Hanazawa is a mountain village of about 30 houses located in the valley of the mountains in the northern part of Yaizu City. The preserved area stretches about 800m from north to south and about 240m from east to west, including the residential area along the road and the surrounding fields and forests. This densely settled residential area is limited to a long narrow area of about500m from north to south and 50m from east to west.

In the center of the preserved area, the road to Nihonzaka Pass, which is said to be the former Tokaido Road, runs parallel to Hanazawa River. The houses are concentrated in the western side of the road, and because of the sloping grounds, the bases are made of stone walls. Attached houses used mainly in agricultural work are built just above the stone walls. The stone walls and attached houses are arranged in a staircase pattern along the road, which creates a unique landscape.

The remaining main buildings and attached houses built in the Edo period have been extended and renovated along with the success of tea, mandarin, and sericulture business since the late Meiji period. In particular, the cultivation of mandarins made the Hanazawa area prosperous. The attached houses were used for agricultural work and storage of mandarins, and other houses where seasonal workers stayed at the time of mandarin harvest were also extended. Some of the attached houses were made by connecting the second floors of the adjacent attached houses.

The landscape of Hanazawaformed in the valley of the mountains creates a unique historical look, in harmony with the stone walls and buildings along the road, and the natural environment such as the surrounding forests, upland fields, and rivers.

Please take a leisurely stroll around the town that has retained the nostalgic, historical appearance of Japan.