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Once known as a capital of industry, Shizuoka’s city of Hamamatsu is now a destination for vacationers thanks to its beautiful scenery and great food.
Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka
If you're in the midst of planning for a trip to Japan, you might just have come across the name Shizuoka by now. But Shizuoka Prefecture isn't only the home of Mount Fuji! Shizuoka's city of Hamamatsu, a stop on the shinkansen line that connects Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyoto, is a unique destination: part industrial center and part lakeside resort, on the shores of Lake Hamanako (浜名湖, also called Lake Hamana). Home to Honda vehicles and Yamaha pianos, but also known for some of the best eel in Japan, Hamamatsu City is an off-the-beaten-path spot that's shockingly accessible. At first glance it might be hard to see, but if luxe onsen (温泉, hot springs), high-quality tea, gourmet seafood (eel and pufferfish) and gyoza, and botanical gardens full of flowers sound good to you, you might just want to start planning your trip to Hamamatsu.
Thanks to Hamamatsu Station's place on the Tokaido Shinkansen (bullet train) line, it's one of the most easily accessible cities in Japan, just a few stops away from Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, or Kyoto. Or if it's the first stop on your Japan travel itinerary, you can take the bus directly there from Nagoya Chubu International Airport. Once you arrive in the city, a variety of local rail lines and buses can get you from place to place. To get the most out of the city, it might be worth looking into the Hamanako Rail Pass, which is a 2- or 3-day pass that gives you unlimited rides on the Entetsu Railway, Entetsu Buses, Tenryu Hamanako Railroad, and Hamanako Cruises, plus a one-way ride on the airport bus.
Lake Hamanako
Lake Hamanako (浜名湖): Cable Cars and Salty Waters
Tenryu Hamanako Railroad (天竜浜名湖鉄道): Historic Stations & Fields of Flowers
Nicknamed the Tenhama Line, this local railroad is the polar opposite of the shinkansen that can take you to Hamamatsu Station. Winding its way through western Shizuoka, the ~70km (42 mile) railway is full of retro charm and local history. About a dozen of the Tenhama stations are registered as national tangible cultural properties, thanks to well-maintained historical buildings and connections to railroad history, and our ride on the train line felt a little like traveling back in time. A must-see for railway fans.
Nukumori no Mori (ぬくもりの森): Fairytale Architecture & Owls
A scene straight out of Studio Ghibli? A village stolen from rural Europe? A new Disney park? No, this is Nukumori no Mori, which loosely translates to "Cozy Forest."
Strawberry Picking
Bentenjima (弁天島): Benten Island & Its Shrine Gate
Hoshino Resorts KAI Enshu: Green Tea & Hot Springs
Lake Hamana Flower Festival
Japan loves its seasonal culture, and that's not just limited to seasonal cuisine like fugu and unagi. Throughout the spring and summer, countless varieties of flower bloom throughout Japan and become colorful attractions in and of themselves, with parks and botanical gardens drawing travelers from around the country – and the world. Outside of Japan, the country's springtime cherry blossoms are most well-known, but the Hamamatsu City's yearly Lake Hamana Flower Festival (浜名湖花フェスタ) celebrates those and much more. We headed to Hamamatsu Flower Park to see as many flowers as we could!
More Unagi & Gyoza
Unagi at Kanzanjien
Visiting Hamamatsu, we couldn't limit ourselves to just one meal of unagi! So we headed right to the source, and sat right over the water while we dug into rice bowls topped with the grilled eel. It's Lake Hamanako's brackish mix of fresh lake water and salty water from the Pacific Ocean that makes it such a good habitat for eel, so we gave our thanks to the lake as we enjoyed our meals.
Hamamatsu Gyoza at Ishimatsu
Gyoza are ubiquitous in Japan, and the meaty little dumplings make a perfect snack with drinks or a full meal, but there are two cities especially famous for their gyoza. One is Utsunomiya in Tochigi, and the other is Hamamatsu, where they've been a staple for over 100 years.
Unagi Pies from the Unagi Pie Factory
Already dreaming of all the food you'll eat in Hamamatsu, but not sure what to bring home to your friends? The go-to souvenir is the Unagi Pie, a flakey, sweet pastry confection, similar in texture to French elephant ear cookies. Travelers can visit the Unagi Pie factory in Hamamatsu for a real look at the production line, along with a cafe, and a small museum space that offers some interesting Unagi Pie trivia.
The pie crust texture of the cookies is the obvious reason for the "pie" part of the name, but you might be just as surprised as we were to learn the reason why they're literally called "eel pies." You see, Unagi Pies actually have real eel extract added to the dough, deepening the flavor with an extra touch of umami! But it turns out that eel extract isn't the only secret ingredient in the recipe, despite the undeniably sweet flavor of the snack, they actually contain garlic as well!
See You Again Soon, Hamamatsu!
Mount Fuji might be iconic, off in the distance, but after this trip the Japankuru team truly discovered how much more Shizuoka has to offer. Days spent gliding over Lake Hamanako, running through fields of tulips, and feasting on unagi, plus nights soaking in onsen baths and sipping fragrant green tea – if you're looking for a destination that feels off-the-beaten-path but is really about as conveniently accessible as it gets, consider a trip to Hamamatsu City!
See more of our trip to Hamamatsu in our video below ⇩, and tell us what you think (or about your future plans to Shizuoka) on the Japankuru twitter, instagram, and facebook!
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NAME:Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka
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