Smoking Izakaya & Bars in Matsumoto (2026): How to Find Them

Why some izakaya allow smoking and others don't

The revised Health Promotion Act made restaurant interiors non-smoking by default from April 2020. A transitional exception lets pre-existing small establishments (operating as of 1 April 2020, individually owned or capitalized at 50 million yen or less, seating area 100 m2 or less) register with their municipality to keep a smoking-permitted room where both cigarettes and dining are allowed (source: https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/business/restaurant/type_1.php). Owner-run izakaya, yakitori joints and snack bars in central Matsumoto often qualify. Venues that opened after April 2020, and large chains capitalized above 50 million yen, cannot use it — their options are a sealed smoking room (no food or drink inside) or a heated-tobacco-only room.

The four venue types for smokers

• Smoking-permitted room (kitsuen kanō ten): cigarettes + food/drink OK. Grandfathered small venues only — the classic "smoking izakaya"
• Smoking-purpose venue (kitsuen mokuteki ten): cigar bars and snack bars that sell tobacco and serve no staple food (no rice or noodle dishes)
• Sealed smoking room (kitsuen senyō shitsu): cigarettes OK, but no food or drink inside the room
• Heated-tobacco-only room: IQOS / glo / Ploom only, food and drink OK — the common chain-store option

In every case, people under 20 (customers and staff alike) may not enter smoking areas, and venues must display the officially designated sign at the entrance (source: https://jyudokitsuen.mhlw.go.jp/smoking_room/).

How to find one: read the door sign

The sticker at the entrance is the reliable signal. "Smoking permitted" or "smoking purpose" means you can smoke cigarettes while eating and drinking; "smoking room" means smoking is separated from dining; "heated tobacco room" means IQOS-style devices only. No sign means the interior is non-smoking. Around Matsumoto Station and Nawate-dori you will find small buildings with a restaurant on the ground floor and something else above, and narrow-fronted places along the lanes — the exterior signage alone will not tell you, so walk up to the entrance and check.

Stepping outside: Matsumoto's passive-smoking prevention zones

Matsumoto City has the Matsumoto City Ordinance on the Prevention of Passive Smoking (promulgated 18 March 2019 as Ordinance No. 3, in force since 1 July 2019). Article 9 prohibits smoking inside a passive-smoking prevention zone, with designated smoking spots as the only exception, and Article 8 gives the mayor the power to designate both. According to Matsumoto City, the designated smoking spots are at the JR Matsumoto Station Oshiro-guchi plaza (container type, open 24 hours) and at the northwest corner of Matsumoto Castle Park (partition type, 24 hours except during cleaning), and the ban inside the zones covers heated tobacco too. The ordinance contains no penalty provision, which is unusual — but the absence of a fine does not make smoking permitted inside a zone.

We could not confirm official primary information on whether public smoking areas exist on shopping streets such as Nawate-dori, Nakamachi-dori or Daimyocho-dori, so this article does not assert their locations. The practical approach is to settle indoors whether you can smoke, and otherwise plan on walking back to one of the two designated smoking spots. Even outside the zones, avoid smoking in busy places or near shop entrances, given the duty of consideration under Article 27 of the revised Health Promotion Act. Never litter butts — carry a portable ashtray or use one provided.

Find smoking-friendly venues on MottoSuitai

You can browse smoking-friendly izakaya, bars and cafes by prefecture on MottoSuitai's smoking-friendly restaurant search, and find designated outdoor smoking spots on the MottoSuitai map. For the zones and spots in detail, see the Matsumoto Station smoking guide. The nationwide rules are covered in our guide to smoking izakaya and bars, local fines in the street-smoking fines guide, and cafes in the smoking-friendly cafe guide.

This is a third-party guide based on official MHLW and Matsumoto City information as of July 2026. It names no individual venues, because each venue's registration and policy can change. Always confirm with the sign at the door, the venue's official information and the Matsumoto City website. This article provides information about smoking environments and does not encourage smoking; smoking under the age of 20 is prohibited by law in Japan.