Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu City is located in western Shizuoka about 2 hours ride by bullet train south west of Tokyo, about half way to Osaka. In 2005 Hamamatsu merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns and became the largest city in Shizuoka Prefecture with a population of approximately eight hundred thousand people. The nearby cities of Iwata, with 170,000, and Kakegawa City with 120,000 boost the total population of the area to over one million.
The Hamamatsu Festival which is held from May 3-5 each year is known for the "Takoage Gassen", or the kite fight, and the 70 plus luxuriously decorated palace-like floats called "yatai" which are carried through downtown at night while Japanese tradition festival music is played. The festival originated about 430 years ago, when the lord of Hamamatsu Castle celebrated the birth of his first son by flying kites. As people watch over 160 large kites flying in the sky to the sound of trumpets excitement fills the air across the city.
Geographically, Hamamatsu is both flat, the Mikatahara Plateau in the south, and mountainous in the north. It is bordered by Lake Hamana on the west, the Tenryu River on the east, and the Pacific Ocean on the south. The climate in southern Hamamatsu is mild with no snow in winters, but it is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon which is unique to the region. However, northern Hamamatsu weather is much harsher because of the "fohn" winds which bring hot temperatures in the summer, sometimes reaching 40 degrees Celsius and snow in winter.
Going Fishing
Hamamatsu is a great place for fishing. The Pacific Ocean is on the southeast side, the huge Hamana Lake graces both sides of the expressway that goes beside the city. You can see the fishing boats out... [more]
