Nagamachi Samurai District

This guide to the Nagamachi Samurai District in Kanazawa opens with a puzzle: why wrap a mud wall in straw twice a year, as if guarding it from a chill. It traces the district back to Maeda Toshiie's retainers who settled here in the 1580s, and to the Nomura family, who held their post for twelve generations until the samurai system collapsed almost overnight in 1871. Look for the layers of clay, gravel and bamboo in the walls beside you as you walk the lane.