Machida, city in central Japan, on east central Honshu Island, in southern Tokyo Prefecture at the border with Kanagawa Prefecture. Machida is about 35 km (about 22 mi) southwest of downtown Tokyo and about 20 km (about 12.5 mi) northwest of downtown Yokohama. Machida is primarily a residential area for commuters to nearby employment centers. It also has a diversified industrial base of its own, with manufactures in machinery and machine parts, electronics, and food products. The city is a center for the research of manufacturing technology. The principal passenger-rail station, Machida Station, is linked to downtown Tokyo by the Odakyu Line and to Yokohama by the Yokohama Line. Nearby the station is the city's main commercial area, a lively district of department stores, restaurants, office buildings, and other businesses.
From the late 12th century to the mid-19th century Machida was a post-station town (an officially regulated settlement catering to travelers) on a historic highway leading about 28 km (about 17 mi) southeast to the city of Kamakura, the headquarters of the Kamakura shogunate from the 12th to the 14th centuries. By the 18th century charcoal production and sericulture (the raising of silkworms for the production of raw silk) had developed as local industries. Machida prospered with the further development of the silk industry after the opening of the port of Yokohama in 1859, to which Machida became linked by rail. Population (1999) 364,631.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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