History
Matsumoto Station opened on 15 June 1902 as the eastern terminus of the government-built Shinonoi Line when it was extended from Nishijō, and became a through-station when the line reached Shiojiri on 15 December the same year. A private feeder from Chikuma Railway, the forerunner of Alpico Kōtsū's Kamikōchi Line, joined the station in October 1921. After a 1947 station fire and successive rebuilds, the property passed to JR East at the 1987 privatisation. Major works to the station building completed in September 2007 and to the public plaza in 2012; Suica was extended into the station in stages between 2014 and March 2025, when station numbering SN 06 was introduced.
History summarized from Japanese & English Wikipedia · last reviewed 2026-05-18.
Notes
From the mid-1980s until 16 November 2025, voice actress Toshiko Sawada's signature drawn-out "Matsumoto〜" arrival announcement played on every platform; after public outcry the city secured non-commercial rights and from 1 May 2026 the recording plays on the east-west concourse three minutes after every inbound Azusa and Shinano limited express arrives.