Sanchomachi

Locally knownKnown to people who live here. Not in the international guidebooks.

Researched and written by Hinato

SanchomachiObamateahouse quarterpreservation districtlattice houses

Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5) · original

Sanchomachi is part of why Fukui rewards travelers who read a little before they show up.

Obama was the port where the mackerel and everything else from the Sea of Japan came ashore for Kyoto, and the money that generated built a pleasure quarter. Sanchomachi is what remains of it — about 250 metres of narrow street, red-ochre lattice fronts, two-storey wooden teahouses, and no through traffic. The name comes from the length, three cho, and it was formed from three separate districts.

It is part of the Obama Nishigumi preservation district, designated in 2008, which covers about nineteen hectares of the old town including the temple streets and the merchant quarter. Sanchomachi is the most photogenic part and takes fifteen minutes to walk. It is ten minutes on foot from the station, it costs nothing, and on a weekday you will have it to yourself.

Visiting essentials

How long to allow

30–60 minutes | 2 hours with the wider preservation district

Best season

Year-round | Evening for the lattice fronts

Hours

Street open at all times

Closed: Open year-round

Admission

Free

How to reach it

Directions

Obama Katori and around, Obama, near Obama Park. About a short walk from JR Obama Station, or by car from Obama IC on the Maizuru-Wakasa Expressway. Free to walk. Part of the Obama Nishigumi Important Preservation District, designated in 2008 and covering about 19.1 hectares.

Historical notes & tips

**Evening is when it works.** The red lattice fronts and the narrow street read best in low light, and several buildings light lanterns after dark. It is residential, so keep the noise down. **Walk the wider district too.** Nishigumi covers nineteen hectares including the temple street and merchant quarter. Sanchomachi is 250 metres of it — the rest is where people actually live and is barely visited. **Some houses are open.** A handful operate as machiya accommodation or cafés, which is the only way to see inside. Booking a night in one is a genuine option. **Combine with Myotsuji and the temple circuit.** Obama's density of old temples for a town this size is the real story, and the pleasure quarter is the other end of the same trade. **Ten minutes from the station.** Obama is on the JR Obama Line from Tsuruga. No car needed for the town itself.

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