Hamamatsu: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Hamamatsu is a factory town in the best sense: Yamaha, Kawai, Suzuki and Honda all began here. This route visits the companies' own museums and the instrument museum, then ends with fighter jets and the city's odd eel biscuit. The company museums are free but often need a booking online. A car helps; give it a full day.

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A short history of Hamamatsu

In the Edo period Hamamatsu was a castle town and a station on the Tōkaidō road between Edo and Kyoto. From 1570 to 1586 Tokugawa Ieyasu had his seat in its castle, before he became ruler of Japan. In the modern era industry developed here: in 1887 Torakusu Yamaha repaired an organ in the city and began making musical instruments, which grew into the Yamaha company. In 1909 Michio Suzuki set up a loom factory in the city, from which the Suzuki company grew, and Soichiro Honda, born in the area in 1906, founded the Honda company here in 1948. In 1945 most of the city was destroyed by bombing.

The ten best sights in Hamamatsu

1
Hamamatsu Castle
Small rebuilt keep on original rough stone walls, in a park ten minutes from the station
2
Museum of Musical Instruments
Instruments from all over the world, with a room where you can play some
3
Act City Tower
The city's tallest building, shaped like a harmonica; concert halls below
4
Yamaha Innovation Road
Yamaha's company museum at its headquarters; free, reservation advised
5
Suzuki History Museum
From looms to motorbikes and cars, at the Suzuki head office; free, book ahead
6
Hamamatsu City Museum
Local history next to a Jomon shell mound with rebuilt huts
7
JASDF Air Park
Air Self-Defense Force museum with fighter jets and simulators; free
8
Ryotanji
Family temple of the Ii clan with a famous dry garden
9
Hoko-ji
Mountain Zen temple in Okuyama with hundreds of stone disciples on the path
10
Ryugashido Cave
Limestone cave with an underground waterfall, 30 minutes north

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Hamamatsu →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Hamamatsu:

Free walking tours in Hamamatsu

Music and machines

Museum of Musical Instruments · Opened in 1995 as Japan's first public museum of musical instruments, it was a natural fit for the city where Yamaha and Kawai began.
Act City Tower · The 212-metre tower was designed to look like a harmonica standing on end — a nod to the city's instrument factories.
Yamaha Innovation Road · In 1887 Torakusu Yamaha repaired a broken reed organ at a Hamamatsu school and decided he could build one himself. The three crossed tuning forks in Yamaha's logo come from that start.
Suzuki History Museum · Michio Suzuki founded his company in Hamamatsu in 1909 to make weaving looms; motorbikes came only in the 1950s, and the looms are on show next to the cars.
JASDF Air Park · Hamamatsu is one of Japan's oldest air bases, and the Blue Impulse aerobatic team was formed here in 1960.
Unagi Pie Factory · The butter biscuit, flavoured with eel extract and garlic, was launched in 1961 with the slogan 'the sweet for the night', a joke on eel's reputation for stamina.

Lords and monks of the north

Before the factories, this was samurai country: Ieyasu held the castle, and the Ii clan rose from the hills to the north. The route starts at a 4,000-year-old shell mound in the city, then drives north to temples, a cave and a country railway station. The hills are green and quiet, with few foreign visitors. Plan a day by car.

Shijimizuka Shell Mound · Jomon people living here some 4,000 years ago left heaps of shijimi clam shells, which gave the site its name; rebuilt pit houses stand around it.
Hamamatsu Castle · Tokugawa Ieyasu ruled from here for about 17 years. So many later lords of this castle rose to top posts in the shogunate that it became known as the 'castle of promotion'.
Ryotanji · This is the family temple of the Ii clan, whose most famous son, Ii Naomasa, became one of Ieyasu's great generals. The garden behind the main hall is attributed to Kobori Enshu.
Hoko-ji · Hoko-ji is the head temple of a branch of Rinzai Zen, and its mountainside is lined with about 500 stone figures of Buddha's disciples, each with a different face.
Ryugashido Cave · The cave was discovered in 1981 and opened to visitors two years later. The visitor path runs past stalactites to a waterfall falling inside the hill.
Tenryu-Futamata Station · Soichiro Honda, founder of Honda, was born in 1906 in a village that is now part of this district. The station's turntable and roundhouse date from 1940 and are registered cultural properties.

Dunes and Lake Hamana

South of the city the Pacific has piled up dunes, and to the west lies Lake Hamana, a large lagoon known for eels and oysters. This route follows the coast to the lake mouth and then up its eastern shore to Kanzanji. Go in the afternoon and stay for sunset at Bentenjima. It works best by car, with short walks.

Nakatajima Sand Dunes · Counted among Japan's three great dunes; in early summer loggerhead turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs on this beach.
Hamamatsu Festival Pavilion · Every 3-5 May neighbourhoods fly giant kites over the dunes to celebrate the first sons born that year, and fight to cut each other's strings; the hall shows the kites.
Maisaka · Maisaka was a post town of the Tokaido, where travellers boarded boats across the mouth of the lake to Arai.
Bentenjima · Lake Hamana was a freshwater lake until an earthquake in 1498 broke the sandbar, opening it to the sea; the gap here is what made it salty.
Kanzanji · Legend says the temple was founded by the monk Kukai in the 9th century, and the hot-spring town grew around it much later.
Kanzanji Ropeway · It is said to be the only ropeway in Japan that crosses a lake, rising over the water to the Daikusa hill viewpoint.

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Getting to Hamamatsu and getting around

Hamamatsu Station · Shinkansen stop between Tokyo and Nagoya; buses to the lake leave from the terminal outside
Shin-Hamamatsu Station · Terminus of the small Enshu Railway line north through the city
Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport · The nearest airport, about 50 minutes east by car; few international flights

Cheap eats in Hamamatsu

Hamamatsu eats two things with pride: eel from the farms around Lake Hamana, grilled with a sweet soy glaze over rice, and gyoza, which the city eats so much of that it competes every year with Utsunomiya for the national title. Eel is a special-occasion meal; gyoza and the local hamburg chain are the everyday ones. Prices are well below Tel Aviv.

Ishimatsu Gyoza, Hamamatsu Station · Plate of Hamamatsu gyoza, about ¥800-1,200
Sawayaka · Charcoal hamburg steak, about ¥1,200-1,800
Hamatarou · Hamamatsu gyoza near the station, about ¥500-1,000
Gomihacchin · Local ramen-and-gyoza chain, about ¥800-1,200
Ippudo, Hamamatsu Station · Tonkotsu ramen, about ¥900-1,200
Mark's Cafe · Coffee and a light bite, about ¥500-900

Museums in Hamamatsu

Museum of Musical Instruments · Instruments from every continent; audio guides let you hear them
Suzuki History Museum · Looms, motorbikes and small cars; free with booking
Yamaha Innovation Road · Yamaha instruments past and present
Hamamatsu City Museum · Local history beside the shell mound
Hamamatsu Festival Pavilion · Giant festival kites on display by the dunes

Nature and day trips near Hamamatsu

Nakatajima Sand Dunes · Wide dunes on the Pacific, best near sunset
Ryugashido Cave · Cave walk of about 40 minutes with an inside waterfall
Hamanako Garden Park · Large free park on the lake with flower beds and a tower
Bentenjima · Torii in the water and sunset over the lake mouth
Kanzanji Ropeway · Over the lake to a viewpoint

Things to do in Hamamatsu with kids

Hamanako Pal Pal · Small amusement park by the lake
Hamamatsu Zoo · Hillside zoo next to the flower park
Hamamatsu Flower Park · Seasonal gardens, tulips in spring
Hamamatsu Science Museum · Hands-on science and a planetarium near the station
JASDF Air Park · Jets to sit in and flight simulators
Unagi Pie Factory · Watch the biscuits made; free tour and café

Where to eat in Hamamatsu

Unagi no Fujita · Grilled eel over rice; a full box about ¥4,000-6,000
Unagi Maruhama · Eel restaurant by the station
Unagi and washoku Uokacchan · Eel and Japanese set meals
Nishikika gyoza · Hamamatsu gyoza with beer
Tororoya · Grated yam and rice sets
Numazu Uogashi Sushi · Sushi counter at the station mall

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Frequently asked questions about Hamamatsu

What is there to see in Hamamatsu?

The top sights in Hamamatsu are Hamamatsu Castle, Museum of Musical Instruments and Act City Tower. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Hamamatsu?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Hamamatsu without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Hamamatsu?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Hamamatsu, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Music and machines.

How do you get to Hamamatsu and get around?

The main ways are Hamamatsu Station, Shin-Hamamatsu Station and Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Hamamatsu, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Hamamatsu that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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