HAMAMATSU HOTELS
Hamamatsu Hotels & Travel
Guide - Hamamatsu hotels (Save up to 70% on Hamamatsu Hotels), Hamamatsu attractions, history, Hamamatsu pictures and Hamamatsu to Sendai.
Hamamatsu (浜松市, Hamamatsu-shi) is a city located in
western Shizuoka Prefecture, Chubu, Japan,
and is the largest city in the prefecture. Hamamatsu is famous for
its eel and eel pies. Hamamatsu is an important industrial hub, the
city is home to many companies, including Honda Motor Company, Kawai
Pianos, Yamaha, Sony, Suzuki Motor Company and Hamamatsu Photonics
as well as a large air base for Japan's defence force. Consequently,
the city is well known for producing motorcycles, musical
instruments and optoelectronic sensors among other things.
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For its population of 818,197 (July 2006 figures), Hamamatsu is a
uniquely international city. It is home to almost 19,000 Brazilians
and 3,000 Peruvians, giving it the highest per-capita concentration
of South Americans in Japan. The
city also has sizable Indonesian, Korean, Filipino, Chinese, and
Nepalese populations. The ethnic diversity here provides the city
with a wide array of ethnic stores, restaurants, bars and clubs.
Hamamatsu Attractions
Act City Tower Observatory
Hamamatsu's only skyscraper, situated next
to JR station, is a symbol of the city. It's design is supposed to resemble
a harmonica, 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 from which you can see all of central
Hamamatsu, even down to the sand dunes at the shore. If the weather is
exceptionally clear, you can even glimpse Mount Fuji in the distance. The
observatory is open Monday through Friday from 10:00am until 6:00pm.
Admission is 500 yen.
Chopin Monument
This is an authentic 1:1-scale replica of the famous Art
Nouveau bronze statue of Chopin by the famed artist Wacław Szymanowski.
The original is in Hamamatsu's sister city, Warsaw.
Hamamatsu Castle Park stretches from the modern city hall
building to the north. This Japanese castle is located on a hill in the southeast
corner of the park, nearest city hall. It was built by Ieyasu Tokugawa, who
is considered perhaps the greatest shogun and one of the three people most
important to the unification of Japan. His rule marks the beginning of the
Edo Period. Tokugawa lived here from 1571 to 1588. After the Edo Period, the
castle was destroyed, and was restored in 1958. There is a small museum
inside, which costs 200 yen to enter, and which houses some armour and other
relics of Tokugawa as well as a miniature model of how the city might have
looked 400 years ago. North of the castle is a very big park with a Japanese
garden, a koi pond, a ceremonial teahouse, and some commons areas. Buses 36,
40, 41, and 50, among others stop in front of city hall (市役所前).
Hamamastu Castle (Picture by
Texugo) Hamamatsu Flower Park
Hamamatsu Flower Park has its own stop on the Kanzanji bus line from
terminal 1 at the main bus station. Open 9 AM to 5 PM. Closed from Dec. 29
to Jan. 1. This beautiful park has many gardens full of a variety of
flowers. There is also a restaurant and shopping area. Admission ￥700.
Hamamatsu Fruit Park
Has its own stop on the "Miyakoda Keiyu Fruit Park
Iki" bus line from terminal 16 at the main bus station. Open 9 AM to 5 PM.
Closed from Dec. 29 to Jan. 1(closes at 16:30 from October through April)
This unique amusement park is a working fruit farm where you can see, touch,
taste, and pick a variety of fruits. Admission ￥700.
Hamamatsu Municipal Zoo
Miyakoda Hiking Course
This "19 km hiking trail" is actually a route on
the roads through the area. While quite confusing to the non-Japanese
speaker, it does take one past Washizawa Cave, winds up the mountains to a
lookout, a temple, bridges, and waterfall. A new highway being built across
this area seems to have altered some roads and creates for a challenge in
route-finding. Be prepared to trek 25-30 km as the 19 km length assumes one
does not get lost. Take the Enshu Railroad to Nishikajima station (460 yen
one way). Transfer to the Tenryu-Hamanko Railroad which leaves hourly at 35
minutes after the hour and take that to Miyakoda station (360 yen one way).
Once at Miyakoda station look for a signpost showing the hiking route, these
will be at most major intersections on the route.
Nakatajima Sand Dunes (中田島砂丘).
Hamamatsu Art Museum
Just one stop up the road from city hall is Hamamatsu's art museum.
Exhibits vary. The bus stop is called bijutsukan (美術館).
Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments
108-1 Itaya-machi, Tel. 053-451-1128. This museum, just northeast of Act
City Tower, houses a collection of over 2,000 kinds of ethnic instruments
from around the world. Each instrument has a display attached, with
headphones so you can listen to the sound of the instrument. The museum also
has a hands-on room, where you can play many types of instruments; drums,
xylophones, sitars and native Japanese instruments. This is a child friendly
museum. Admission ￥400
Air Park
This museum is on the airbase near Takaoka-cho and displays some
aircrafts and other items. It also has a flight simulator and a theatre.
Closed Mondays. Admission free. Hamamatsu Festivals
Shoryu Weeping Plum Blossom Festival -
February/March
Princess Road Festival - April
Hamamatsu Festival - early May - This 400-plus-year-old festival is
famous throughout Japan. In what is known as the Takoage Gassen, every
neighborhood in the city and even some from other cities design and make
their own kites to fly and to fight near Nakatajima Sand Dunes. There are
parades all over the city well into the night, in which children playing
various instruments are carried in large ornate parade floats. Everywhere
there are groups marching and chanting to the sound of trumpets, and the
sake flows freely.
Hamakita Hiryu Festival - June
Enshu Dainenbutsu (Buddhist Chanting Ritual) - July 15
Hamakita Manyo Festival - October
Inasa Puppet Festival - November
Akiha Fire Festival - December
Hanabi Taikai - There are many fireworks displays in the area during
the summer. The largest of these is Fukuroi Enshu no Hanabi held in Fukuroi,
a small town a few stops east on the JR line. This celebration in early
August is one of the largest fireworks displays in Japan, with over 30,000
fireworks. Within Hamamatsu city limits, there are also impressive hanabi
taikais in Bentenjima (late June), Kanzanji (late July), and Tenryu (early
August).
There are also various festivals and performance to celebrate the
Japanese-Brazilian heritage that is so prevalent in this area.
Getting to Hamamatsu
By plane
From Chubu International
Airport, Entetsu operates a bus called E-Wing, which runs directly to
Hamamatsu. Buses depart the airport once per hour (00 minutes past in the
morning, 45 minutes past in the afternoon) and reach Hamamatsu station in
two hours (¥3000). Schedule in Japanese
From Narita
International Airport, when exiting customs take the Airport Limousine
Bus (¥3000) to Tokyo station and then purchase a ticket on the JR Tokeido
Shinkansen line to Hamamatsu Station (about
¥8000). It is the 5th stop on the express train from
Tokyo station and takes about 1 1/2
hours. Alternatively, take the Narita Express Train (NXT) from airport to
Tokyo station and transfer over to
the Shinkansen. The upside to this is that you
can purchase both train tickets from the one vendor (located at the same
counter as the Airport Limousine Bus), and the NXT puts you right into
Tokyo station.
By train
Hamamatsu is situated on both the Tokaido
Shinkansen Line, and the JR Tokaido Line, which serve major cities like
Tokyo, Nagoya and
Osaka.
There are a handful of Hikari and Kodama services that stop in Hamamatsu.
From Tokyo, there are two all-stopping Kodama trains that depart every hour,
making the run to Hamamatsu in about 2 hours. Faster Hikari trains depart
once every 1-2 hours, running to Hamamatsu in 90 minutes. The fare is the
same for both, at ¥8070 for a reserved seat.
There are hourly departures to Hamamatsu from Osaka
and Kyoto on either a Hikari (90 minutes from
Osaka) or Kodama (2 hours from
Osaka) service. The reserved seat fare is ¥8700 from Shin-Osaka and
¥8070 from Kyoto.
If you wish to sacrifice travel speed for savings, you can take advantage of
the Puratto Kodama Ticket (in Japanese), which offers a discount for Kodama
services if you purchase at least one day in advance. You get a reserved
seat and a free drink on board. With this ticket a trip to Hamamatsu costs
¥6300 from Tokyo (2 hours), ¥3500 from
Nagoya (50 minutes), ¥6300 from
Kyoto (1 3/4 hours) and ¥6800 from Shin-Osaka (2 hours). Kodama trains
run once an hour from Shin-Osaka and Kyoto; twice
per hour from the other cities. A few early-morning Kodama trains cannot be
used with this ticket.
Regular local train services on the Tokaido Line will get you from
Tokyo to Hamamatsu in approximately 4-5 hours for
¥4310 with at least one change of trains required. From Osaka, it takes
around the same amount of time for ¥4940 with several train changes
required.
Train service from Nagoya take as little as 1 hour 40 minutes on the regular
Tokaido Line (¥1890), changing at Toyohashi, or as little as 30 minutes on
the Shinkansen (¥4810).
All of the above train services are free with a
Japan Rail Pass.
Hamamatsu serves as a stop on the Hayabusa and Fuji overnight train services
to and from Kumamoto and Oita, respectively. The Sunrise Izumo and Sunrise
Seto trains make overnight stops in Hamamatsu on runs to Izumoshi and
Takamatsu.
By car
The Tomei Expressway, the main artery through the Chubu region, also
bisects the city.
By bus
Hamamatsu serves as a major stop for bus travel throughout the country,
thanks in large part to its location near the Tomei Expressway artery.
Through buses may stop at the Hamamatsu Kita interchange of the expressway,
a good distance from Hamamatsu station.
To/From Tokyo
There are six daily JR Tomei Liner buses that run from
Tokyo to Hamamatsu Station (about 4 - 4 1/2 hours,
¥3770). Most of the runs are to Tokyo earlier in the day, and from
Tokyo late in the day.
To/From Kyoto
JR Tokai Bus runs one daily round-trip bus between Hamamatsu and
Kyoto via the Meishin Expressway. The trip takes
about 4 1/4 hours and costs ¥6200 one way. As of October 2006, the bus
leaves Hamamatsu at 8:00, and the return bus leaves
Kyoto at 16:30.
(Article
based on
Wikitravel article
by Based on work by Wikitravel user(s)Texugo. Based on work by Anonymous
user(s) of Wikitravel and others. Article used under
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0.)
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