Where the name Machida comes from, what stood here before the station, and what you can still spot on a walk today. Then the events near the station that we have checked on the official pages.
The historic name of the district around Machida Station is Haramachida, while Honmachida lies farther north. Both names reflect the division of an older settlement. According to Machida City's local history, people clearing new land in 1582 helped establish two separate villages: Honmachida, associated with the older settlement, and Haramachida, the newly developed open land. The original meaning of the wider name Machida itself remains uncertain.
Walk east from Machida Station along Haramachida Chuo-dori. Between Jounji and Shorakuji temples, the old commercial route still shapes the shopping district. Farmers once brought firewood, charcoal, textiles, and agricultural goods here for sale. Head farther north toward Honmachida and the ground rises into hills and valleys. Springs and small streams supported farming, while the old Kamakura highway connected settlements across the higher ground.
In 1889, Haramachida, Honmachida, Morino, and Minami-Oya merged to form Machida Village. Machida became a city in 1958. Although the precise linguistic origin of Machida remains debated, the surviving names Haramachida and Honmachida preserve a clear distinction between an older settlement and land opened for new development.
→ Walk east from Machida Station along Haramachida Chuo-dori, visiting the streets near Jounji and Shorakuji temples. Continue north toward Honmachida to encounter the hills and small valleys of the older settlement area. The two place names preserve the history of village expansion.
Sources (in Japanese): 町田市「まちびと2021年特別号・原町田地区と町田第一地区の地名」, 町田市「まちびと2021年特別号・町田地方史研究会」
Machida's busy shopping district grew from an old countryside market. In Haramachida, a market known as Ni-no-ichi operated from the late sixteenth century, trading firewood, charcoal, textiles, and farm products. By the Tenpo era of the Edo period, it had developed into the Ni-Roku-no-ichi, held on dates containing the numbers two or six. The road between Jounji and Shorakuji temples became the commercial heart of the settlement.
The opening of Yokohama to international trade in 1859 transformed the market. Merchants transporting raw silk from Hachioji toward Yokohama passed through Haramachida. This route later became known as the Silk Road. On their return journeys, traders brought dried seafood, fertilizer, imported goods, and other merchandise from the port. The local market became a regional trading center, giving Haramachida an importance far beyond that of an ordinary farming village.
Railways reinforced its commercial role. Haramachida Station opened on the Yokohama Railway in 1908, and the Odakyu line followed in 1927. Shops expanded around the stations, but the historic market street survived. Walk east from today's station and the older, narrower shopping lanes reveal the foundations of the modern city: trade in silk and agricultural goods.
→ Follow Haramachida Chuo-dori east from Machida Station and look for the monument marking the birthplace of the Haramachida shopping district. The route between Jounji and Shorakuji temples once hosted the Ni-Roku market. Its narrow commercial streets preserve the old Silk Road corridor.
Sources (in Japanese): 町田市「森野住宅周辺まちづくり勉強会資料・町田駅周辺の歴史」, 小田急電鉄「老舗の名店や新しい感性に出会える町田」
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We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).