Originally built 400 years ago for two of the eight chief retainers of the Kaga clan and for several middle class samurai, the Nagamachi district in Kanazawa remained a samurai district until the end of the Meiji Restoration.

After the samurai class was abolished and they remained without stipends, their houses were bought by rich merchants, but the neighborhood was partially preserved. More recently, Nagamachi was restored, and it is now one of the main attractions of Kanazawa.

Nagamachi, Kanazawa

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Nawate-dori, the frog street