is a city

Cities of Japan

||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...

 located in western Shizuoka Prefecture

Shizuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns. It became a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2007.

History

The area now comprising Hamamatsu has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous remains from the Jomon period

Jomon period

The is the time in Japanese prehistory from about 14,000 BC to 300 BC.The term jōmon means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the pottery style characteristic of the Jōmon culture, and which has markings made using sticks with cords wrapped around them...

 and Kofun period

Kofun period

The is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. It follows the Yayoi period. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of burial mounds dating from this era. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes referred to collectively as the Yamato period...

 having been discovered within the present city limits, including the Akamonue Kofun

Akamonue Kofun

is a keyhole-shaped kofun burial mound located in the Uchino district of Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture Japan. It is protected by the prefectural government as a national historic site....

 in what is now present-day Hamakita-ku

Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu

is one of the seven wards of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is bordered by Tenryū-ku, Higashi-ku and Naka-ku and the city of Iwata. The Tenryū River and the Akaishi Mountains form natural boundaries for the ward...

 In the Nara period

Nara period

The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...

, it became the capital of Tōtōmi Province

Totomi Province

was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .-History:...

. During the Sengoku period

Sengoku period

The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...

, Hamamatsu Castle

Hamamatsu Castle

is a reconstructed hirayama-style Japanese castle. It was the seat of various fudai daimyō who ruled over Hamamatsu Domain, Tōtōmi Province, in what is now central Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan...

 was the home of future Shogun

Shogun

A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...

 Tokugawa Ieyasu

Tokugawa Ieyasu

 was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...

. Hamamatsu flourished during the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

 under a succession of daimyo

Daimyo

is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...

 rulers as a castle town, and as a post town on the Tōkaidō

Tokaido (road)

The ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....

. After the Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

, Hamamatsu became a short-lived prefecture from 1871–1876, after which it was united with Shizuoka Prefecture. The Tōkaidō Main Line

Tokaido Main Line

The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...

 railway opened Hamamatsu Station

Hamamatsu Station

is an interchange railway station in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 257.1 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station. Hamamatsu is on the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Tōkaidō Shinkansen of Central Japan Railway Company...

 in 1889. The same year, in a cadastal reform of Japan, Hamamatsu became a town.

• July 1, 1911 - Hamamatsu is upgraded from a town to a city.
• 1918 - Rice Riots of 1918
  Rice Riots of 1918
  The ' were a series of popular disturbances that erupted throughout Japan from July to September 1918, which brought about the collapse of the Terauchi Masatake administration.-Causes:...
  
   affect Hamamatsu
• 1921 - The village of Tenjinchō merges with Hamamatsu
• 1926 - Imperial Japanese Army
  Imperial Japanese Army
  -Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
  
   Hamamatsu Air Base
  Hamamatsu Air Base
  is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base located north of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in central Japan.-History:Hamamatsu Air Base was established in 1925 as an Imperial Japanese Army Air Force base to be home to the newly-formed IJAAF No.7 Air Regiment. In 1933, it was designated as...
  
   opens
• 1933 - Imperial Japanese Army Flight School opens.
• 1936 - The villages of Hikuma and Fujizuka merge with Hamamatsu
• December 7, 1944 - Tonankai Earthquake
  1944 Tōnankai earthquake
  The 1944 Tōnankai earthquake occurred at 13:35 local time on 7 December. It had an estimated magnitude of 8.1 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of greater than 5 shindo . It triggered a large tsunami that caused serious damage along the coast of Wakayama Prefecture and the...
  
   causes much damage
• June 1945 - Hamamatsu largely destroyed by US air raids
  Bombing of Hamamatsu in World War II
  The was part of the strategic bombing campaign waged by the United States of America against military and civilian targets and population centers of the Empire of Japan during the Japan home islands campaign in the closing states of World War II.-Background:...
  
  
• 1948 - Hamamatsu Incident, ethnic rioting Zainichi Korean
  Zainichi Korean
  Koreans in Japan are the ethnic Korean residents of Japan. They currently constitute the second largest ethnic minority group in Japan. The majority of Koreans in Japan are Zainichi Koreans, also often known as Zainichi for short, who are the permanent ethnic Korean residents of Japan...
  
   residents.
• 1951 - The villages of Aratsu, Goto, Kawarin merge with Hamamatsu
• 1954 - Eight villages in Hamana District merge with Hamamatsu
• 1955 - The village of Miyakoda merges with Hamamatsu
• 1957 - The village of Irino merges with Hamamatsu
• 1960 - The village of Seto merges with Hamamatsu
• 1961 - The village of Shinohara merges with Hamamatsu
• 1965 - The village of Shonai merges with Hamamatsu
• May 1, 1990 - Hamamatsu Arena opened.
• January 1, 1991- The village of Kami in Hamana District
  Hamana District, Shizuoka
  was a district located in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2005 Census, the district had an estimated population of 16,938. The total area was 13.47km².*On July 1, 2005, the towns of Maisaka and Yūtō were merged into Hamamatsu; this left district with one municipality....
  
   merges with Hamamatsu.
• April 1, 1991- The first Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
  Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
  The Hamamatsu International Piano Competition has been held every 3 years since 1991 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.-Top prize winners:* 2009 — Cho Seong Jin, South Korea* 2006 — Alexej Gorlatch* 2003 — Rafal Blechacz and Alexander Kobrin...
  
   was held.
• May 1, 1994 - Act City Hamamatsu opened.
• October 1, 1995 - Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments opened.
• April 1, 1996 - Hamamatsu is designated a core city
  Core city
  A is a class of Japanese city created by the first clause of Article 252, Section 22 of the Local Autonomy Law of Japan. Core cities are delegated many functions normally carried out by prefectural governments, but not as many as designated cities...
  
   by the central government.
• June 1, 1996 - Hamamatsu City Fruit Park opened.
• January 1, 1997 - Started separated collection of garbage in residential areas.
• April 1, 1997 - Hamamatsu is designated as an Omnibus Town.
• April 1, 1998 - Act City Musical School opened.
• April 3, 2000 - Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
  Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
  The is a university in Hamamatsu, in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Its mission is to foster the exchange of ideas between the fields of cultural studies and design by having the two combined at one relatively small institution. It is one of Japan's newest universities, established in December 1999...
  
   opened.
• July 1, 2001 - Commemorated the city's 90th anniversary.
• August 1, 2002 - Launched the conference on Pan-Hamanako Designated City Simulation.
• April 1, 2003 - Shizuoka New Kawafuji National High School Competition was held.
• June 1, 2003 - Launched Tenryūgawa-Hamanako Region Merger Conference.
• April 8 - October 11, 2004 - Pacific Flora 2004 (Shizuoka International Garden and Horticulture Exhibition) was held at Hamanako Garden Park.
• July 1, 2005 - Hamamatsu merged with Hamakita
  Hamakita, Shizuoka
  was a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture.On July 1, 2005 Hamakita, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata District, the towns of Maisaka...
  
   and Tenryū
  Tenryu, Shizuoka
  was a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Tenryū was founded on November 3, 1958.On July 1, 2005 Tenryū, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama,...
  
  ; Inasa
  Inasa, Shizuoka
  was a town located in Inasa District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Inasa became was town on May 1, 1955.On July 1, 2005 Inasa, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all...
  
  , Hosoe
  Hosoe, Shizuoka
  was a town located in Inasa District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Hosoe was established as a town on April 1, 1955.On July 1, 2005 Hosoe, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of...
  
  , and Mikkabi
  Mikkabi, Shizuoka
  was a town located in Inasa District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.On July 1, 2005 Mikkabi, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe and Inasa, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata District, the towns of...
  
   in Inasa District
  Inasa District, Shizuoka
  was a rural district located in western Shizuoka, Japan. Over the course of several mergers and consolidations, all of the district has been absorbed into the city of Hamamatsu, and was abolished in 2005....
  
   (resulting in the district's dissolution); Yūtō
  Yuto, Shizuoka
  was a town located in Hamana District, Shizuoka, Japan.On July 1, 2005 Yūtō, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata District, the town of Maisaka,...
  
   and Maisaka
  Maisaka, Shizuoka
  was a town located in Hamana District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Maisaka was a fishing town on the Pacific coast of Shizuoka Prefecture. Settled since prehistoric times was a town located in Hamana District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Maisaka was a fishing town on the Pacific coast of Shizuoka...
  
   in Hamana District
  Hamana District, Shizuoka
  was a district located in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2005 Census, the district had an estimated population of 16,938. The total area was 13.47km².*On July 1, 2005, the towns of Maisaka and Yūtō were merged into Hamamatsu; this left district with one municipality....
  
  ; Sakuma
  Sakuma, Shizuoka
  was a town located in Iwata District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.On July 1, 2005 Sakuma, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the town of Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata District, the towns of Maisaka...
  
  , Misakubo
  Misakubo, Shizuoka
  was a town which was located in Iwata District, Shizuoka, Japan.On July 1, 2005 Haruno, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the town of Sakuma, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata District, the towns of Maisaka...
  
  , and Tatsuyama
  Tatsuyama, Shizuoka
  was a village located in Iwata District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.On July 1, 2005 Tatsuyama, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, all from Iwata District, the towns of Maisaka and...
  
   in Iwata District
  Iwata District, Shizuoka
  Iwata was a district located in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 109,260 and a density of 171.17 persons per km²...
  
   (also dissolved as a result); and Haruno
  Haruno, Shizuoka
  was a town located in Shūchi District, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Haruno was founded as a town on September 30, 1956.On July 1, 2005 Haruno, along with the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata...
  
   in Shūchi District
  Shuchi District, Shizuoka
  Shūchi is a district located in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 26,651 and a density of 69.04 persons per km². The total area is 386.01 km².-Merger:...
  
  .
• April 1, 2007 - Hamamatsu became a city designated by government ordinance by the central government.

Geography

Hamamatsu consists of a flat plain and the Mikatahara Plateau in the south, and a mountainous area in the north. It is roughly bordered by Lake Hamana

Lake Hamana

in Shizuoka Prefecture is Japan's tenth largest lake . It spans the boundaries of the cities of Hamamatsu and Kosai.-Data:The lake has an area of 65.0 km² and holds 0.35 km³ of water. Its circumference is 114 km. At its deepest point, the water is 16.6 m deep...

 to the west, the Tenryū River

Tenryu River

The is a river arising from Lake Suwa in Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, grazing Aichi Prefecture and flowing through western Shizuoka Prefecture in central Honshū, Japan. With a length of , it is Japan's ninth longest river.-Geography:...

 to the east, and the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 to the south. The climate in southern Hamamatsu is mild with little snow fall in the winter; however, it is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon called Enshū no Karakaze, which is unique to the region. The climate in northern Hamamatsu is much harsher because of foehn winds. In summers, the highest temperature often exceeds 35 degrees in the Tenryu-ku area, while it snows in winter.

Wards

Hamamatsu is administratively divided into seven wards

Wards of Japan

A is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance...

:

• Hamakita-ku
  Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu
  is one of the seven wards of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is bordered by Tenryū-ku, Higashi-ku and Naka-ku and the city of Iwata. The Tenryū River and the Akaishi Mountains form natural boundaries for the ward...
  
   (浜北区)
• Higashi-ku
  Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu
  is one of seven wards of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the east-central part of the city. It is the second smallest of the seven wards of Hamamatsu in terms of area, after Naka-ku...
  
   (東区)
• Kita-ku
  Kita-ku, Hamamatsu
  is one of seven wards of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the north of the city. It is bordered by Tenryū-ku to the north, Higashi-ku and Naka-ku to the east, Hamakita-ku Minami-ku and Kosai to the south, and the cities of Toyohashi and Shinshiro to the west...
  
   (北区)
• Minami-ku
  Minami-ku, Hamamatsu
  is one of seven wards of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the south of the city. It is bordered by Naka-ku, Higashi-ku, Nishi-ku, and the city of Iwata and Pacific Ocean...
  
   (南区)
• Naka-ku
  Naka-ku, Hamamatsu
  is one of seven wards of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the central part of the city. It encompasses the site of Hamamatsu Castle and Hamamatsu Station, the central business district and a number of high density residential areas. Although its area is the smallest of the seven wards of...
  
   (中区) - administrative center
• Nishi-ku
  Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu
  is one of seven wards of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the southwest corner of the city. It is bordered by Naka-ku, Kita-ku, Minami-ku, and the city of Kosai...
  
   (西区)
• Tenryū-ku
  Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu
  is one of the seven wards of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is bordered by Kita-ku and Hamakita-ku in Hamamatsu, the cities of Shimada and Iwata and towns of Mori and Kawanehon in Shizuoka, Shishiro, Tōei and Toyone in Aichi Prefecture and Iida and Tenryū in Nagano...
  
   (天竜区)

Tourism

• Act City Tower Observatory - Hamamatsu's only skyscraper
  Skyscraper
  A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
  
  , situated next to JR Hamamatsu Station, is a symbol of the city. It was designed to resemble a harmonica
  Harmonica
  The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
  
  , a reminder that Hamamatsu is sometimes known as the "City of Music". The building houses shopping and a food court, the Okura Hotel, and an observatory on the 45th floor overlooking all of central Hamamatsu, even down to the sand dunes at the shore.
• Chopin Monument This is a 1:1-scale replica of the famous Art Nouveau
  Art Nouveau
  Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
  
   bronze statue of Chopin by the famed artist Wacław Szymanowski. The original is in Hamamatsu's sister city, Warsaw
  Warsaw
  Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
  
  .　
• Hamamatsu Castle
  Hamamatsu Castle
  is a reconstructed hirayama-style Japanese castle. It was the seat of various fudai daimyō who ruled over Hamamatsu Domain, Tōtōmi Province, in what is now central Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan...
  
  - Hamamatsu Castle Park stretches from the modern city hall building to the north. The castle is located on a hill in the southeast corner of the park, near city hall. It was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu
  Tokugawa Ieyasu
   was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara  in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
  
  . His rule marks the beginning of the Edo Period
  Edo period
  The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
  
  . Tokugawa Ieyasu lived here from 1571 to 1588. There is a small museum inside, which houses some armor and other relics of the period, as well as a miniature model of how the city might have looked 400 years ago. North of the castle is a large park with a Japanese garden
  Japanese garden
  , that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
  
  , a koi
  Koi
  or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
  
   pond, a ceremonial teahouse
  Japanese tea ceremony
  The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
  
  , and some commons areas.
• Nakatajima Sand Dunes
  Nakatajima Sand Dunes
  are located at the southern part of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture at the Pacific Ocean coast of Japan. The sand dune area measures approximately 0.6 km from north to south and 4.0 km from east to west...
  
   - one of the 3 largest sand dune areas in Japan
• Hamamatsu Flower Park
• Hamamatsu Fruit Park
• Hamamatsu Municipal Zoo

Industry

Hamamatsu has been famous as an industrial city, especially for musical instrument

Musical instrument

A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...

s and motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

s. It also has been known for fabric industry, but most of those companies and factories went out of business in the 1990s. Of the 274,700 Japanese Brazilians working in Japan

Ethnic issues in Japan

- Demographic :About 1.6% of Japan's total legal resident population are foreign nationals. Of these, according to 2008 data from the Japanese government, the principal groups are as follows....

, currently 19,000 work in Hamamatsu.

Companies headquartered in Hamamatsu

• Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
• Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg.
  Kawai
  The of Japan is best known for its grand and upright pianos, electronic keyboards and electronic synthesizers. The company was established in August 1927, and has its headquarters in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka.-Pianos:...
  
  
• Roland Corporation
  Roland Corporation
  is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
  
  
• Suzuki Motor Co.
  Suzuki
  is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
  
  
• Tōkai Gakki
  Tokai Gakki
  , often referred as Tokai Guitars Company Ltd., is a Japanese guitar manufacturer founded in 1947 and situated in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka prefecture. Tokai have produced acoustic guitars, electric guitars, electric basses, autoharps, and melodicas...
  
   (also known as Tokai Guitars Company Ltd.)
• Yamaha Corporation

Railways

Hamamatsu is a station on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Tōkaidō Main Line

Tokaido Main Line

The is the busiest trunk line of the Japan Railways Group , connecting Tōkyō and Kōbe stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities...

. As of 2009, this station is served by a small selection of Hikari

Hikari (Shinkansen)

is the name of a high-speed train service running on the Tōkaidō and Sanyō Shinkansen "bullet train" lines in Japan. Slower than the Nozomi but faster than the Kodama, the Hikari is the fastest train service on the Tōkaidō and Sanyō Shinkansen that is covered in the Japan Rail Pass.-History:Before...

services and all passing Kodama

Kodama (Shinkansen)

is one of the three train services running on the Tōkaidō/Sanyō Shinkansen.Kodama trains stop at all stations, making Kodama the slowest Shinkansen service for trips between major cities such as Tokyo and Osaka. The Kodama trains are used primarily for travel to and from smaller cities such as Atami...

services. Hamamatsu is approximately halfway along the Tōkaidō line, as the journey time to both Tokyo

Tokyo Station

is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....

 and Shin-Osaka

Shin-Osaka Station

is a train station in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, Japan. It is the western terminus of the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, and the eastern terminus of the Sanyō Shinkansen. The lines are physically joined, and many trains offer through service....

 is approximately one and half hours with Hikari, and two hours with Kodama.

Tōkaidō Main Line stops at the following stations:

• Bentenjima Station
  Bentenjima Station
  is a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 269.8 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station.- Station history:...
  
  
• Maisaka Station
  Maisaka Station
  is a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 267.5 rail kilometers from Tokyo.- Station history:...
  
  
• Takatsuka Station
  Takatsuka Station
  is a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 262.4 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station.-History:...
  
  
• Hamamatsu Station
  Hamamatsu Station
  is an interchange railway station in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 257.1 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station. Hamamatsu is on the Tōkaidō Main Line and the Tōkaidō Shinkansen of Central Japan Railway Company...
  
  
• Tenryūgawa Station
  Tenryugawa Station
  is a railway station on the Tōkaidō Main Line of Central Japan Railway Company in Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The station is 252.7 rail kilometers from Tokyo Station.-History:...
  
  

Iida Line

Iida Line

The is a Japanese railway line between Toyohashi Station in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture and Tatsuno Station in Tatsuno, Nagano Prefecture, operated by Central Japan Railway Company . The line links eastern Aichi Prefecture and southern Nagano Prefecture through northwestern Shizuoka Prefecture. It...

 stops at several stations in Sakuma area.

Enshu Railway Line

Enshu Railway Line

The Enshū Railway Line, officially the , is a Japanese railway line in Shizuoka Prefecture, running north from Shin Hamamatsu, Naka Ward through Nishi Kajima, Tenryū Ward, all within Hamamatsu. This is the only railway line Enshū Railway operates...

, also known as Akaden (the red train), is a local line running north from Shin-Hamamatsu Station through Nishikajima Station.

Tenryū Hamanako Line

Tenryu Hamanako Railroad Tenryu Hamanako Line

The , or for short, is a Japanese railway line in Shizuoka Prefecture, running the north coast of Lake Hamana between Kakegawa Station in Kakegawa and Shinjohara Station in Kosai. This is the only railway line of .-History:...

 stops at several stations in Kita-ku

Kita-ku, Hamamatsu

is one of seven wards of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, located in the north of the city. It is bordered by Tenryū-ku to the north, Higashi-ku and Naka-ku to the east, Hamakita-ku Minami-ku and Kosai to the south, and the cities of Toyohashi and Shinshiro to the west...

, Hamakita-ku

Hamakita, Shizuoka

was a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture.On July 1, 2005 Hamakita, along with the town of Haruno, from Shūchi District, the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi, all from Inasa District, the towns of Sakuma and Misakubo, the village of Tatsuyama, all from Iwata District, the towns of Maisaka...

, and Tenryū-ku

Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu

is one of the seven wards of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is bordered by Kita-ku and Hamakita-ku in Hamamatsu, the cities of Shimada and Iwata and towns of Mori and Kawanehon in Shizuoka, Shishiro, Tōei and Toyone in Aichi Prefecture and Iida and Tenryū in Nagano...

.

Roads

• Expressways
  • Tōmei Expressway
    Tomei Expressway
    The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. It is a part of Asian Highway Network -Naming:The word Tōmei is an acronym consisting of two kanji characters...
    
     (Hamamatsu I.C., Hamamatsu Nishi I.C., and Mikkabi I.C.)
  • Second Tomei Expressway (under construction)
  • Sanen Nanshin Highway (under construction)

• Bypasses
  • Hamamatsu Bypass
  • Hamana Bypass

• National Highways
  • Route 1
    Route 1 (Japan)
    National Route 1 is a major highway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It connects Chūō, Tokyo in the Kantō region with the city of Osaka, Osaka Prefecture in the Kansai region, passing through the Chūbu region en route. It follows the old Tōkaidō westward from Tokyo to Kyoto, and the old Kyo Kaidō...
    
    
  • Route 42
  • Route 150
    Route 150 (Japan)
    National Route 150 is a national highway of Japan connecting Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka and Naka-ku, Hamamatsu in Japan, with a total length of 102.2 km ....
    
    
  • Route 152
    Route 152 (Japan)
    National Route 152 is a national highway of Japan connecting Ueda, Nagano and Higashi-ku, Hamamatsu in Japan, with a total length of 252.4 km ....
    
    
  • Route 257
    Route 257 (Japan)
    National Route 257 is a national highway of Japan connecting Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu and Takayama, Gifu in Japan, with a total length of 241.6 km ....
    
    
  • Route 301
    Route 301 (Japan)
    National Route 301 is a national highway of Japan connecting Nishi-ku, Hamamatsu and Toyota, Aichi in Japan, with a total length of 99.2 km ....
    
    
  • Route 362
    Route 362 (Japan)
    National Route 362 is a national highway of Japan connecting Toyokawa, Aichi and Aoi-ku, Shizuoka in Japan, with a total length of 157.2 km ....
    
    

Airport

There are no civilian airports in Hamamatsu. Shizuoka Airport

Shizuoka Airport

, also called Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport, is located in Shizuoka Prefecture Japan. Opened on June 4, 2009, the airport has domestic service to Sapporo, Fukuoka, Naha , Komatsu, Kumamoto, and Kagoshima. International routes connect it to Seoul and Shanghai.The airport is located in Makinohara and...

(34.796111°N 138.189444°E) is the closest, located 43 kilometres (26.7 mi) from Hamamatsu station between Makinohara

Makinohara, Shizuoka

is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 48,745 and a density of 436 persons per km². The total area was 111.68 km².-Geography:...

 and Shimada

Shimada, Shizuoka

is a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of February 2010, the city has an estimated population of 100,846 and a population density of 319 persons per km². The total area is 315.88 km².-Geography:...

Chūbu Centrair International Airport

Chubu Centrair International Airport

is an airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan.Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chūbu region of Japan...

 in Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...

, located about 87 kilometres (54.1 mi) west of the city, is the second closest.

Akiha Fire Festival

Ever since long ago, Mount Akiha was believed to have supernatural powers to prevent fires. Bow and arrow, sword, and fire dances are performed at the Akiha Shrine. At the Akiha Temple, a firewalking ceremony is performed where both believers and spectators celebrate the festival. (Haruno, Tenryu-ku — December)

Enshu Dainenbutsu

When a family commemorates the first Obon holidays after the death of a loved one, they may request that a dainenbutsu (Buddhist chanting ritual) be performed outside their house. This is one of the local performing arts of the region. The group always forms a procession in front of the house led by a person carrying a lantern and marches to the sound of flute

Flute

The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...

s, Japanese drum

Drum

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...

s and cymbal

Cymbal

Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...

s. (Saigagake Museum, Hamamatsu City — July 15)

Hamamatsu Festival

Hamamatsu Festival, held from May 3 through May 5 each year, is well known for Takoage Gassen, or the kite

Kite

A kite is a tethered aircraft. The necessary lift that makes the kite wing fly is generated when air flows over and under the kite's wing, producing low pressure above the wing and high pressure below it. This deflection also generates horizontal drag along the direction of the wind...

 fight, and luxuriously decorated palace-like floats. The festival originated about 430 years ago, when the lord of Hamamatsu Castle celebrated the birth of his first son by flying kites. In the Meiji Era, the celebration of the birth of a first son by flying Hatsu Dako, or the first kite, became popular, and this tradition has survived in the form of Hamamatsu Festival. It is extremely exciting to see over 160 large kites flying in the sky to the sound of trumpet

Trumpet

The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...

s. Those who visit Hamamatsu at this time of the year can experience the city at its most exciting time.

During the nights of Hamamatsu Festival, people parade

Parade

A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...

 downtown

Downtown

Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....

 carrying over 70 yatai, or palace-lake floats, that are beautifully decorated while playing Japanese traditional festival music. The festival reaches its peak when groups of people compete by violently marching across town. (Naka-ku, Minami-ku — May)

Hamakita Hiryu Festival

This festival is held in honor of Ryujin, the god of the Tenryu River

Tenryu River

The is a river arising from Lake Suwa in Okaya, Nagano Prefecture, grazing Aichi Prefecture and flowing through western Shizuoka Prefecture in central Honshū, Japan. With a length of , it is Japan's ninth longest river.-Geography:...

, and features a wide variety of events such as the Hamakita takoage (kite flying) event and the Hiryu himatsuri (flying dragon fire festival) which celebrates water, sound, and flame. (Hamakita-ku — June)

Hamamatsu International Piano Competition

This festival celebrates Hamamatsu's history as a city of musical instruments and music, and brings dozens of the best young pianists from all over the world. It has been held triennially since 1991 at the Act City Concert Hall and Main Hall. (November)

Hamakita Manyo Festival

This event takes place in Manyo-no-Mori Park to commemorate the Manyo Period and introduce its culture. As part of the festival, people reenact the ancient past by wearing traditional clothes from the Heian period

Heian period

The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...

 and presenting Japanese poetry

Japanese poetry

Japanese poets first encountered Chinese poetry during the Tang Dynasty. It took them several hundred years to digest the foreign impact, make it a part of their culture and merge it with their literary tradition in their mother tongue, and begin to develop the diversity of their native poetry. For...

 readings.
(Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu

Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu

is one of the seven wards of the city of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is bordered by Tenryū-ku, Higashi-ku and Naka-ku and the city of Iwata. The Tenryū River and the Akaishi Mountains form natural boundaries for the ward...

 — October)

Inasa Puppet Festival

One of the few puppet

Puppet

A puppet is an inanimate object or representational figure animated or manipulated by an entertainer, who is called a puppeteer. It is used in puppetry, a play or a presentation that is a very ancient form of theatre....

 festivals held in Japan, featuring 60 performances of about 30 plays by puppet masters from all over the country. The shows provide a full day of enjoyment for both children and adults. (Inasa, Kita-ku — November)

Princess Road Festival

This reenactment of a procession made by the princess in her palanquin along with her entourage of over 100 people including maids, samurai

Samurai

is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...

, and servants makes for a splendid scene beneath the cherry blossoms along the Toda River. In the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, princesses enjoyed traveling this road which came to be known as a hime kaidō

Hime kaido

was the name given to minor routes that created detours around the difficult crossings of main routes during the Edo period in Japan...

(princess road).
(Hosoe, Kita-ku — April)

Shoryu Weeping Ume Blossom Festival

In Ryusui Garden there is a stream with seven small waterfalls and about 80 weeping ume

Ume

Prunus mume, with the common names including Chinese plum and Japanese apricot, is an Asian tree species classified in the Armeniaca section of the genus Prunus. The flower, long a beloved subject in the traditional painting of East Asia, is usually translated as plum blossom. This distinct tree...

trees pruned to give the appearance of dragon

Dragon

A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

s riding on clouds to the heavens. There are also 200 young trees planted along the mountainside. (Inasa, Kita-ku — late February to late March)

Notable people

• Michio Suzuki (1887–1982) After the establishment of Suzuki Loom Works in Hamamatsu City in 1909, Suzuki kept expanding his business and, in 1929, invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. Suzuki filed as many as 120 patents and utility model rights. He started on a protocol of an automobile
  Automobile
  An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
  
   in 1939 and laid the foundation of Suzuki Motors, the car maker, by releasing the Colleda motorcycle
  Motorcycle
  A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
  
   and a light-weight car called the Suzulight.
• Soichiro Honda
  Soichiro Honda
  was a Japanese engineer and industrialist, and founder of Honda Motor Co., Ltd..Honda was born in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan on November 17, 1906. He spent his early childhood helping his father, Gihei, a blacksmith, with his bicycle repair business. At the time his mother, Mika, was a weaver. At...
  
  
• Torakusu Yamaha
  Torakusu Yamaha
  Torakusu Yamaha was a Japanese entrepreneur who was the founder of the Yamaha Corporation....
  
  
• Kenjiro Takayanagi
  Kenjiro Takayanagi
  was a Japanese pioneer in the development of television. Although he failed to gain much recognition in the West, he built the world's first all-electronic television receiver, and is referred to as "the father of Japanese television".-Career:...
  
  
• Koichi Kawai
• Koji Suzuki
  Koji Suzuki
  Koji Suzuki is a Japanese writer, who was born in Hamamatsu and currently lives in Tokyo. Suzuki is the author of the Ring cycle of novels, which has been adapted into a manga series. He has written several books on the subject of fatherhood...
  
  
• Hiromi Uehara

Radio stations

• FM Haro!
  FM Haro!
  FM Haro! is an FM radio station based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is the seventh "community FM radio station" opened in Japan. Broadcasting area is roughly bounded by Kikugawa, Shizuoka and Omaezaki, Shizuoka in the east, and Toyohashi, Aichi and Shinshiro, Aichi in the west...
  
   (JOZZ6AB FM, 76.1 MHz)
• K-MIX (JOKU FM, 78.4 MHz)
• NHK FM (JOPK FM, 82.1 MHz)
• http://www.radiophoenix.jp/index.html (internet, português)

Colleges and universities

• Hamamatsu Gakuin University
  Hamamatsu Gakuin University
  is a private university in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture Japan.The predecessor of the school was founded in 1933, and it was chartered as a junior college in 1951. It became a four-year college 2004. It specializes in modern communications studies....
  
  
• Hamamatsu University
  Hamamatsu University
  is a private university in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.Hamamatsu University was established as in 1988. It added a Department of International Economics in 1994, and a graduate studies program in 1996. In 1998, it changed its name to "Hamamatsu University".-External links:*...
  
  
• Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
  Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
  is a national university in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, founded in 1974.-External links:*...
  
  
• Seirei Christopher University
  Seirei Christopher University
  is a co-educational private university in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Prefecture Japan.-History:Seirei Christopher University began as the “Bethel Home”, a private tuberculosis sanatorium established in 1932 by local Japanese Christians in Hamamatsu...
  
  
• Shizuoka University
  Shizuoka University
  Shizuoka University isa national university in Shizuoka, Japan.The university consists of six faculties; Humanities and Social Sciences, Education, Informatics, Science, Engineering and Agriculture...
  
   (Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Information)
• Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
  Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
  The is a university in Hamamatsu, in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Its mission is to foster the exchange of ideas between the fields of cultural studies and design by having the two combined at one relatively small institution. It is one of Japan's newest universities, established in December 1999...
  
  

International relations

Hamamatsu has ratified Music Culture Exchange Treaty with the following cities (however, of the following Rochester is the only official sister city): Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (since October 1, 1996)

Twin towns and sister cities

Hamamatsu is twinned

Town twinning

Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with: Warsaw

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 (since February 1, 1990) Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (since October, 2006) Camas, Washington

Camas, Washington

Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 19,355 at the 2010 census. Officially incorporated on June 18, 1906, the city is named after the camas lily, a plant with an onion-like bulb prized by Native Americans. At the west end of downtown Camas is a large Georgia-Pacific...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (since September, 1981) Chehalis, Washington

Chehalis, Washington

Chehalis is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,259 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County.-History:...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 (since October, 1998) Porterville, California

Porterville, California

Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. Porterville's population was 54,165 at the 2010 census. The city's population grew dramatically as the city annexed many properties and unincorporated areas in and around Porterville. Not included in the...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

(since October, 1981)

External links

• City's official website
• City's official website (In Japanese)
• Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments
• Hamamatsu Daisuki Net (I love Hamamatsu)