Nakamachi Street was once bustling with sake breweries and textile wholesalers. The street is characterized by numerous traditional storehouses made with plastered namako walls, designed to be fire-resistant. In response to frequent fires, especially large ones during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, Nagano Prefecture mandated the construction of fire-resistant buildings with tile and earthen walls, leading to an increase in storehouses.
Today, Nakamachi is lined with craft shops like "Chikiriya Craft Store" and "Matsumoto Folk Craft Furniture," forming a unique streetscape influenced by the Mingei (folk crafts) movement inspired by Soetsu Yanagi. He emphasized the beauty in everyday objects made by unknown craftsmen rather than famous artists. Key figures like Motoju Miyosawa and Taro Maruyama established the Nagano Prefecture branch of the Japan Folk Crafts Association in Matsumoto, promoted local furniture and woodworking industries.
Matsumoto's abundance of wood and favorable conditions have long supported a community of artisans, leading to its development as a "city of crafts." Events like "Matsumoto Crafts Month May" and "Craft Fair Matsumoto" continue this tradition.