Nagamachi was the residential district for middle-ranking samurai during the Edo period. The streets and mud-walled lanes survive remarkably intact — unlike most Japanese cities, Kanazawa was never bombed, and Nagamachi escaped the reconstruction that swept through most urban Japan after the war.
Walking through the district is a slow, absorbing experience. A few of the former samurai houses are open to visitors, including the Nomura Samurai House, which has a small but carefully arranged traditional garden. Others have been converted into cafes, craft shops, and a sake brewery. The area is at its most atmospheric early in the morning or in light rain.