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is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
located in western
Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the north ...
, Japan. the city had an estimated
population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using ...
of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a
population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
of . The total area of the site was .


Overview

Hamamatsu is a member of the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level o ...
’s Alliance for Healthy Cities (AFHC).


Cityscapes

File:Hamamatsu Castle, enkei-3.jpg, Hamamatsu Castle(2021) File:Views from Hamamatsu Castle20211002.jpg, City views from Hamamatsu Castle(2021) File:Hamamatsu view - panoramio.jpg, CBD of Hamamatsu File:Hamamatsu from Mount Tonmaku.jpg, Part of Hamamatsu Skyline File:Skyline of Hamamatsu01.jpg, Skyline of Hamamatsu File:Arco Mall Yurakugai in Hamamatsu City(2).jpg, Yūrakugai File:Night view of Hamamatsu city.jpg, Night view of Hamamatsu


Geography

Hamamatsu is southwest of
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
.Fukue, Natsuko.
Nonprofit brings together foreign, Japanese residents in Hamamatsu

Archive
. ''
The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...
''. March 13, 2010. Retrieved on October 12, 2015.
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 to the west, the Tenryū River to the east, and the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...
to the south.


Climate

The climate in southern Hamamatsu has a humid subtropical climate with cool to mild winters with little snowfall; however, it is windy in winter because of the dry monsoon called ''Enshū no Karakaze'', which is unique to the region. The climate in northern Hamamatsu is much harsher because of
foehn wind A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of i ...
s. Summer is hot with the highest temperature often exceeds 35 degrees in the Tenryu-ku area, while it snows in winter.


Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hamamatsu has been increasing over the past 70 years.


Foreign population

Hamamatsu has a significant non-Japanese population. The population of
Nikkei Nikkei can refer to: *, abbreviated , Nikkei, a large media corporation in Japan *, abbreviated , Nikkei, a major business newspaper published in Japan *, a Japanese stock market index, published by ''Nihon Keizai Shimbun'' *, often simply ''Nikkei ...
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,Sugino, Toshiko (
National Defense Academy of Japan National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
).
Linguistic Challenges and Possibilities of Immigrants In Case of Nikkei Brazilians in Japan
(Country Note on Topics for Breakout Session 4)
Archive
. Centre for Education Research and Innovation (CERI),
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...
br>See list of reports
p. 1/8. Retrieved on October 12, 2015.
Many foreigners work in the manufacturing sector, taking temporary jobs in
Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
,
Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
, and Yamaha plants. the number of non-Japanese in Hamamatsu was 33,332,Aparecida, Tsutsumi Angela (Burajiru Fureai Kai).
The Contradiction Between "Being and Seeming" Reinforces Low Academic Performance

Archive
. ''US-China Education Review'' B 2 (2012) p. 217-223. CITED: p. 217.
and by 2010 the number exceeded 30,000. The city has a lot of Portuguese signage. It includes a Brazilian school, and many businesses catering to Brazilians display Brazilian flags. However, Natsuko Fukue of ''
The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...
'' 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." The foreign population dropped significantly in the aftermath of the global financial crisis in 2008, with the Hamamatsu city government offering aid for some foreign nationals to return to their home countries. The foreign population was estimated as 25,084 as of August 1, 2019, per official city statistics,


Neighboring municipalities

;
Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the north ...
* Iwata * Kosai * Shimada * Mori * Kawanehon ; Aichi Prefecture *
Toyohashi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-la ...
* Shinshiro * Tōei * Toyone ;
Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the n ...
* Iida * Tenryū


History


Prehistoric Ages

The area now comprising Hamamatsu has been settled since prehistoric times, with numerous remains from the
Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between   6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a ...
and Kofun period having been discovered within the present city limits, including the Shijimizuka site shell mound and the
Akamonue Kofun is a keyhole-shaped ''kofun'' burial mound located in the Uchino district of Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture Japan. It is protected by the prefectural government as a national historic site. Located on the eastern edge of the Mikatah ...
ancient tomb. File:Shijimizuka Site, tatemono.jpg, Shijimizuka site File:Komyosan Kofun, kouenbu-1.jpg,
Kōmyōsan Kofun The is a ''Kofun period'' burial mound located in the Yamahigashi neighborhood of Tenryū-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture in the Chūbu region of Japan. The tumulus was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2020. Overview The K ...


Ancient Ages

In the
Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara, Nara, Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remai ...
, it became the capital of Tōtōmi Province.


Middle Ages

During the
Sengoku period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...
, Hamamatsu Castle was the home of future ''
shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...
''
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...
. File:高根城(浜松市).jpg, Takane Castle File:井伊谷宮 - panoramio (2).jpg,
Iinoya-gū is a Shinto shrine in Kita-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1872, and its main festival is held annually on September 22. It is one of the Fifteen Shrines of the Kenmu Restoration. History Iinoya-gū is dedicated ...
File:Hamamatsu Castle Park 浜松城公園3 - panoramio.jpg,
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...
File:Hamamatsu Castle, enkei-2.jpg, Hamamatsu Castle File:Battle of Mikatagahara.jpg, Battle of Mikatagahara(1573)


Early Modern Ages

Hamamatsu flourished during the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
under a succession of ''
daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...
'' rulers as a
castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...
, and as a
post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...
on the Tōkaidō highway connecting
Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
with
Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...
. File:Brooklyn Museum - Hamamatsu from Fifty-three Stations on the Tokaido Highway (Tokaido Goju-san Tsugi no Uchi) - Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando).jpg, Hamamatsu-juku File:Hamamatsu (5759536694).jpg, Hamamatsu-juku File:NDL-DC 2554563 04-Utagawa Hiroshige-東海道五拾三次 舞坂-crd.jpg, Maisaka-juku File:Maisaka Gyosho Tokaido.jpg, Maisaka-juku


Late Modern Ages

After the
Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...
, Hamamatsu became a short-lived prefecture from 1871 to 1876, after which it was united with Shizuoka Prefecture. Hamamatsu Station opened on the
Tōkaidō Main Line The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parall ...
in 1889. The same year, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system, Hamamatsu became a town. * July 1, 1911: Hamamatsu is upgraded from a town to a city * 1918:
Rice riots of 1918 The were a series of popular disturbances that erupted throughout Japan from July to September 1918, which brought about the collapse of the Terauchi Masatake administration. Causes A precipitous rise in the price of rice caused extreme economi ...
affect Hamamatsu * 1921: The village of Tenjinchō merges with Hamamatsu * 1926:
Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...
Hamamatsu Air Base opens * 1933: Imperial Japanese Army Flight School opens * 1936: The villages of Hikuma and Fujizuka merge with Hamamatsu * December 7, 1944: Tonankai earthquake causes much damage * June 1945: Hamamatsu largely destroyed by US air raids File:Hamamatsu Hirokoji Dori in 1930s.jpg, Hirokoji Street in the 1930s File:Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha headquarter & factory in Hamamatsu, c.1935.jpg, Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha headquarter & factory(1935) File:Hamamatsu after the 1945 air raid.JPG, Bombing of Hamamatsu in World War II(1945)


Contemporary Ages

* 1948: Hamamatsu Incident, ethnic rioting of Zainichi Korean residents. * 1951: The villages of Aratsu, Goto, and Kawarin merge with Hamamatsu * 1954: Eight villages in Hamana District merge with Hamamatsu * 1955: The village of Miyakoda merges with Hamamatsu * 1957: The village of Irino merges with Hamamatsu * 1960: The village of Seto merges with Hamamatsu * 1961: The village of Shinohara merges with Hamamatsu * 1965: The village of Shonai merges with Hamamatsu * May 1, 1990: Hamamatsu Arena opened * January 1, 1991: The village of Kami in Hamana District merges with Hamamatsu. * April 1, 1991: The first
Hamamatsu International Piano Competition The Hamamatsu International Piano Competition has been held every 3 years since 1991 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan, and is open to pianists up to 30 years old. History The Piano Competition was inaugurated in 1991 to commemorate the 80th anniversar ...
was held. * May 1, 1994:
Act City Tower is a skyscraper in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is tall, and has 45 floors, making it the tallest building in Hamamatsu. It was constructed in 1994, and houses the Okura City Hotel in its top 17 floors, as well as observation deck ...
opened. * October 1, 1995: Hamamatsu Museum of Musical Instruments opened. * April 1, 1996: Hamamatsu is designated a
core city In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city ...
by the central government. * June 1, 1996: Hamamatsu City Fruit Park opened. * April 1, 1997: Hamamatsu is 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: The city's 90th anniversary is commemorated * 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: Hamamatsu absorbed the cities of
Hamakita was a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. On April 1, 2005, the city had an estimated population of 86,653 and a density of 1,300.00 persons per km2. The total area was 66.64 km2. It is now part of ward of Hamakita when th ...
and Tenryū; the town of Haruno (from Shūchi District), the towns of Hosoe, Inasa and Mikkabi (all from Inasa District), the towns of Misakubo and Sakuma, the village of Tatsuyama (all from Iwata District), and the towns of Maisaka and Yūtō (both from Hamana District) were merged into Hamamatsu. Inasa District and Iwata District were both dissolved as a result of this merger. Therefore, there are no more villages left in Shizuoka Prefecture. * April 1, 2007: Hamamatsu became a city designated by government ordinance by the central government.


Government

Hamamatsu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a
unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
city legislature of 46 members. The city contributes 15 members to the Shizuoka Prefectural Assembly.


Wards

Hamamatsu is administratively divided into seven wards:


External relations


Twin towns – sister cities


International

;Sister City Hamamatsu has ratified Music Culture Exchange Treaty with the following cities (however, of the following Rochester is the only official sister city): ;Twinned Cities Hamamatsu is
twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...
with: ;Friendship cities


Economy

Hamamatsu has been famous as an industrial city, especially for
musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...
s and
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruisin ...
s. 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, Hamamatsu Metropolitan Employment Area, has a GDP of US$54.3 billion. 2014 Hamamatsu's GDP per capita(PPP) was US$41,470.


Companies headquartered in Hamamatsu

* Enkei Corporation * Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. * Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg. *
Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment, and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on 18 April 1972. In 2005, its headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. It has f ...
* Suzuki Motor Co. * Tōkai Gakki (also known as ''Tokai Guitars Company Ltd.'') *
Yamaha Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate with a very wide range of products and services. It is one of the constituents of Nikkei 225 and is the world's largest musical instrument manufacturing company. The former motorcycle d ...


Companies founded in Hamamatsu

*
Honda Motor Co. is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
\
Acty System
File:The frontview of Suzuki SWIFT HYBRID RS (DAA-ZC53S).jpg, Suzuki Motor File:Yamaha MT-10.jpg, YAMAHA Motor


Media


Radio stations

*
FM Haro! FM Haro! (JOZZ6AB-FM, 76.1 MHz) is an FM radio station based in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan. It is the seventh "community FM radio station" opened in Japan. Broadcasting area is roughly bounded by Kikugawa, Shizuoka and Omaezaki, Shizuoka in the ...
(JOZZ6AB FM, 76.1 MHz) * K-MIX (JOKU FM, 78.4 MHz) * NHK FM (JOPK FM, 82.1 MHz) * SBS Radio (1404 kHz / 94.7 MHz) * Radio Phoenix (internet)


Transportation


Airways


Airport

* Hamamatsu Air Base There are no civilian airports in Hamamatsu. Shizuoka Airport () is the closest, located from Hamamatsu Station, between Makinohara and Shimada.
Chūbu Centrair International Airport is an international airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan. Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chubu ("ce ...
in Aichi Prefecture, located about west of the city, is the second closest.


Railways


High-Speed Rail

; Central Japan Railway Company * Tōkaidō Shinkansen:- - **JR Central Hamamatsu workshop: maintenance facility for the Tōkaidō Shinkansen


Conventional Lines

; Central Japan Railway Company *
Tōkaidō Main Line The is a major Japanese railway line of the Japan Railways Group (JR Group) network, connecting and stations. It is long, not counting its many freight feeder lines around the major cities. The high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen largely parall ...
:- - * Iida Line:- - ; Enshū Railway * Enshū Railway Line:- ; Tenryū Hamanako Railroad * Tenryū Hamanako Line:- -


Roads


Expressways

*
Tōmei Expressway The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The expressway is designated as E1 under the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering", because it parallels Na ...
(Hamamatsu interchange, Hamamatsu Nishi interchange, and Mikkabi interchange) * Shin-Tōmei Expressway


Hiways

* San-en Nanshin Expressway (under construction)


Bypasses

*Hamamatsu Bypass *Hamana Bypass


Japan National Highways

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **


Education


Colleges and universities

*
Hamamatsu Gakuin University is a private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public stude ...
* Hamamatsu University * Hamamatsu University School of Medicine *
Seirei Christopher University is a co-educational private university in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka Prefecture Japan. History Seirei Christopher University began as the “Bethel Home”, a private tuberculosis sanatorium established in 1932 by local Japanese Christians in Hama ...
* Shizuoka University (Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Informatics) * Shizuoka University of Art and Culture * Seisa University, Hamamatsu campus * Tokoha University, Hamamatsu campus


Primary and secondary schools

Senior high schools operated by Shizuoka Prefecture: * Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu North High School ( 静岡県立浜松北高等学校) * Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu Nishi (West) Senior and Junior High Schools ( 静岡県立浜松西高等学校・中等部) *
Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu East High School Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...
( 静岡県立浜松東高等学校) * Shizuoka Prefectural Hamamatsu South High School ( 静岡県立浜松南高等学校) * Shizuoka Prefectural Kiga High School ( 静岡県立気賀高等学校) *
Shizuoka Prefectural Kohoku High School Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefecture ...
( 静岡県立浜松湖東高等学校) *
Shizuoka Prefectural Mikkabi High School Shizuoka can refer to: * Shizuoka Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture * Shizuoka (city), the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture * Shizuoka Airport * Shizuoka Domain, the name from 1868 to 1871 for Sunpu Domain, a predecessor of Shizuoka Prefectur ...
( 静岡県立三ヶ日高等学校) There is one senior high school operated by the city government:
Hamamatsu Municipal Senior High School is a senior high school in Hamamatsu, Japan, operated by the city government. Because the city of Hamamatsu has one of the largest non-Japanese populations in the country, 60% of which is composed of expatriates of Brazilian descent.Sugino, Tos ...
Elementary and junior high schools are operated by the city government. , the city had 117 public elementary schools and 52 public junior high schools.Aparecida, Tsutsumi Angela (Burajiru Fureai Kai).
The Contradiction Between "Being and Seeming" Reinforces Low Academic Performance

Archive
. ''US-China Education Review'' B 2 (2012) p. 217-223. CITED: p. 218.


Multicultural education

The city has the following Brazilian international schools: * Escola Brasil (former Escola Brasileira de Hamamatsu) – Primary and secondary schoolEscolas Brasileiras Homologadas no Japão

Archive
. Embassy of Brazil in Tokyo. Retrieved on October 13, 2015.
* Escola Alegria de Saber – Primary and secondary school * Escola Alcance – Primary school It has one combined Peruvian school ( ペルー学校) and Brazilian primary school, Mundo de Alegría. The city formerly hosted other Brazilian schools, Colégio Pitágoras Brasil and Escola Cantinho Feliz. As of May 1, 2009, the municipal elementary and junior high schools had 1,638 non-Japanese students.Kitawaki, Yasuyuki (北脇保之) (Former mayor of Hamamatsu, Director of the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (CEMMER, 東京外国語大学多言語・多文化教育研究センター)).
A Japanese approach to municipal diversity management: The case of Hamamatsu City

Archive
. ''Managing Diversity: Stronger Communities, Better Cities''
Information about the bookArchive
. At the Council of Europe website. Retrieved on October 12, 2015. PDF p. 7-8/13.
, there were 932
Brazilians Brazilians ( pt, Brasileiros, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, which me ...
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. Within public schools Brazilian students have the same academic programs and take the same classes as Japanese nationals. Special teachers and assistants work with foreign students at municipal elementary and junior high schools with significant numbers of non-Japanese enrolled.Kitawaki, Yasuyuki (北脇保之) (Former mayor of Hamamatsu, Director of the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (CEMMER, 東京外国語大学多言語・多文化教育研究センター)).
A Japanese approach to municipal diversity management: The case of Hamamatsu City

Archive
. ''Managing Diversity: Stronger Communities, Better Cities''
Information about the bookArchive
. At the Council of Europe website. Retrieved on October 12, 2015. PDF p. 8/13.
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 " eir assistance has become very useful". Toshiko Sugino of the
National Defense Academy of Japan National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
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.Sugino, Toshiko (
National Defense Academy of Japan National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
).
Linguistic Challenges and Possibilities of Immigrants In Case of Nikkei Brazilians in Japan
(Country Note on Topics for Breakout Session 4)
Archive
. Centre for Education Research and Innovation (CERI),
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...

See list of reports
. p. 4/8. Retrieved on October 12, 2015.
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. 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. about 50% of Brazilians of high school age in Hamamatsu do 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. In Hamamatsu volunteers and a non-profit organization have established Japanese-language classes and native language classes for foreign children.


Local attractions

*
Act City Tower is a skyscraper in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is tall, and has 45 floors, making it the tallest building in Hamamatsu. It was constructed in 1994, and houses the Okura City Hotel in its top 17 floors, as well as observation deck ...
Observatory: Hamamatsu's only
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...
, situated next to JR Hamamatsu Station, is a symbol of the city. It was designed to resemble a
harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica in ...
, 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. * Chopin Monument This is a 1:1-scale replica of the famous
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Moder ...
bronze statue of Chopin by the famed artist Wacław Szymanowski. The original is in Hamamatsu's
sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...
,
Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
.  * 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 by
Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fel ...
. His rule marks the beginning of the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
. 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 a Japanese garden, a koi pond, a ceremonial teahouse, and some commons areas. *
Nakatajima Sand Dunes are located at the southern part of Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture at the Pacific Ocean coast of Japan. The sand dune area measures approximately 0.6 km from north to south and 4.0 km from east to west. It is considered one of Japan ...
: one of the three largest sand dune areas in Japan * Hamamatsu Flower Park * Hamamatsu Fruit Park * Hamamatsu Municipal Zoo *
Iinoya-gū is a Shinto shrine in Kita-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1872, and its main festival is held annually on September 22. It is one of the Fifteen Shrines of the Kenmu Restoration. History Iinoya-gū is dedicated ...
shrine *
Motoshirochō Tōshō-gū is a Shinto shrine in Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1886, and its main festival is held annually on October 10. It is also sometimes known as the History Motoshirochō Tōshō-gū is one of many shrines i ...
shrine File:Hamamatsu Castle, enkei-3.jpg, Hamamatsu Castle File:Nakatajima sand dunes.jpg, Nakatajima Sand Dunes File:Flower park 1.JPG, Hamanako Garden Park File:Wedding Central Park.JPG, Hamamatsu Wedding Central Park File:Lake Hamana.JPG, Lake Hamana File:Pacific ocean.JPG, Hamamatsu Pacific Ocean File:Kanzanji ropeway.JPG, Lake Hamana PALPAL


Culture


Festivals


Akiha Fire Festival

: Haruno, Tenryu-ku: December 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, a firewalking ceremony is performed where both believers and spectators celebrate the festival.


Enshū Dainenbutsu

: Saigagake Museum, Hamamatsu City: July 15 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 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.


Hamamatsu Kite Festival

: Naka-ku, Minami-ku, others: May Hamamatsu Kite Festival is also called Hamamatsu Festival. Hamamatsu Kite Festival held from May 3 to May 5 each year, includes a ''Tako 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 flying ''Hatsu 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 70 ''yatai'', 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.


Hamakita Hiryu Festival

: Hamakita-ku: June This festival is held in honor of Ryujin, the god believed to be associated with the Tenryū 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.


Hamamatsu International Piano Competition

: November 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.


Hamakita Man'yō Festival

: Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu: October This event takes place in Man'yō-no-Mori Park to commemorate the Man'yō period and introduce its culture. As part of the festival, people reenact the ancient past by wearing traditional clothes from the
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...
and presenting
Japanese poetry Japanese poetry is poetry typical of Japan, or written, spoken, or chanted in the Japanese language, which includes Old Japanese, Early Middle Japanese, Late Middle Japanese, and Modern Japanese, as well as poetry in Japan which was written ...
readings.


Inasa Puppet Festival

: Inasa, Kita-ku: November One of the few
puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...
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.


Princess Road Festival

: Hosoe, Kita-ku: April This reenactment of a procession made by the princess in her
palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the e ...
along with her entourage of over 100 people including maids,
samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of History of Japan#Medieval Japan (1185–1573/1600), medieval and Edo period, early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retai ...
, and servants makes for a splendid scene beneath the
cherry blossom A cherry blossom, also known as Japanese cherry or sakura, is a flower of many trees of genus ''Prunus'' or ''Prunus'' subg. ''Cerasus''. They are common species in East Asia, including China, Korea and especially in Japan. They generally ...
s along the Toda River. In the
Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...
, princesses enjoyed traveling this road which came to be known as a '' hime kaidō'' (''princess road'').


Samba Festival

The Hamamatsu
Samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...
Festival is held in the city.Kitawaki, Yasuyuki (北脇保之) (Former mayor of Hamamatsu, Director of the Center for Multilingual Multicultural Education and Research, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (CEMMER, 東京外国語大学多言語・多文化教育研究センター)).
A Japanese approach to municipal diversity management: The case of Hamamatsu City

Archive
. ''Managing Diversity: Stronger Communities, Better Cities''
Information about the bookArchive
. At the Council of Europe website. Retrieved on October 12, 2015. PDF p. 9/13.


Shoryu Weeping Ume Blossom Festival

: Inasa, Kita-ku: late February to late March In Ryusui Garden there is a stream with seven 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.


Sports

File:Hamamatsu stadium.JPG, Hamamatsu stadium File:Hamamatsu Arena.jpg, Hamamatsu Arena File:HondaFC miyakoda1.JPG,
Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium is a stadium located in Kita-ku, Hamamatsu. It is owned by the Honda Motor Company and is the home ground of Honda F.C. in the Japan Football League The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japanese ...


Football

* Honda FC which plays Japan Football League (third division) games at their own
Miyakoda Soccer Stadium Honda Miyakoda Soccer Stadium is a stadium located in Kita-ku, Hamamatsu. It is owned by the Honda Motor Company and is the home ground of Honda F.C. in the Japan Football League The also known as simply the JFL is the 4th tier of the Japane ...
. Honda competed in the Japan Soccer League's First Division from 1981 to 1991, but chose to relegate itself and not compete in the professional divisions due to parent company
Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a producti ...
's choice to retain team ownership. Many Hamamatsu football fans prefer to follow Júbilo Iwata, across the Tenryū River in Iwata. 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.


Basketball

*
SAN-EN NeoPhoenix is a B.League professional basketball team, based in the eastern Mikawa and Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture region of central Japan. The team was founded in 1965 as the company team of the OSG Corporation, a Toyokawa-based machine parts man ...
plays in the B.League, Japan's first division of professional basketball. The team plays its home games at the Toyohashi City General Gymnasium. The Hamamatsu Arena was one of the host arenas of the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Hamamatsu 3x3 FIBA: Placed Second at FIBA World Tour FInal in ABU Dhabi in 2016. (Bikramjit Gill, Inderbir Gill, Chiro Kheda)


Women's volleyball

Hamamatsu was one of the host cities of the official 2010 Women's Volleyball World Championship.


Notable people

*
Hiroshi Amano is a Japanese physicist, engineer and inventor specializing in the field of semiconductor technology. For his work he was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics together with Isamu Akasaki and Shuji Nakamura for "the invention of effici ...
, 2014
Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
winner * Haruhi Aiso, singer, songwriter * Barasui, manga artist * Yuri Chinen, J-pop talent, singer * Yōsuke Fujigaya, professional football player * Yuji Fujimoto, politician * Ken Fujita, professional football player * Hironoshin Furuhashi, Olympic swimmer *
Kazuhiro Furuhashi is a Japanese anime director and supervisor. He is amongst anime's most foremost directors, having directed and helmed the '' Rurouni Kenshin'' series (including the original television series, and its subsequent much-lauded OVA iterations), '' Z ...
, anime movie director * Tatsuya Furuhashi, professional football player * Taketoshi Gotoh, professional baseball player * Akari Hibino, voice actress * Coco Hayashi, voice actress * Soichiro Honda, engineer, industrialist, founder of Honda Motor Company * Yusuke Inuzuka, professional football player * Yasuhide Ito, composer * Toshio Kakei, actor * Takeshi Kamo, Olympic football player * Yoko Kando, Olympic swimmer * Naoyuki Kato, illustrator *
Genichi Kawakami was the president of the Yamaha Corporation from 1950 to 1977, and again from 1980 to 1983. He is often credited with the international success of Yamaha and was also widely influential as a community music educator. Born in Hamakita was a ...
, former president of Yamaha *
Keisuke Kinoshita was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. Ronald Berganbr>"A satirical eye on Japan: Keisuke Kinoshita" ''The Guardian'', 5 January 1999. While lesser-known internationally than contemporaries such as Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi and ...
, movie director * Naoyuki Kinoshita, art historian * Sanae Kobayashi, voice actress * Shigetatsu Matsunaga, professional football player * Takuya Matsuura, professional football player * Kanako Momota, J-pop singer and leader of Momoiro Clover Z * Kiiti Morita, mathematician * Ken Namba, composer * Jiro Ono, renowned sushi chef *
Yuki Oshitani is a Japanese football player currently playing for Fukui United. Career Oshitani signed transfer to J3 club, Fujieda MYFC in 15 January 2021. On 11 January 2023, Oshitani announcement officially transfer to Fukui United for upcoming 20 ...
, professional football player *
Ken'ya Ōsumi is a Japanese dancer, and singer. He was married to singer Rumiko Koyanagi between 1989 and 2000. Appearances * ''You Gotta Quintet is a Japanese children's television program which aired on NHK Educational. About the show The program of ...
, dancer * Keisuke Ota, professional football player * Yoshiaki Ota, professional football player *
Fumiya Sankai is a Japanese vlogger, actor, recording artist and influencer in the Philippines. He has been active in his YouTube Channel, FumiShun Base, since 2015. His fame grew when he became the first pure Japanese official housemate in Pinoy Big Broth ...
, Vlogger and actor in the Philippines, recording artist, and a businessman * Kentaro Sato, composer * Shinichiro Sawai, movie director, screenwriter * Goro Shimura, mathematician * Ryu Shionoya, politician * Hideto Suzuki, professional football player * Koji Suzuki, science-fiction writer *
Michio Suzuki Michio Suzuki may refer to: *, Japanese businessman, inventor and founder of the Suzuki Motor Corporation *, Japanese mathematician {{hndis, Suzuki, Michio ...
, founder of Suzuki Motors * Yasutomo Suzuki, politician, mayor of Hamamatsu * Saya Takagi, actress * Kenjiro Takayanagi, engineer, pioneer in development of the television * Nobuhiro Takeda, professional football player * Kenji Tsuruta, manga artist * Kōji Tsuruta, actor * Azumi Uehara, J-pop singer * Hiromi Uehara, Jazz composer, pianist * Tetsuya Wakuda, Japanese-Born Australian Chef * Kosuke Yamamoto, professional football player * Masaaki Yanagishita, professional football player * Kisho Yano, professional football player


See also

* '' Nikkei Brazilians at a Brazilian School in Japan''


References


External links

* *
In Hamamatsu
* *

{{Authority control Brazilian communities Cities in Shizuoka Prefecture Populated coastal places in Japan Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan