Guide to Hamamatsu, Japan

Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka are popular tourist spots for Americans visiting Japan. But to experience modern day Japan, visit Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture.

The city has a population of 590,000 and fosters the development of industry and culture in unison. While technology advancement is important, so are the lakes, mountains and the Pacific Ocean beaches. Located 260km west of Tokyo, it's the largest city in Shizuoka Prefecture.

You Should Visit Hamamatsu to Feel Like a Celebrity.
Most American visitors, or "gaijins," (non-Asian foreigner) gravitate to the tourist areas of Japan. The advantage of visiting a place like Hamamatsu is that not many American-gaijin frequent the city. During your visit, the other English-native speakers you may meet are probably teaching English. Since American-gaijin faces are not that common, the locals take special interest in your well-being, making sure you get from point A to point B and have a pleasant experience.

If standing on a street corner with a map, several Hamamatsu residents will stop and ask if you need help. Don't be surprised if school children stop and want to practice their English on you. Or, don't be surprised if they seem afraid. You may be the first American-gaijin they've ever seen in person.

When visiting a karaoke bar, visit one that is small and intimate. There are a handful of these types in Hamamatsu. Unlike the United States, no one is expected to get up in front of the room to perform, but sit at your seat to sing. Knowing a Japanese song, such as "Sukiyaki," will really earn you a fan club.

You Should Visit Hamamatsu for the Sound of Music.
Hamamatsu is home to musical corporations such as Kawai , Suzuki and Yamaha, the Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments, and was the first city in Japan to manufacture pianos. Hamamatsu has earned the title as Japan's City of Music.

Both Kawai and Yamaha factories offer 90-minute guided tours, Monday through Friday, to show the process of creating grand pianos. Suzuki offers a 60-minute factory tour Monday through Friday and specializes in making harmonicas. [Tip: A Suzuki-made harmonica is an authentic Hamamatsu souvenir. If you can't make it to the Suzuki Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company, you can find small to standard sized harmonicas in shops throughout the city.]

I had the opportunity to tour the Yamaha assembly factory and learned from start to finish, it takes about three years to create a Yamaha grand piano! This includes creating the piano parts such as the inner and outer rims, turning pins, strings, keys and seasoning the wood for the frames. It only takes a month to assemble a Yamaha grand piano with 70 produced out of the Hamamatsu plant a day and 60% are sent out for international distribution.

While touching the grand pianos is a no-no during a visit to the factory, the Yamaha showroom is full of touchable instruments, including pianos, violins and guitars.

Whether you're musically in tune or not, everyone will be impressed with a visit to the Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments. More than 1,000 musical instruments collected from Africa, Asia, Europe, Japan and the United States through the ages are on display. Guided tours are offered daily. If you ask nicely, the guide will play the 1750 English harpsichord on display. While a piano's sound is from the hammer striking strings, the harpsichord's sound is from picking the strings. In this case, the feathers of crow act as picks.

Resist the temptation to play with the instruments on display and visit the area in the back of the museum to play with a shakuhachi (Zen flutes), dulcimer (strings stretched over a trapezoid-shaped piece of wood) and spinet (similar to a harpsichord). For the American-gaijin, handouts in English are distributed throughout the Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments elaborating on the displays and instruments.

You Should Visit Hamamatsu for the Taste.
Part of the Japanese experience is eating and Hamamtsu provides ample opportunities for that. Hamamtsu's Lake Hamana is the top eel producing area within Japan so tasty, sweet eel, also called unagi, is plentiful in around the city. There are two ways of preparing unagi, one is called Kansai, in which the eel is filleted from the belly and grilled. The other is called Kanto, in which the eel is sliced from the dorsal fin and steamed.

Unagi is full of proteins, calcium, vitamins A and E and is believed to increase stamina. The Japanese believe so much in this food that one day a year each July, Eel Eating Day is celebrated. Since Japanese summers are hot and humid, people feel sluggish. Eating unagi helps people get moving.

An adult snack made right in Hamamtsu is called unagi pie, or as I refer to them, "eel cookies." It's considered a "snack for late night." Unagi pie tastes like a thin butter cookie and contains flour, granulated sugar, garlic and powdered eel bones. The cookies can be found throughout Hamamtsu and are made by a company called Shunkado. They have a bakery on site to buy unagi pies and other confectionery treats.

No visit to Japan is complete without some good sake. Tenjingura is the only sake brewery in Hamamtsu. Its history began in 1871. Today, the sake brewery also brews beer with its own distinctive taste. Stop in taste their latest brews.

You Should Visit Hamamtsu for Some Really Cool History.
May 3rd through the 5th each year, more than 1.5 million people gather in Hamamtsu to celebrate kites during The Hamamatsu Festival. It goes beyond kite flying into full-blown kite battles during the day and fabulous float parades at night. The festival dates back to 1887 and if you can't make the festival, the Hamamatsu Festival Pavilion is open year-round. On display is the Kite Line-Making Room - where the kite line is made for the festival; kites flown during previous festivals and ornate floats from the parade.

Remnants of the Edo Period (1603 - 1867) are preserved atop the Mikatahara Plateau in Hamamatsu Castle. The three-story castle was built by shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu who initiated the Edo Period and his family ruled for the next 300 years. Hamamatsu Castle is called the "Castle of Success" because one of the rulers, Mizuno Tadakuni, is credited with reforming the Tempo Era and brining Japan financially together during the mid-1800s.

Following the Edo Period, the castle was in disrepair but in 1958, the people of Hamamatsu rebuilt the tower and on June 1, 1959, the castle was established as a historical site. The original stonewall around the castle remains.

Temples abound in Japan, but Hamamatsu's Ryotanji is worth the trip for the lush and serene garden. The Zen sect of Buddhism temple was founded in 733 and is located near Hamana Lake. The Ii family governed the region for 500 years and Ryotanji served as the family temple. In 1572 the temple was burnt down.

The temple and grounds as it stands today are the design of Enshu Kobori, a garden designer and architecture and most famous for being a tea mater who executed the rebuilding in the 1600s. The temple garden was designed in the Chisen Kansho style, meaning it is best appreciated while sitting on Ryotanji's veranda. Small, rounded green hills symbolize mountains and every rock placed in the garden has meaning. For instance, a group of rocks represent a flock of cranes. Cranes mean happiness.

Places to Stay During Your Visit to Hamamatsu.
Okura Act City Hotel Hamamatsu
111-2, Itayamachi
Hamamatsu
Shizuoka 430-7733

Grand Hotel Hamamatsu
1-3-1 Higashi Iba
Hamamatsu-shi
Shizuoka-ken 432-8507

Visit Hamamtsu for the authentic, Japanese experience. It is easily accessible from Tokyo and Nagoya via train. The locals will respect and look after you while you discover a side of Japan that most American-gaijin don't get to see.