always arrive here after 10pm.
Whenever I go back to Matsumoto, I always have dinner with local friends, and we usually go to a lot of different restaurants and finish off the night at Waterloo. Before I tell you about my beloved Waterloo, let me tell you a little about the restaurant we visited that day.
First, we went to " Mugika BACCA ", a newly opened craft beer bar across from the station. We toasted with beer brewed in-house. → For the second stop, we strolled over to Honmachi and stopped by " Matsumoto Brewery " for an event called "NEW STYLE CRAFT BEER & MEAT MEETING". Their new "Grape Ale" is a beer made from Matsumoto's white grapes. I had no idea you could make beer from grapes. → For the third stop, we passed by "Pino Pino", a wine bar in Honmachi, and saw a sign advertising "limited edition ramen". We couldn't ignore it and climbed the stairs to the bar. We had some rich chicken broth ramen with some wine.
Down an alley near Waterloo. Quiet.
Well, my stomach was full and it was getting late. I walked leisurely along the night road towards Waterloo for the final leg of the night. I could take a shortcut by passing through Shihashira Shrine, which is known as a power spot. I felt relieved when I saw the lights on in the shop windows and a sign at the entrance. It was open tonight.
After climbing the stairs and opening the door, the quiet owner welcomes you from behind the counter. The shelves behind him are lined with whiskeys, but the recommendation is a cocktail made with seasonal fruits, which changes with the season. If strawberries were in season, I would want to make a bright red frozen cocktail, but it's October now. I chose Niagara grapes and my friend chose pears.
The master carefully crushes the grapes and starts making fresh juice. He adds ice and white rum to the juice and shakes it. The pale green drink is poured into a cocktail glass on the counter. It looks and tastes beautiful.
Fresh fruit cocktail. Pear on the left, Niagara on the right.
The night slowly draws on as I chat with my friends and sip fruit cocktails as dessert.
Waterloo is an essential place for my friends and I to finish off our night, but it is set to move from its current location to a spot closer to the station. I was speechless when I heard that.
It was the best place to spend the last few hours of the day. I was really sad to see my favorite bar go. However, it seems that the bar will continue even if the location and name change, so I'll look forward to the new bar that the owner will open in a new location. With that in mind, I left the bar feeling a little sad, with a renewed sense of purpose.
The current Waterloo will soon be gone, so if you have the opportunity to travel to Matsumoto in the near future, be sure to stop by.
FURIHATA Yukari