Nakamachi Street
中町通り
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Street of White-Walled Storehouses
Nakamachi Street is a place worth a visit in Matsumoto, Nagano. Travel through its seasons and highlights across 3 on-location videos before you visit.
Nakamachi-dori is a historic merchant street in central Matsumoto, lined with elegant white-walled 'kura' storehouses trimmed with black-and-white namako-kabe latticework. Once a district of sake brewers and kimono merchants, the surviving Edo- and Meiji-era warehouses now house craft shops, cafés, galleries and folk-craft stores. A short walk from Matsumoto Castle and the riverside Nawate-dori, the calm, photogenic townscape makes it one of the city's most enjoyable strolling streets.
Best Season
- JanSnow on White Walls
- AprCastle-town Cherry Blossoms
- JunCrafts Fair Season
- OctCrisp Autumn Strolls
Pleasant to stroll year-round, the white-walled street is especially atmospheric in the soft light of morning. Early summer brings Matsumoto's lively craft fairs to the surrounding old town.
History & Culture
A Merchant Quarter
Along the old Zenkoji road, Nakamachi prospered as a quarter of sake brewers and merchants, its wealth reflected in the sturdy fireproof storehouses that defined the street.
Rebuilt After Fire
After a major fire in 1888, merchants rebuilt with fire-resistant kura storehouses clad in white plaster and namako-kabe, creating the distinctive townscape preserved and revived today.
Chuo, Matsumoto City, Nagano 390-0811 (Nakamachi-dori)
- Walk from Matsumoto Stn (JR)
Varies by shop
Free
Hours and fees are a guide and may change — please check official information before your visit.
