Hamamatsu

is a ceety locatit in wastren Shizuoka Prefectur, Japan.  On 1 Julie 2005, the ceety mergit wi 11 surroondin ceeties an touns. It became a ceety designatit bi govrenment ordinance on 1 Aprile 2007.

 History 
The aurie nou comprisin Hamamatsu haes been settled syne prehistoric times, wi numerous remains frae the Jomon period an Kofun period haein been discovered athin the present ceety leemits, includin the Akamonue Kofun in wha is nou present-day Hamakita-ku In the Nara period, it became the caipital o Tōtōmi Province. Durin the Sengoku period, Hamamatsu Castle wis the hame o futur Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. Hamamatsu flourished durin the Edo period unner a succession o daimyo rulers as a castle toun, an as a post toun on the Tōkaidō. Efter the Meiji Restoration, Hamamatsu became a short-livit prefectur frae 1871–1876, efter which it wis unitit wi Shizuoka Prefecture. The Tōkaidō Main Line railwey opened Hamamatsu Station in 1889. The same year, in a cadastal reform o Japan, Hamamatsu became a toun.

 1 Julie 1911 - Hamamatsu is upgradit frae a toun tae a ceety.
 1918 - Rice Riots o 1918 affect Hamamatsu
 1921 - The veelage o Tenjinchō merges wi Hamamatsu
 1926 - Imperial Japanese Airmy Hamamatsu Air Base opens
 1933 - Imperial Japanese Airmy Flicht Schuil opens.
 1936 - The veelages o Hikuma an Fujizuka merge wi Hamamatsu
 7 December 1944 - Tonankai Yirdquauk causes hintle damage
 Juin 1945 - Hamamatsu lairgely destroyed bi US air raids
 1948 - Hamamatsu Incident, ethnic riotin Zainichi Korean residents.
 1951 - The veelages o Aratsu, Goto, Kawarin merge wi Hamamatsu
 1954 - Aicht veelages in Hamana Destrict merge wi Hamamatsu
 1955 - The veelage o Miyakoda merges wi Hamamatsu
 1957 - The veelage o Irino merges wi Hamamatsu
 1960 - The veelage o Seto merges wi Hamamatsu
 1961 - The veelage o Shinohara merges wi Hamamatsu
 1965 - The veelage o Shonai merges wi Hamamatsu
 Mey 1, 1990 - Hamamatsu Arena opened.
 1 Januar 1991- The veelage o Kami in Hamana Destrict merges wi Hamamatsu.
 1 Aprile 1991- The first Hamamatsu International Piano Competition wis held.
 1 Mey 1994 - Act Ceety Hamamatsu opened.
 1 October 1995 - Hamamatsu Museum o Muisical Instruments opened.
 1 Aprile 1996 - Hamamatsu is designatit a core ceety bi the central govrenment.
 1 Juin 1996 - Hamamatsu Ceety Fruit Pairk opened.
 1 Januar 1997 - Stairtit separatit collection o garbage in residential auries.
 1 Aprile 1997 - Hamamatsu is designatit as an Omnibus Toun.
 1 Aprile 1998 - Act Ceety Muisical Schuil opened.
 3 Aprile 2000 - Shizuoka University o Airt an Cultur opened.
 1 Julie 2001 - Commemoratit the ceety's 90t anniversary.
 1 August 2002 - Launched the conference on Pan-Hamanako Designated Ceety Simulation.
 1 Aprile 2003 - Shizuoka New Kawafuji Naitional High School Competition wis held.
 1 Juin 2003 - Launched Tenryūgawa-Hamanako Region Merger Conference.
 8 Aprile - 11 October 2004 - Pacific Flora 2004 (Shizuoka International Garden an Horticultur Exhibition) wis held at Hamanako Garden Pairk.
 1 Julie 2005 - Hamamatsu mergit wi Hamakita an Tenryū; Inasa, Hosoe, an Mikkabi in Inasa Destrict (resultin in the destrict's dissolution); Yūtō an Maisaka in Hamana Destrict; Sakuma, Misakubo, an Tatsuyama in Iwata Destrict (dissolvit as a result an aw); an Haruno in Shūchi Destrict.
 1 Aprile 2007 - Hamamatsu became a ceety designatit bi govrenment ordinance bi the central govrenment.

 Geography 
Hamamatsu consists o a flat plain an the Mikatahara Plateau in the sooth, an a muntainous aurie in the north. It is roughly bordered bi Lake Hamana tae the wast, the Tenryū River tae the east, an the Paceefic Ocean tae the sooth. The climate in soothren Hamamatsu is mild wi little snaw faw in the winter; housomeivver, it is windy in winter acause o the dry monsoon cried Enshū no Karakaze, which is unique tae the region. The climate in northren Hamamatsu is hintle hairsker acause o foehn winds. In simmers, the heichest temperatur aften exceeds 35 degrees in the Tenryu-ku aurie, while it snaws in winter.

 Wairds 
Hamamatsu is admeenistratively dividit intae seiven wairds:

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

 Tourism 
 Act City Tower Observatory - Hamamatsu's anly skyscraper, situated next tae JR Hamamatsu Station, is a seembol o the city. It wis designed tae resemble a harmonica, a reminder that Hamamatsu is whiles kent as the "City of Music".  The building houses shopping an a fuid court, the Okura Hotel, an an observatory on the 45th floor overlooking aw o central Hamamatsu, even doun tae the saund dunes at the shore.
 Chopin Monument This is a 1:1-scale replica o the famous Art Nouveau bronze statue o Chopin bi the famed airtist Wacław Szymanowski. The oreeginal is in Hamamatsu's sister city, Warsaw.　
 Hamamatsu Castle - Hamamatsu Castle Pairk stretches frae the modren city hall building tae the north. The castle is locatit on a hill in the southeast corner o the pairk, near city hall. It wis biggit bi Tokugawa Ieyasu. His rule marks the beginnin o the Edo Period. Tokugawa Ieyasu lived here frae 1571 tae 1588.  Thare is a smaw museum inside, which houses some airmour an ither relics o the period, as well as a miniature model o how the city might hae looked 400 years ago. North o the castle is a lairge pairk wi a Japanese garden, a koi pond, a ceremonial teahouse, an some commons auries.
 Nakatajima Sand Dunes - ane o the 3 lairgest saund dune auries in Japan
 Hamamatsu Flower Pairk
 Hamamatsu Fruit Pairk
 Hamamatsu Municipal Zoo

 Industry 
Hamamatsu haes been famous as an industrial ceety, especially for muisical instruments an motorcycles. It haes been kent for fabric industry an aw, but maist o those companies an factories went oot o business in the 1990s. O the 274,700 Japanese Brazilians wirkin in Japan, currently 19,000 wirk in Hamamatsu.

Companies headquartered in Hamamatsu
 Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
 Kawai Muisical Instruments Mfg.
 Roland Corporation
 Suzuki
 Tōkai Gakki (kent as Tokai Guitars Company Ltd. an aw)
 Yamaha Corporation

 Companies foondit in Hamamatsu 
 Honda
 Transportation 
 Railways 
Hamamatsu is a station on the Tōkaidō Shinkansen an Tōkaidō Main Line. This station is servit bi a sma selection o Hikari services an aw passin Kodama services. Hamamatsu is approximately haufwey alang the Tōkaidō line, as the journey time tae baith Tokyo an Shin-Osaka is approximately ane an hauf oors wi Hikari, an twa oors wi Kodama.

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

Iida Line stops at several stations in Sakuma aurie.

Enshu Railway Line, kent as Akaden (the reid train) an aw, is a local line runnin north frae Shin-Hamamatsu Station throu Nishikajima Station.

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

 Roads 
 Expressways
 Tōmei Expressway (Hamamatsu I.C., Hamamatsu Nishi I.C., an Mikkabi I.C.)
 Second Tomei Expressway (unner construction)
 Sanen Nanshin Highway (unner construction)
 Bypasses
 Hamamatsu Bypass
 Hamana Bypass
 Naitional Heich-gates
 Route 1
 Route 42
 Route 150
 Route 152
 Route 257
 Route 301
 Route 362

 Airport 
Thare are nae civilian airports in Hamamatsu. Shizuoka Airport() is the closest, locatit  frae Hamamatsu station atween Makinohara an Shimada

Chūbu Centrair International Airport in Aichi Prefectur, locatit aboot frae Chūbu Centrair International Airport tae Hamamatsu station() (surveying http://vldb.gsi.go.jp/sokuchi/surveycalc/bl2stf.html ) wast o the ceety, is the seicont closest.

 Festivals 

Akiha Fire Festival
Ever syne lang ago, Moont Akiha wis believed tae hae supernatural powers tae prevent fires. Bow an arrow, swuird, an fire dances are performed at the Akiha Shrine. At the Akiha Temple, a firewalking ceremony is performed whaur baith believers an spectators celebrate the festival. (Haruno, Tenryu-ku — December)

Enshu Dainenbutsu
When a faimily commemorates the first Obon holidays efter the daith o a loved ane, thay mey request that a dainenbutsu (Buddhist chanting ritual) be performed ootside thair hoose. This is ane o the local performing airts o the region. The group always forms a procession in front o the hoose led bi a person carrying a lantern an marches tae the sound o flutes, Japanese drums an cymbals. (Saigagake Museum, Hamamatsu City — Julie 15)

Hamamatsu Festival
Hamamatsu Festival, held frae Mey 3 throu Mey 5 each year, is weel kent for Takoage Gassen, or the kite fecht, an luxuriously decorated palace-lik floats. The festival originated aboot 430 years ago, when the lord o Hamamatsu Castle celebrated the birth o his first son bi fleein kites. In the Meiji Era, the celebration o the birth o a first son bi fleein Hatsu Dako, or the first kite, became popular, an this tradeetion haes survived in the form o Hamamatsu Festival. It is extremely exciting tae see ower 160 lairge kites fleein in the sky tae the sound o trumpets. Those who veesit Hamamatsu at this time o the year can experience the city at its maist exciting time.

During the nights o Hamamatsu Festival, fowk parade downtown carrying ower 70 yatai, or palace-lake floats, that are beautifully decorated while playin Japanese traditional festival muisic. The festival reaches its peak when groups o fowk compete bi violently marching across toun. (Naka-ku, Minami-ku — Mey)

Hamakita Hiryu Festival
This festival is held in honour o Ryujin, the god o the Tenryu River, an features a wide variety o events sic as the Hamakita takoage (kite fleein) event an the Hiryu himatsuri (fleein draigon fire festival) which celebrates watter, sound, an flame. (Hamakita-ku — Juin)

Hamamatsu International Piano Competition
This festival celebrates Hamamatsu's history as a city o muisical instruments an muisic, an brings dozens o the best young pianists frae aw ower the warld. It haes been held triennially syne 1991 at the Act City Concert Hall an Main Hall. (November)

Hamakita Manyo Festival
This event takes place in Manyo-no-Mori Pairk tae commemorate the Manyo Period an introduce its cultur. As pairt o the festival, fowk reenact the auncient past bi wearing traditional claes frae the Heian period an presenting Japanese poetry readings. 
(Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu — October)

Inasa Puppet Festival
Ane o the few puppet festivals held in Japan, featurin 60 performances o aboot 30 plays bi puppet masters frae aw ower the kintra. The shows provide a full day o enjoyment for baith childer an adults. (Inasa, Kita-ku — November)

Princess Road Festival
This reenactment o a procession made bi the princess in her palanquin alang wi her entourage o ower 100 fowk includin maids, samurai, an servants maks for a splendid scene beneath the cherry blossoms alang the Toda River. In the Edo period, princesses enjoyed travelin this road which came tae be kent as a hime kaidō (princess road). 
(Hosoe, Kita-ku — Aprile)

Shoryu Weeping Ume Blossom Festival
In Ryusui Garden thare is a stream wi seiven sma waterfaws an aboot 80 weepin ume trees pruned tae gie the appearance o draigons ridin on clouds tae the heavens. Thare are 200 young trees planted alang the muntainside an aw. (Inasa, Kita-ku — late Februar tae late Mairch)

Notable fowk

Michio Suzuki (1887–1982)
Soichiro Honda
Torakusu Yamaha
Kenjiro Takayanagi
Koichi Kawai
Koji Suzuki
Hiromi Uehara
Yuri Chinen

 Radio stations 
 FM Haro! (JOZZ6AB FM, 76.1 MHz)
 K-MIX (JOKU FM, 78.4 MHz)
 NHK FM (JOPK FM, 82.1 MHz)
 Radio Phoenix (internet)

 Colleges an universities 
 Hamamatsu Gakuin University
 Hamamatsu University
 Hamamatsu University Schuil o Medicine
 Seirei Christopher University
 Shizuoka University (Faculty o Ingineerin an Faculty o Information)
 Shizuoka University o Airt an Cultur

Sports teams
Fitbaa
The closest thing tae a tap diveesion club Hamamatsu haes is Honda F.C., which play Japan Football League (third diveesion) gemmes at thair awn Miyakoda Soccer Stadium. Honda competit in the Japan Soccer League's First Diveesion frae 1981 tae 1991, but chose tae relegate itsel an no compete in the profeesional diveesions due tae parent company Honda's choice tae retain team awnership. Maist Hamamatsu fitbaa fans prefer tae follae Júbilo Iwata, athort the Tenryu River in Iwata. Júbilo maintains a club shop athin Hamamatsu.

Volare FC Hamamatsu, an autonomous club who competit in the Tokai Regional Football League Diveesion 2 in 2011, floutit plans tae aither owertake Honda FC or merge wi it, but it feenished last in the Tokai League an wis relegatit. Hamamatsu University keeps a team in the said diveesion an aw, but college teams canna be promotit tae the tap three tiers.

 Internaitional relations 
Hamamatsu haes ratifeed Muisic Cultur Exchange Treaty wi the follaein ceeties (housomeivver, o the follaein Rochester is the anerlie offeecial sister ceety):
  Rochester, New York, Unitit States (syne 1 October 1996)

 Twin touns an sister ceeties 
Hamamatsu is twinned wi:
  Warsaw, Poland (syne 1 Februar 1990) 
  Rochester, New York, Unitit States (syne October, 2006)
  Camas, Washington, Unitit States (syne September, 1981)
  Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
  Chehalis, Washington, Unitit States (syne October, 1998)
  Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil
  Porterville, Californie, Unitit States (syne October, 1981)

 References 

 Freemit airtins 

 Ceety's offeecial wabsteid 

Category:Ceeties in Shizuoka Prefectur
Category:Populatit coastal places in Japan
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