Photo: 金沢市 / CC BY 2.1 jpKanazawa was not bombed in the Second World War, so this is a real samurai district in its original street plan rather than a reconstruction. Ochre earthen walls, water channels running beside the lanes, gates and stone paving — the middle-ranking retainers of the Kaga domain lived exactly here.
In winter the walls are wrapped in straw mats — komo-gake — to protect the earth from freezing and wet snow. They go on in December and come off in March, and they are the reason to come in the season nobody comes.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- The Nomura family house is the one to enter — a preserved interior with a small, exceptional garden.
- Walk the back lanes, not the main one. The district is only two or three streets deep and the quiet parts are better.
- December to March the walls wear straw mats against the snow. Nobody photographs this and they should.
- The water channels are the Onosho canal, dug in the 1600s and still running.
- It is ten minutes on foot from Omicho Market — do them together.
They go on in December and come off in March, and they are the reason to come in the season nobody comes.
Guided ways to do Nagamachi
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
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Open the guide →Questions people ask here
Is Nagamachi a reconstruction?
No. Kanazawa was not bombed in the Second World War, so the samurai quarter survives in its original street plan — earthen walls, stone paving, gates and the Onosho water channels dug in the 1600s. The Nomura family house is open and preserves an interior and a small garden.
How long does Nagamachi take?
About an hour for the lanes, ninety minutes if you go inside the Nomura house. It is ten minutes on foot from Omicho Market, so the two work well together on a four-to-six-hour stop ashore.