Hikone Castle Town — Edo-Period Streets & Merchant Houses

Hikone's castle town (城下町, jokamachi) preserves the urban layout and atmosphere of an Edo-period samurai district. The Yume Kyobashi Castle Road (夢京橋キャッスルロード) recreates Taisho-era (1912–1926) architecture with white-walled buildings housing crafts shops, cafes, and traditional sweet shops. The parallel street, Shitamachi Stroll (四番町スクエア), maintains more authentic Edo-period machiya (merchant houses).

The castle town demonstrates the strict hierarchical urban planning of feudal Japan — samurai residences near the castle (higher elevation, better land), merchant districts in lower town, with temples and shrines marking district boundaries. Walking these streets reveals how castle-centered city planning shaped Japanese urban development for 300+ years.