Hamamatsu (浜松市,Hamamatsu-shi) is acity located in westernShizuoka Prefecture,Japan. In September 2023, the city had an estimatedpopulation of 780,128 in 340,591 households,[1] making it the prefecture's largest city, with apopulation density of 500/km2 (1,300/sq mi) over the total urban area of 1,558.06 km2 (601.57 sq mi). The city ranked first in the happiness index of Japan's government-designated cities, published by the Japan Research Institute, in both 2018 and 2022.[2]
The area now comprising Hamamatsu has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous remains from theJōmon period andKofun period having been discovered within the present city limits, including theShijimizuka siteshell mound and theAkamonue Kofun ancient tomb.
Hamamatsu is 260 kilometres (160 mi) southwest ofTokyo.[6]
Hamamatsu consists of a flat plain and the Mikatahara Plateau in the south, and a mountainous area in the north. It is roughly bordered byLake Hamana to the west, theTenryū River to the east, and thePacific Ocean to the south.
The climate in southern Hamamatsu has ahumid subtropical climate with cool to mild winters with little snowfall; however, it is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon calledEnshū no Karakaze, which is unique to the region. The climate in northern Hamamatsu is much harsher because offoehn winds. Summer is hot with the highest temperature often exceeds 35 degrees in the Tenryu-ku area, while it snows in winter.
Climate data for Hamamatsu (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1882−present)
Hamamatsu has a significant non-Japanese population. The population ofNikkei foreigners, especially Brazilians, increased after a 1990 change in Japanese immigration law allowed them to work in Japan. At one point, Hamamatsu had the largest Brazilian Nikkei population of any Japanese city.[11] Many foreigners work in the manufacturing sector, taking temporary jobs inHonda,Suzuki, andYamaha plants.[6] As of 2008[update] the number of non-Japanese in Hamamatsu was 33,332.[12] Portuguese signage can be seen throughout the city, and many businesses catering to Brazilians display Brazilian flags. The city also hosts a Brazilian school.[11] However, Natsuko Fukue ofThe Japan Times wrote in 2010 that many foreign children have difficulty integrating to society in Hamamatsu because "Japanese and foreign communities live largely separate from one another."[6]
The foreign population dropped significantly after the2008 financial crisis, with the Hamamatsu city government offering aid for some foreign nationals to return to their home countries.[13] The foreign population was estimated as 25,084 as of August 1, 2019, per official city statistics.[14]
Hamamatsu has amayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and aunicameral city legislature of 46 members. The city contributes 15 members to the Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly.
On 1 January 2024, the number of wards was reduced from seven to three as part of a municipal reorganization.Naka-ku,Higashi-ku,Nishi-ku,Minami-ku andKita-ku were merged into a newChūō-ku, Hamakita-ku and Kita-ku were merged to formHamana-ku, while Tenryu-ku will remain unchanged. The reorganization was initially approved by a referendum held on April 7, 2019.[15]
Hamamatsu has been famous as an industrial city, especially formusical instruments andmotorcycles. It also has been known for fabric industry, but most of those companies and factories went out of business in the 1990s. As of 2010, Greater Hamamatsu, HamamatsuMetropolitan Employment Area, has a GDP of US$54.3 billion.[16][17]2014 Hamamatsu's GDP per capita(PPP) was US$41,470.[18]
Elementary and junior high schools are operated by the city government. As of 2008[update], the city had 117 public elementary schools and 52 public junior high schools.[24]
The city formerly hosted other Brazilian schools, Colégio Pitágoras Brasil and Escola Cantinho Feliz.[27]
As of May 1, 2009, the municipal elementary and junior high schools had 1,638 non-Japanese students.[28] As of 2008[update], there were 932Brazilians enrolled in Hamamatsu's municipal elementary and junior high schools: 646 Brazilians were enrolled in 61 public elementary schools, and 286 Brazilians were enrolled in 38 public junior high schools.[24]
Within public schools Brazilian students have the same academic programs and take the same classes as Japanese nationals.[24] Special teachers and assistants work with foreign students at municipal elementary and junior high schools with significant numbers of non-Japanese enrolled.[29] In particular the schools use their part-time interpreters to assist Brazilian students. The interpreters are not formal teachers, yet Tsutsumi Angela Aparecida of Hamamatsu's Burajiru Fureai Kai wrote that "[t]heir assistance has become very useful".[24] Toshiko Sugino of theNational Defense Academy of Japan wrote that the municipal and prefectural schools in Hamamatsu "follow traditional views of education and enforce rigid school rules" despite the reputation of open-mindedness in the residents of Hamamatsu, causing some foreigners to send their non-Japanese children to foreign private schools.[30]
As of 2008, many Brazilian parents have difficulty in deciding whether to send their children to Japanese schools or Brazilian schools, and it is common for Brazilian children attending Japanese schools to switch to a Brazilian school and vice versa.[24] By 2010, many Brazilian parents had lost their jobs due to an economic decline, and many were unable to afford the Brazilian school monthly tuitions of ¥30,000 to ¥40,000.[6]
As of 2010, about 50% of Brazilians of high school age in Hamamatsudo not attend high school. The inability to afford high school and difficulty with Japanese resulted in lower high school attendance rates. Hamamatsu NPO Network Center has made efforts to increase school attendance.[6]
In Hamamatsu volunteers and a non-profit organization have established Japanese-language classes and native language classes for foreign children.[29]
Act City Tower Observatory: Hamamatsu's onlyskyscraper, situated next to JR Hamamatsu Station, is a symbol of the city. It was designed to resemble aharmonica, 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 overlooking all of central Hamamatsu, even down to the sand dunes at the shore.
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, near city hall. It was built byTokugawa Ieyasu. His rule marks the beginning of theEdo period. Tokugawa Ieyasu lived here from 1571 to 1588. There is a small museum inside, which houses some armor and other relics of the period, as well as a miniature model of how the city might have looked 400 years ago. North of the castle is a large park with aJapanese garden, akoi pond, aceremonial teahouse, and some commons areas.
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. At the Akiha Temple, afirewalking ceremony is performed where both believers and spectators celebrate the festival.
When a family commemorates the firstObon holidays after the death of a loved one, they may request that adainenbutsu (Buddhist chanting ritual) be performed outside their house. This is one of the local performing arts of the region. The group always forms a procession in front of the house led by a person carrying a lantern and marches to the sound offlutes, Japanesedrums andcymbals.
Hamamatsu Kite Festival is also called Hamamatsu Festival. Hamamatsu Kite Festival held from May 3 to May 5 each year, includes aTako Gassen, or 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 flyingHatsu Dako, or the first kite, became popular, and this tradition has survived in the form of Hamamatsu Kite Festival. During the nights of Hamamatsu Kite Festival, people parade downtown carrying over 70yatai, or palace-lake floats, that are beautifully decorated while playing Japanese traditional festival music. The festival reaches its peak when groups representing the city's various districts compete by energetically marching through the downtown streets.
This festival is held in honor of Ryujin, the god believed to be associated with theTenryū River, and features a wide variety of events such as the Hamakita takoage (kite flying) event and theHiryu himatsuri (flying dragon fire festival) which celebrates water, sound, and flame.
This festival celebrates Hamamatsu's history as a city of musical instruments and music, and brings dozens of the best young pianists from all over the world. It has been held triennially since 1991 at the Act City Concert Hall and Main Hall.
This event takes place in Man'yō-no-Mori Park to commemorate theMan'yō period and introduce its culture. As part of the festival, people reenact the ancient past by wearing traditional clothes from theHeian period and presentingJapanese poetry readings.
One of the fewpuppet 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.
This reenactment of a procession made by the princess in herpalanquin along with her entourage of over 100 people including maids,samurai, and servants makes for a splendid scene beneath thecherry blossoms along theToda River. In theEdo period, princesses enjoyed traveling this road which came to be known as ahime kaidō (princess road).
In Ryusui Garden there is a stream with seven small waterfalls and about 80 weepingume trees pruned to give the appearance ofdragons riding on clouds to the heavens. There are also 200 young trees planted along the mountainside.
Honda FC which playsJapan Football League (third division) games at their ownMiyakoda Soccer Stadium. Honda competed in theJapan Soccer League's First Division from 1981 to 1991, but chose to relegate itself and not compete in the professional divisions due to parent companyHonda's choice to retain team ownership. Many Hamamatsu football fans prefer to followJúbilo Iwata, across theTenryū River inIwata. Júbilo maintains a club shop within Hamamatsu.
Volare FC Hamamatsu, an autonomous club who competed in the Tokai Regional Football League Division 2 in 2011, flouted plans to either overtake Honda FC or merge with it, but it finished last in the Tokai League and was relegated.Hamamatsu University also keeps a team in the said division, but college teams cannot be promoted to the top three tiers.
^浜松市."合併の経緯".浜松市公式ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved2024-02-07.平成17年7月1日、浜松市、浜北市、天竜市、舞阪町、雄踏町、細江町、引佐町、三ヶ日町、春野町、佐久間町、水窪町及び龍山村の12市町村が合併して、新しい浜松市が誕生しました。
^住民基本台帳人口移動報告年報 [Annual Report on Population Movement in the Basic Resident Register] (in Japanese). 総務庁統計局. 2005. p. 142.Tenryu-shi, Hamakita-shi, Haruno-cho, Tatsuyama-mura, Sakuma-cho, Misakubo-cho, Maisaka-cho, Yuto-cho, Hosoe-cho, Inasa-cho, and Mikkabi-cho were incorporated into Hamamatsu-shi as of July 1, 2005.
^Semmens, Peter (1997).High Speed in Japan: Shinkansen - The World's Busiest High-speed Railway. Sheffield, UK: Platform 5 Publishing. p. 58.ISBN1-872524-88-5.
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