Hamamatsu City

浜松市

Old castle town with a fortress – Hamamatsu castle – taken over by TOKUGAWA Ieyasu at the end of the 15th century. Important transport hub on the old Tôkaidô overland road. There is an archaeological site in the neighbourhood with evidence of the late Jômon period. In 2005, Hamamatsu reached a population of over 800,000 (today 788,000) as a result of incorporations. At the beginning of May, one of Japan’s largest kite festivals, the Takoage-gassen, takes place every year on Hamamatsu beach – next to the Nakatajima dunes. The Shijimizuka is a shell midden and settlement site dating from the late Jômon period (4-3,000 years ago) located in Hamamatsu.