Yokote City is an area with some of the heaviest snowfall in Japan. In Masuda-machi, located in the southeastern part of the city, there was active business involving various materials such as for sericulture and leaf tobacco produced in the area from the Edo period to the Meiji period.

In December 2013, Masuda-machi, Yokote City was selected as a national Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings. Nakananokamachi-dori street in the central area is lined with stores and houses mainly with gabled roofs built between the Meiji period to the 1950s-1960s. Behind the structures are storerooms that are concealed by being built inside a case. 

There are various structures of the storerooms depending on the time when they were built and their purpose. It is interesting to see those differences and the designs that utilize the advanced plastering techniques at the time. 

In each house, there are displays of rare items, furniture, and retro sundries unique to the area, which was a trading center for goods.

There is also a morning market, a cafe where you can enjoy local delicacies, and a sake brewery to enjoy along with the storeroom tour. 

Please come for a visit.

A thematic journey in the Tohoku region:Okuno Hosomichi・The History of Michinoku