Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu (浜松) is a major city in western Shizuoka Prefecture, very close to the Aichi-Shizuoka border. Despite being in an "inaka" prefecture, it has an actual skyscraper, a proper downtown area, and over 700,000 residents – it is one of the largest cities in Japan that is not amongst the major metro areas and thus it has a unique feel of being a very big but very calm and livable city.

The city is very close to the ocean, has a famous kite-flying festival, and is home to a beautiful lake that is one of the biggest in Japan.

Getting There from Mie

By Train

Hamamatsu is fairly easily accessed from Nagoya Station so start your journey there.

• JR Tōkaidō Main Line (東海道本線)

  Hamamatsu is a major train stop on the Tōkaidō line which runs along the coast from Nagoya to Tokyo. From the JR platform at Nagoya Station, hop on a shin kaisoku (新快速) or tokubetsu kaisoku (特別快速) rapid train heading southeast. Most of the time, this train will be bound for Toyohashi (豊橋), most of the way to Hamamatsu, at which you'll have to change to a Hamamatsu-bound local to take you the last few stops. During the mornings and evenings, there is the occasional rapid train that will go all the way to Hamamatsu but these are rare so be prepared to change at Toyohashi. All-in-all, the trip will take about 90 minutes and cost ¥1850.

• Bullet Train (新幹線 shinkansen)

  Hamamatsu is also a kodama and hikari stop on the shinkansen. This is by far the quickest and nicest way to get there, but with a total cost of ¥4300, the steep price difference is hard to justify since 90 minutes via rapid and local trains is not unbearably long. If you do opt for the bullet train, you'll arrive in about 35 minutes.

By Car

There are a number of highway exits within Hamamatsu, making it easy to get to from Nagoya via the 'Tōmei Expressway (東名高速道路).

If coming from eastern, southern, or even central Mie, consider the Ise Wan Ferry which connects Toba to Irago, saving you heaps of time from going around the entirety of Ise Bay.

Getting around Town

Downtown Hamamatsu is very walkable and is a fairly pretty and new city to take a stroll through. There are a number of beautification projects in place around town, it has a very nice general atmosphere despite being a proper downtown.

Getting to the outskirts of the city where much of the more tourism-related places are will require a ride on a bus or the local railway line if going straight north. Any bus you need to ride can be caught at the large bus rotary just outside the north exit (head down the escalators to get there).

Things to See

• Hamamatsu Castle (浜松城 hamamatsu jō)

  About 15 minutes north of the station, right at the end of the downtown area. Was used by Ieyasu Tokugawa.

• Unagi Pie Factory (うなぎパイファクトリー unagi pai factory)

  This is a location best reached by car. The Unagi Pie Factory offers guided and unguided tours where visitors can learn about the confection's origin and watch the production lines where workers churn them out blistering speeds. The tour culminates at the gift shop where you can purchase unagi pie in flavors not normally seen by the average consumer.

• Lake Hamana (浜名湖 hamana ko)

  Beautiful lake, one of the largest in Japan, located in the western edge of Hamamatsu. Can be reached by train from Bentenjima (3 stations west of JR Hamamatsu). Most of the eastern shore of the lake has a dedicated bicycle path, so this makes Lake Hamana the perfect lake to bike around. Single-day or hourly rental cycles are available near Bentenjima Station.

Food and Drink

• Mein Schloss (マイン・シュロス)

  Authentic German-style beer hall that brews 4 beers on site. Food menu a bit pricey but is unexpectedly delicious, it features sausage and German ribs as well as other European fare, with some izakaya favorites thrown in as well.

• Yaotoku (八百徳)

  Hamamatsu is extremely famous for its grilled unagi rice bowls. The freshness of the eels caught out of nearby Lake Hamana has made Hamamatsu one of the most famed destinations in Japan for うな丼 (una-don) and うな重 (una-ju). This restaurant is one of the best within the city for this dish. The main shop is found out the north side of JR Hamamatsu, right behind the large hotel on the far side of the bus rotary. A second shop is located out the south exit of JR Hamamatsu, just across the street. Be prepared to pay ¥3000+ though.

Accommodations

Hotel Day by Day A clean, reasonably priced business hotel 10 minutes away from Hamamatsu station.

Nearby

• Nagoya

  90 minutes west of Hamamatsu

Links

• Hamamatsu - Wikitravel

  The Wikitravel guide for this city is unbelievably thorough and useful