Jōkamachi
Jōkamachi are Japanese castle towns shaped by a lord’s fortress, domain administration, status groups, commerce, and regional geography.
Places
Historic Capitals of Japan
Japan’s historic capitals include planned court cities and later centers of warrior government, whose political roles did not always coincide.
Nikkō
Nikkō is a mountain city where sacred landscapes, Buddhist and Shinto institutions, Tokugawa heritage, lakes, waterfalls, and hot springs meet.
Kanazawa
Kanazawa is an Edo-period castle town shaped by Maeda patronage, preserved districts, Kenrokuen, traditional crafts, and contemporary culture.
Kamakura
Kamakura is a coastal city where warrior-government history intersects with temples, shrines, literature, craft, and modern seaside life.
Nara
Nara is an ancient Japanese capital whose palace site, temples, shrines, literature, parkland, and modern neighborhoods form layered landscapes.
Kyoto
Kyoto is Japan’s former imperial capital, where court culture, temples, shrines, crafts, historic neighborhoods, and modern urban life intersect.