The main town, surrounding the Ring Lake. More than half of the town's people live here, and it has the densest network of canals.
| Location | A ring-shaped district around Kamimachi (about 2.1–2.65 km from the centre of the town) |
|---|---|
| Population | About 80,000 |
| Elevation | 3 m to −5 m (a step of 3–5 m at each ring canal) |
| Features | Old streets that are not laid out in a grid, locks, a crossing in every block (boat-mail post, canal signal, ceramic public telephone) |
Nakamachi district is the main town, a ring around the outside of Kamimachi. About 80,000 people, roughly half the population of Tokomizu Town, live here.
It has the densest network of canals in the town; canals run right up to the eaves of the houses and even beneath their floors. The streets are not laid out in a grid but curve along their old routes.
Steps and Locks
There is a step of 3–5 m at each ring canal, and boats go up and down through locks.
The Crossings
Each block, about 150 m square, holds about 65 houses. At the crossing in the middle of the block there is a boat-mail post, a canal signal and a ceramic public telephone.
Canal Food-Boats at Night
At night, canal food-boats serving soup (soup boats) travel up and down the great canals. The food-boats also carry passengers, so you can get on, eat, and get off.
Scenes from the district
