Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu (浜松) is a city in Japan. It is located within the Shizuoka Prefecture and is in the Western section. This city is the largest city in this prefecture due to the trend of merging started in Japan. The Hamana Lake is located within the cit. It is located in the West of the city. The population of this city is 809,000 spread out over 1,500 square kilometers. The mayor of this city is Yasuyuki Kitawaki.

This city has developed mainly industrially over the past. There was a time when the fabric industry was number one, but that time has passed. This town is best known for famous music companies and vehicle manufacturing. The headquarters for Roland Corporation, Yamaha, Kawai Musical Instruments and Suzuki Motor Company make their home here. Honda and Toyota also have factories here as well. This area is known as the birth of television in Japan. Recently the Optical electronics industry had a boom in this city. It shows remarkable development.

History

In 1570 Shogun Leyasu Tokugawa, who established a line of Shogun, built the Hamamatsu Castle. This was a very strategically placed castle and many important battles were fought close by. Those that served him received important positions in the government nicknaming the castle “The Castle of Success". He is accredited for laying the foundation for this area.

Since long ago Hamamatsu was said to be in the middle of Japan because of its equal distance between Tokyo and Osaka. Because of this they are a vital link for Japanese transportation industry and for other manufacturing operations. Because of this during World War II, air raids destroyed and burned Hamamatsu into ashes.

Hamamatsu's history is characterized by the companies that have developed here. Soichiro Honda the founder of Honda Motor companies was born just north of this city and established a headquarters there. Other historical events in this area were the founding of the Yamaha Corporation, Suzuki Motors and the Roland Corporation.

Points of Interest

Lake Hamana is a great place to visit. This lake is famous for eel farming. There are resorts here where people can yacht, jet-ski, bath on the beach and have a good time. On this lake is the Kanzanji hot spring and Bentenjima hot spring. In ancient times this lake was fresh water, but because of an earth quack it is open to the sea.

Act City Hamamatsu is a very tall building. It was made in autumn of 1994. The center of cultural activities is this tower. It is the highest building in the Tokai area and is 212 meters tall. Taking a tour through the building will reveal areas such as the Congress center, music halls, an Event Hall and the Musical Instrument Museum. From the roof of this tower there is an excellent view of Hamamatsu City and Lake Hamana, the South Japan Alp, Mount Fuji and the entire Enshu Coast as well.

External Links

• Hamamatsu Official Website (English)
• Hamamatsu Official Website (Japanese)
• Hamamatsu Official Website (Portuguese)