Hamamatsu

Act City

Hamamatsu's only skyscraper is a symbol of the city, 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 from which you can see all of central Hamamatsu. The basement floor holds two theaters at which there are frequent concerts, musicals, plays, and seminars. On the west side there is a unique rooftop park complex, and on the north there is an outdoor "Sunken Garden" used at festival times for food stalls and cultural performances.

Akino Fuku Art Museum

秋野不矩美術館

This museum is housed in an interesting building made mostly from local cedar and other products. The permanent collection has many pieces by the late artist Akino Fuku, as well as other pieces.

Tue-Sun 09:30-17:00·Adults ¥300, students ¥150

Bentenjima Kaihin Park

弁天島海浜公園, Bentenjima Kaihin Kōen

This beautiful spot has a beach and boardwalk, with a lovely view of a torii perched on an island in the middle of the bay. The fireworks display in late June is extremely popular, bringing in dozens of food stalls, and thousands of people.

Choraku-ji Temple

長楽寺

This temple, built at the start of the Heian era, has a charming garden with plum trees, and is especially beautiful with the change of the leaves in the fall.

¥300, children free

Daifuku-ji Temple

大福寺

Mountain temple overlooking the small Inohana lake. Check out the Deva statues at the gate. This is an excellent place if you're in town during cherry blossom time, and if you miss it, check out the Hantoshi-zakura cherry blossoms which are in bloom from mid-autumn to early spring.

¥500, children free

Futamata Castle Ruins

二俣城跡, Futamata-jouseki

Many battles were fought over this castle in the mid-16th century between Ieyasu Tokugawa and Shingen Takeda. In 1579, Tokugawa's wife was executed here and his son committed seppuku here as well. The castle was abandoned after 1600, and today nothing but the walls remain, surrounded by a beautiful park.

Gosha and Suwa Shrines

五社神社, Gosha-jinja, and 諏訪神社, Suwa-jinja

Built in 1580 and 1556 respectively, these side-by-side shrines were reconstructed in the 1940s and serve downtown locals. Especially interesting at the shrine festival on May 4 or at Shichigosan on November 15 when local families wrap their small children in kimono and come here to pray.

Hamamatsu Castle

浜松城, Hamamatsu-jou

Hamamatsu Castle 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 to the original specifications in 1958. The foundation, which is original, is unique because it uses unhewn stones carefully selected and fitted to lean inward. There is a small museum inside the castle, which costs ¥200 to enter, and which houses some Tokugawa armor and relics, a preserved well moved from elsewhere on the grounds as well as a miniature model of how the city might have looked 400 years ago.

Hamamatsu Castle Park

浜松城公園, Hamamatsu-jō Kōen

North of the castle is a very big park with a Japanese garden, a koi pond, a ceremonial teahouse (see Drink below), and some commons areas. This is the best downtown location to go to see cherry blossoms in the spring.

Hamamatsu City Museum

浜松市博物館, Hamamatsu-shi Hakubutsukan

This museum, which is on the grounds of a pleasant park, is dedicated to the history of Hamamatsu and the surrounding area. Exhibits include locally-found pre-historic fossils, ancient pottery, old maps, and farming and domestic implements up through the Edo era. Also on the grounds are some shell mounds, evidence of pre-historic human life in the area. A reconstruction of a Jomon village has been installed among the mounds, giving the visitor an idea of what life was like here three to four thousand years ago. The name of the park and also the neighborhood, Shijimizuka, means "shell mound".

Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00

Hamamatsu Festival Hall

浜松まつり会館, Hamamatsu Matsuri Kaikan

This museum gives visitors a taste of the famous Hamamatsu Festival year round, with its huge kites, festival clothing, lanterns, and banners. Videos show how the kites are made, flown and fought.

Daily 09:00-16:30·¥400

Hamamatsu Flower Park

浜松フラワーパーク

This beautiful park has many gardens full of 3000 types of flowers, with over 100,000 plants in all. There is also a restaurant and shopping area.

Daily 09:00-17:00, closed Dec 29 to Jan 1·¥700

Hamamatsu Fruit Park

浜松フルーツパーク

This unique amusement park is a working fruit farm where you can see, touch, taste, and pick a variety of fruits.

Daily 09:00-17:00, closed Dec 29 to Jan 1 (closes at 16:30 from October through April)·¥700

Hamamatsu JASDF Air Park

航空自衛隊 浜松広報館, Koukuu Jieitai Hamamatsu Kouhoukan

This museum displays many aircraft used or in former use by JASDF, and many other aviation-related items. It also has a flight simulator and a theater which runs informative documentaries every 30 minutes (Japanese only).

Tue-Sun 09:00-16:00·Free

Hamamatsu Municipal Museum of Art

浜松市美術館, Hamamatsu-shi Bijutsukan

Just one stop up the road from city hall is Hamamatsu's art museum. Exhibits vary.

Hamamatsu Municipal Zoo

浜松市動物園

Well worth stopping if you are in Kanzanji. In the autumn, special evening hours allow to you visit the zoo after dark.

Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments

浜松市楽器博物館, Hamamatsu-shi Gakki Hakubutsukan

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.

09:00-17:00, closed on the second Wed of each month·¥400, high school students half-price, children free

Hamamatsu Science Museum

浜松科学館, Hamamatsu Kagakukan

A range of interactive exhibits divided into five zones: nature, space, sound, light, and electricity. The third floor holds a planetarium.

Daily 09:30-18:00 during summer holidays (Jul 21 to Aug 31) and 09:30-17:00 (the rest of the year)·Museum only:Adults ¥500, ages 15-18 ¥350, children free; With planetarium:Adults ¥900, ages 15-18 ¥500, children ¥100

Hamanako Garden Park

浜名湖ガーデンパーク

A big green park at the end of a peninsula on Lake Hamana. Features include a 5-hectare lawn, a waterworks plaza that encourages you to get wet, an exhibit hall, an observation tower, children's playground, a restaurant, and diverse flower gardens.

Hōrin-ji Temple

寶林寺

Established by an invited Chinese Zen master in 1667, this temple is a fine example of late Ming Dynasty Chinese architecture. The Buddha hall and the priest's residence are designated National Important Cultural Properties.

¥300, children ¥150

Kamoe Kannon

鴨江観音

This bright-orange-and-white modern temple is one of the most important downtown temples. It is a good place to see the locals all dressed in kimono on holidays such as New Year's Day.

Keta River

気田川, Ketagawa

This beautiful mountain river flows for 66 km before it joins the Tenryu southwest of Haruno. It's a relaxing place for swimming or kayaking.

Kiga Sekisho

気賀関所

This restored checkpoint along the Princess Road was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1601. Now dressed with authentic props, visitors can get a glimpse of how tightly controlled travel in that era was. The gate is especially impressive.

Tue-Sun 09:00-16:30·Adults ¥200, children ¥100

Lake Hamana Music Box Museum

浜名湖オルゴールミュージアム, Hamanako Orugoru Myujiamu

The collection includes dozens of self-playing orgels and music boxes from around the world. Performances begin hourly at 20 after the hour, and there is also a special hands-on exhibit. The view of Lake Hamana from outside the museum is spectacular as well.

Makaya-ji Temple

摩訶耶寺

Here you will find the oldest garden in the prefecture, reminiscent of Kyoto's Koke-dera. The temple was built in 726 and contains some important cultural artifacts. Especially impressive is the wooden statue of Senju-Kannon with one thousand arms.

Daily 09:00-16:30·¥300, students ¥200, children ¥100

Mitake Castle Ruins

三岳城跡, Mitake Jouseki

A somewhat strenuous hike will bring you to the ruins of a castle built atop 467-m Mt. Mitake in 1340 by the Ii Clan.

Nakatajima Sand Dunes

中田島砂丘

The second largest grouping of sand dunes in Japan makes a great place for a stroll or picnic. Be careful if swimming, as there is somewhat of an undertow.

Okuyama Hōkō-ji

方広寺

This Zen temple, nestled among pines, sakura, peach, and other things, was established in 1377 and is the home of the Rinsai Sect, housing three much-revered Buddha statues. With over sixty halls, it is one of the biggest temples in the Tokai area. The small Shichison Bosatsudo is the oldest wooden building in the prefecture and a fine example of 14th century Japanese architecture. Visitors can walk through the buildings- no shoes allowed.

¥300, students ¥150, children under 12 free

Ryugashi Cavern

竜ヶ岩洞, Ryugashidou

One of the largest and most famous caves in Japan. The first 400 m of the 1000-m limestone cavern are open to the public. Stalactites and stalagmites abound, and the centerpiece is a 30-m underground waterfall. This cave stays about 15°C year-round, making it a great place to cool off during the sweltering summer heat.

Closed · opens 9 am·Adults ¥650, children 13-15 ¥450, children ¥350

Ryōtan-ji Temple

龍潭寺

The main hall here has "nightingale flooring" much like Nijo castle in Kyoto. When walked on, the flooring makes subtle bird sounds to warn of intruders. The garden here is a nationally designated scenic beauty. On the south side of the temple is a well which belonged to the founder of the Ii clan in the early 11th century.

Daily 09:00-16:30·¥400, children ¥150