Tochigi City, is a city in the South of Tochigi Prefecture, actually not the capital despite its name (Utsunomiya is the capital).
Tochigi city is well know because it was an important town on the road between Tokyo and Nikko in the Edo period. (1600-1867)

Kaido were ancient roads in the Edo period established to improve communications between the capital and other regions.
The Nikkō Reiheishi Kaidō was one of these 5 major routes from Edo (Tokyo). It was established in 1617 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, in order for him to have a smoother route to the Nikko shrine.
Tochigi was one of only 21 stations along the Nikkō Kaidō but its additional advantage has been the Uzuna River that also connects the town to Tokyo.
During the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate would travel to Nikko in massive processions along the Nikkō Kaidō.  –  known as the “processions of a thousand warriors.”
Tochigi benefited from its location and today has many houses and warehouses from that period.  The streets with the old warehouses and old houses is called Kuranomachi Old Town, little Edo, or Storehouse town.

The river was covered with streamers from Children’s day and tourist were being boated up and down the river.

Tochigi City website