Hiramatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Chūbu Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Hamamatsu (浜松市, Hamamatsu-shi) is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the prefecture's largest city.

Overview Hamamatsu is a member of the World Health Organization’s Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC).

Geography Hamamatsu is 260 km (160 mi) south-west of Tokyo.

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 to the west, the Tenryū River to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

Neighboring municipalities Shizuoka Prefecture • Iwata • Kosai • Shimada • Mori • Kawanehon.

Aichi Prefecture • Toyohashi • Shinshiro • Tōei • Toyone.

Nagano Prefecture • Iida • Tenryū.

Economy Hamamatsu has been famous as an industrial city, especially for musical instruments and motorcycles. As of 2010, Greater Hamamatsu, Hamamatsu Metropolitan Employment Area, has a GDP of US$54.3 billion. 2014 Hamamatsu's GDP per capita(PPP) was US$41,470.

Companies headquartered in Hamamatsu include: Enkei Corporation • Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. • Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg. • Roland Corporation • Suzuki Motor Co. • Tōkai Gakki (also known as Tokai Guitars Company Ltd.) • Yamaha Corporation.

Companies founded in Hamamatsu include: Honda Motor Co.; Suzuki Motor; YAMAHA Motor.

Media: Radio • FM Haro! (JOZZ6AB FM, 76.1 MHz) • K-MIX (JOKU FM, 78.4 MHz) • NHK FM (JOPK FM, 82.1 MHz) • SBS Radio (1404 kHz / 94.7 MHz) • (in Portuguese) Radio Phoenix (internet).

Transport: Air • Hamamatsu Air Base

There are no civilian airports in Hamamatsu. Shizuoka Airport (34°47′46″N 138°11′22″E) is the closest, located 43 km (27 mi) from Hamamatsu Station, between Makinohara and Shimada.

Chūbu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture, located about 87 km (54 mi) west of the city, is the second closest.

Transport: Rail High-Speed Rail Central Japan Railway Company • Tōkaidō Shinkansen：- Hamamatsu - ◦ JR Central Hamamatsu workshop: maintenance facility for the Tōkaidō Shinkansen

Conventional Lines Central Japan Railway Company • Tōkaidō Main Line：- Tenryūgawa • Hamamatsu • Takatsuka • Maisaka • Bentenjima - • Iida Line：- Izumma • Kamiichiba • Urakawa • Hayase • Shimokawai • Chūbu-Tenryū • Sakuma • Aizuki • Shironishi • Mukaichiba • Misakubo • Ōzore • Kowada -

Enshū Railway • Enshū Railway Line：- Shin-Hamamatsu • Dai-Ichi-dōri • Enshū-Byōin • Hachiman • Sukenobu • Enshū-Hikuma • Enshū-Kamijima • Jidōsha-Gakkō-Mae • Saginomiya • Sekishi • Enshū-Nishigasaki • Enshū-Komatsu • Hamakita • Misono-Chūō-kōen • Enshū-Kobayashi • Enshū-Shibamoto • Enshū-Gansuiji • Nishi-Kajima

Tenryū Hamanako Railroad • Tenryū Hamanako Line：- Tenryū-Futamata • Futamata-Hommachi • Nishi-Kajima • Gansuiji • Miyaguchi • Fruit Park • Miyakoda • Hamamatsudaigakumae • Kanasashi • Kigakōkōmae • Kiga • Nishi-Kiga • Sunza • Hamanako-Sakume • Higashi-Tsuzuki • Tsuzuki • Mikkabi • Okuhamanako • Ona -

Transport: Road Expressways • Tōmei Expressway (Hamamatsu interchange, Hamamatsu Nishi interchange, and Mikkabi interchange) • Shin-Tōmei Expressway

Hiways • San-en Nanshin Expressway (under construction)

Bypasses • Hamamatsu Bypass • Hamana Bypass

Japan National Highways ◦ National Route 1 ◦ National Route 42 ◦ National Route 150 ◦ National Route 152 ◦ National Route 257 ◦ National Route 301 ◦ National Route 362 ◦ National Route 473.

Education: Universities • Hamamatsu Gakuin University • Hamamatsu University • Hamamatsu University School of Medicine • Seirei Christopher University • Shizuoka University (Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Informatics) • Shizuoka University of Art and Culture • Seisa University, Hamamatsu campus. • Tokoha University, Hamamatsu campus.

Local attractions • Act City Tower Observatory: Hamamatsu's only skyscraper, situated next to JR Hamamatsu Station, is a symbol of the city. It was designed 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 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 bronze statue of Chopin by the famed artist Wacław Szymanowski. The original is in Hamamatsu's sister city, Warsaw.　 • Hamamatsu Castle: Hamamatsu Castle Park stretches from the modern city hall building to the north. The castle is located on a hill in the south-east corner of the park, near city hall. It was built by Tokugawa Ieyasu. His rule marks the beginning of the Edo period. 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, a koi pond, a ceremonial teahouse, and some commons areas. • Nakatajima Sand Dunes: one of the three largest sand dune areas in Japan • Hamamatsu Flower Park • Hamamatsu Fruit Park • Hamamatsu Municipal Zoo • Iinoya-gū shrine • Motoshirochō Tōshō-gū shrine.