The quiet Nagamachi area was once home to middle-class samurai of Kanazawa, the castle town of Kaga Hyakumangoku, and is lined with samurai residences.
The old castle town scenery still remains, with its earthen walls, stone-paved alleyways, nagaya-mon gates with samurai windows, choji-ji streets, and cul-de-sacs.
Komogake,” which protects earthen walls from snow, and Onosho Waterworks are also well-known as a winter tradition in Kanazawa.
The samurai residences are open to the public, and there is also an exhibition and museum where visitors can take a stroll while experiencing history and traditions.
The area is also easily accessible to the downtown area, with a wide variety of restaurants and souvenir stores.
The Naga-machi Buke Yashiki Ruins area is a charming area with an atmosphere as if you have stepped back in time.
A townscape steeped in history and atmosphere
Nagamachi retains the atmosphere of the days when the middle-class samurai of the Kaga domain lived here, and the traditional landscape is preserved.
In winter, straw mats are hung over the earthen walls to protect them from snow and freezing temperatures, a traditional Kanazawa custom.
At the corner of the roadside stands a stone called “goppo-ishi,” which is used to knock off snow caught in geta during the snowfall season.
The Onosho Waterworks, which runs through Nagamachi, has long played an important role in people’s daily lives, and the water flowing against the earthen walls still adds charm to the town.
See how the samurai lived.
Visitors can get a glimpse of the lifestyle and history of the feudal lord’s samurai at that time in the open house and in the museum.
The Nomura Residence is the only one that is open to the public, allowing visitors to enjoy the gorgeous building and beautiful garden.
At the former site of the Takada Family, a former Kaga feudal lord’s residence, the restored domain-era row-house gate is open to the public, and there is also a magnificent pond garden on the grounds.
At the Ashigaru Museum, the Ashigaru residence has been reconstructed, and visitors can learn about the duties and daily life of the Ashigaru.
The Naga-machi Yuzen Museum exhibits a variety of Kaga Yuzen crafts and kimonos.
Strolling in Nagamachi
The neighborhood is lined with cafes, local restaurants, and Kutani ware craft stores that use old private homes, but even today, nearly half of the samurai residences are ordinary houses where citizens actually live.
Modern life blends naturally into the old-fashioned streetscape, creating a charming area with a unique atmosphere.
Wagashi Murakami, a long-established Japanese confectionary store established in 1911, offers traditional seasonal Japanese sweets in its store and freshly made sweet treats such as gold leaf azuki soft serve ice cream in the store’s café space.
Enjoy a stroll and a meal while appreciating the good old Japanese atmosphere of Nagamachi.
10 min. by bus from Kanazawa Stn. → 5 min. walk from Korinbo bus stop