Hamamatsu

Infobox City Japan
Name= Hamamatsu
JapaneseName= 浜松市
Map

Region= Chūbu
Prefecture= Shizuoka
District=
Area_km2= 1511.17
PopDate= March 2007
Population= 808,182
Density_km2= 534.81
Coords=
LatitudeDegrees= 34
LatitudeMinutes= 43
LatitudeSeconds=
LongtitudeDegrees= 137
LongtitudeMinutes= 44
LongtitudeSeconds=
Tree= Pine
Flower= Mikan
Bird= Japanese Bush Warbler
Symbol

SymbolDescription=
Mayor= Yasutomo Suzuki
CityHallPostalCode= 430-8652
CityHallAddress= 103-2 Motoshiro-chō, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken
CityHallPhone= 53-457-2111
CityHallLink= [http://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/foreign/english/index.htm City of Hamamatsu] nihongo|Hamamatsu|浜松市|Hamamatsu-shi is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and is the largest city in the prefecture. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns. It became a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2007.

History

*Apr 1, 1989 - Shizuoka Prefectural Office at Hamamatsu opened.
*May 1, 1990 - Hamamatsu Arena opened.
*January 1, 1991- Merged with the village of Kami in Hamana District.
*April 1, 1991 - The first Hamamatsu International Piano Competition was held.
*May 1, 1994 - Act City Hamamatsu opened.
*October 1, 1995 - Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments opened.
*April 1, 1996 - Designated as a core city.
*June 1, 1996 - Hamamatsu City Fruit Park opened.
*January 1, 1997 - Started separated collection of garbage in residential areas.
*April 1, 1997 - Designated as an Omnibus Town.
*April 1, 1998 - Act City Musical School opened.
*April 3, 2000 - Shizuoka University of Art and Culture opened.
*July 1, 2001 - Commemorated the city's 90th anniversary.
*August 1, 2002 - Launched the conference on Pan-Hamanako Designated City Simulation.
*April 1, 2003 - Shizuoka New Kawafuji National High School Competition was held.
*June 1, 2003 - Launched Tenryūgawa-Hamanako Region Merger Conference.
*April 8 - October 11, 2004 - Pacific Flora 2004 (Shizuoka International Garden and Horticulture Exhibition) was held at Hamanako Garden Park.
*July 1, 2005 - Merged Hamakita and Tenryū; Inasa, Hosoe, and Mikkabi in Inasa District (resulting in the district's dissolution); Yuto and Maisaka in Hamana District; Sakuma, Misakubo, and Tatsuyama in Iwata District (also dissolved as a result); and Haruno in Shuchi District.
*April 1, 2007 - Became a city designated by government ordinance.

Geography

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 in the west, the Tenryū River in the east, and the Pacific Ocean in the south. The climate in southern Hamamatsu is mild with little snow fall in the winter; however, it is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon called Enshu no Karakkaze, which is unique to the region. The climate in northern Hamamatsu is much more harsh because of foehn winds. In summers, the highest temperature often goes over 35 degrees in Tenryu-ku, while it snows in winters.

Wards

Hamamatsu has 7 wards:

* Hamakita-ku (浜北区)
* Higashi-ku (東区)
* Kita-ku (北区)
* Minami-ku (南区)
* Naka-ku (中区)
* Nishi-ku (西区)
* Tenryū-ku (天竜区)

Tourism

* Act City Tower Observatory - Hamamatsu's only skyscraper, situated next to JR station, is a symbol of the city. Its design is supposed 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, even down to the sand dunes at the shore. If the weather is exceptionally clear, you can even glimpse Mount Fuji in the distance.

* Chopin Monument This is an authentic 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 southeast corner of the park, nearest city hall. It 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 in 1958. There is a small museum inside, which costs 150 yen to enter, and which houses some armor and other relics of Tokugawa as well as a minuature model of how the city might have looked 400 years ago. North of the castle is a very big park with a Japanese garden, a koi pond, a ceremonial teahouse, and some commons areas.

* Hamamatsu Flower Park

* Hamamatsu Fruit Park

* Hamamatsu Municipal Zoo　

Industry

Hamamatsu has been famous as an industrial city, especially for musical instruments and motorcycles. It also has been known for fabric industry, but most of those companies and factories went out of business in the 1990s. Of the 274,700 Japanese Brazilians working in Japan, currently 19,000 work in Hamamatsu. [ cite news
last= Sanchanta
first= Mariko
url= http://www.ft.com/cms/s/70f96792-360f-11dc-ad42-0000779fd2ac.html
title= Signs betray ‘hidden workers’ of Japan
publisher= The Financial Times
date= July 19, 2007
accessdate= ]

Companies headquartered in Hamamatsu

* 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

* Honda Motor Co.

Transportation

Railways

Hamamatsu is a station on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen and Tōkaidō Main Line. As of 2005, this station is served by a small selection of "Hikari" services and all passing "Kodama" services. Hamamatsu is approximately halfway along the Tōkaidō line, as the journey time to both Tokyo and Shin-Osaka is approximately one and half hours with Hikari, and two hours with Kodama.

Tōkaidō Main Line stops at the following stations:
* Bentenjima Station
* Maisaka Station
* Takatsuka Station
* Hamamatsu Station
* Tenryūgawa Station

Iida Line stops at several stations in Sakuma area.

Enshu Railway Line, also known as Akaden (the red train), is a local line running north from Shin-Hamamatsu station through Nishikajima station.

Tenryū Hamanako Railway Line stops at several stations in Kita-ku, Hamakita-ku, and Tenryū-ku.

Roads

* Expressways
** Tōmei Expressway (Hamamatsu I.C., Hamamatsu Nishi I.C., and Mikkabi I.C.)
** Second Tomei Expressway (under construction)
** Sanen Nanshin Highway (under construction)

* Bypasses
** Hamamatsu Bypass
** Hamana Bypass

* National Highways
** Route 1
** Route 42
** Route 150
** Route 152
** Route 257
** Route 301
** Route 362

Bus

Bus is the major public transportation in Hamamatsu. Almost all services are operated by Enshu Railway Co. (Entetsu Bus).

Airport

There are no civilian airports in the city. Chūbu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefecture located about convert|87|km [from Chūbu Centrair International Airport(coord|34.858333|N|136.805278|E|format=dms|region:JP_type:airport) to Hamamatsu station(coord|34.703866|N|137.734759|E|format=dms|region:JP_type:landmark) (surveying http://vldb.gsi.go.jp/sokuchi/surveycalc/bl2stf.htmlja icon)] west of the city is the closest airport. Shizuoka Airport is currently under construction and expected to be operational by March 2009. The location is between Makinohara and Shimada, and about convert|43|km [from Shizuoka Airport(coord|34.796111|N|138.189444|E|format=dms|region:JP_type:airport) to Hamamatsu station(coord|34.703866|N|137.734759|E|format=dms|region:JP_type:landmark) (surveying http://vldb.gsi.go.jp/sokuchi/surveycalc/bl2stf.htmlja icon)] east of the city.

Festivals

* Hamamatsu FestivalHamamatsu Festival, held from May 3 through May 5 each year, is well-known for Takoage Gassen, or the kite fight, and luxuriously decorated palace-like floats. The festival originated about 430 years ago, when the lord of Hamamatsu Castle celebrated the birth of his first son by flying kites. In the Meiji Era, the celebration of the birth of a first son by flying Hatsu Dako, or the first kite, became popular, and this tradition has survived in the form of Hamamatsu Festival. It is extremely exciting to see over 160 large kites flying in the sky to the sound of trumpets. Those who visit Hamamatsu at this time of the year can experience the city at its most exciting time.

During the nights of Hamamatsu Festival, people parade downtown carrying over 70 yatai, or palace-lake floats, that are beautifully decorated while playing Japanese traditional festival music. The festival reaches its peak when groups of people compete by violently marching across town. (Naka-ku, Minami-ku - May)

* Hamakita Manyo Festival This event takes place in Manyo no Mori Park to commemorate the Manyo Period and introduce its culture. As part of the festival, people reenact the ancient past by wearing traditional clothes from the Manyo period and presenting poetry readings. (Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu - October)

* Princess Road FestivalThis reenactment of a procession made by the princess in her palanquin along with her entourage of over 100 people including maids, samurai and servants makes for a splendid scene beneath the cherry blossoms along the Toda River. In the Edo period, princesses enjoyed traveling this road which came to be known as a "hime kaidō" ("princess road"). (Hosoe, Kita-ku - April)

* Enshu Dainenbutsu (Buddhist Chanting Ritual)When a family commemorates the first Obon holidays after the death of a loved one, they may request that a dainenbutsu (Buddhist chanting ritual) be performed outside their house. This is one of the local performing arts of the Enshu region. The group always forms a procession in front of the house led by a person carrying a lantern and marches to the sound of flutes, Japanese drums and cymbals.(Saigagake Museum, Hamamatsu City - July 15)

* Inasa Puppet FestivalOne of the few puppet festivals held in Japan, featuring 60 performances of about 30 plays by puppet masters from all over the country. The shows provide a full day of enjoyment for both children and adults.(Inasa, Kita-ku - November)

* Akiha Fire FestivalEver since long ago, Mount Akiha was believed to have supernatural powers to prevent fires. Bow and arrow, sword and fire dances are performed at the Akiha Shrine, and at the Akiha Temple a firewalking ceremony is performed where both believers and spectators celebrate the festival.(Haruno, Tenryu-ku - December)

* Shoryu Weeping Ume Blossom FestivalWithin Ryusui Garden there is a stream with 7 small waterfalls and about 80 weeping "ume" trees pruned to give the appearance of dragons riding on clouds to the heavens. There are also 200 young trees planted along the mountainside.(Inasa, Kita-ku - Late February to Late March)

* Hamakita Hiryu FestivaThis festival is held in honor of Ryujin, the god of the Tenryu River, and features a wide variety of events such as the Hamakita takoage (kite flying) event and the Hiryu himatsuri (Flying Dragon fire festival) which celebrates water, sound and flame.(Hamakita-ku - June)

Famous people

* Michio Suzuki (1887 - 1982)After the establishment of Suzuki Loom Works in Hamamatsu City in 1909, Suzuki kept expanding his business and, in 1929, invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. Michio Suzuki filed as many as 120 patents and utility model rights. He started on a protocol of an automobile in 1939 and laid the foundation of Suzuki, the car maker, by releasing the Colleda motorcycle and a light-weight car called the Suzulight.

* Soichiro Honda (1906 - 1991)The founder of Honda is a pioneer of Hamamatsu as "the city of motorcycles". Born in Tenryu which was located north of Hamamatsu, Honda learned auto-repair skills in Tokyo before opening the Hamamatsu branch of Ahto Shokai. In 1948, he established Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and developed the motorcycle widely known as "Pon-Pon". Honda's extraordinary ideas kept laying new paths for the company, making Honda the world's leading motorcycle/automotive manufacturer.

* Torakusu Yamaha (1851 - 1916)In 1884, Yamaha first repaired an organ in an elementary school while still working as a repair engineer for medical equipment. He became fascinated by the organ and started developing them himself. After painstaking effort, Yamaha finally built his first reed organ, which was highly praised by experts in the field. In 1888, he established "Yamaha Fukin Seizoujo", which later became Yamaha, the world's leading musical instrument maker. Torakusu Yamaha laid the foundation of the musical instrument industry in the Hamamatsu area.

* Kenjiro Takayanagi (1899 - 1990)Born in Hamamatsu City. After becoming an assistant professor of engineering at what is now Shizuoka University in 1924, Takayanagi dedicated himself to the development of the television. After repeated mistakes, he successfully completed the first all-electronic TV system in the world. Takayanagi also succeeded in inventing the first domestic TV set, establishing the foundation of modern television. The growth of the optical technological industry in Hamamatsu is largely thanks to Takayanagi and his research.

* Koichi Kawai (1886 - 1955)Hamamatsu-born Kawai became an apprentice to Torakusu Yamaha at the young age of 11. The piano mechanism which Kawai helped design contributed greatly to the birth of the first piano made in Japan. He invented many mechanisms, such as the stop device for the organ, and was nicknamed "Koichi, the inventor". Kawai Gakki Kenkyujo, which was established in 1927, became Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg. Co., Ltd. in 1929, which has received over 20 patents on inventions like new types of mechanism and soundboard.

Radio stations

* FM Haro! (JOZZ6AB FM, 76.1 MHz)
* K-MIX (JOKU FM, 78.4 MHz)
* NHK FM (JOPK FM, 82.1 MHz)
* http://www.radiophoenix.jp/index.html (internet, português)

Colleges and universities

* Hamamatsu Gakuin University
* Hamamatsu University
* Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
* Seirei Christopher University
* Shizuoka University (Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Information)
* Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
* Hamamatsu Intercultural Exchange

Sister cities

Hamamatsu has ratified Music Culture Exchange Treaty with the following cities:
* Warsaw, Poland (since February 1, 1990)
* Sanremo, Italy (since October 1, 1992)
* Rochester, United States (since October 1, 1996)

References

External links

* [http://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/foreign/english/index.htm City's official website]
* [http://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/ City's official website] (In Japanese)
*
* [http://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/hamaEng/18_sisetujyouhou_02.htm#3 Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments]
* [http://hamamatsu-daisuki.net/english/ Hamamatsu Daisuki Net (I love Hamamatsu)]