 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Just where
are we? The Basics: We're in Hamamatsu, a medium-sized city of about 600,000 along the coast of Japan, about halfway between Tokyo and Osaka.
Hamamatsu is in Shizuoka Prefecture. (Shizuoka is also the name of the prefectural capital and you may find it on a map, move your finger down the coast a hair and there we are.) In a recent survey, Shizuoka prefecture was ranked as the most popular place to live in Japan.
Hamamatsu is a Shinkansen stop (the "shink" is Japan's famous high speed bullet train), with trains to Tokyo and Osaka twice an hour on average. You can get anywhere you need to go quickly and easily.
Nagoya to Hamamatsu is about 50 minutes on the Shinkansen, and Osaka and Tokyo are 1.5-2 hours depending on if you catch a hikari Shinkansen or a kodama Shinkansen. (Both types of Shinkansen travel at the same speed on the rails, but a hikari Shinkansen skips stations while a kodama Shinkansen stops at every station.)
The closest international airport is Nagoya, with Tokyo's Narita and Osaka's Kansai airports located about the same distance from us. The Osaka and Narita airports are each about one hour by special airport express trains to the main Shinkansen stations, while Nagoya's airport is about 30 minutes by bus from the main station.
Regional Highlights:
Shizuoka prefecture is famous for green tea production and other agricultural
products like mikans (Mandarin Oranges), apples and strawberries. There are several
farms nearby where you can arrange to pick your own during the season. Shizuoka is
also the home of Mt. Fuji. The famous volcano is just a few hours drive away, and on
a clear day, is often visible from different positions in Hamamatsu City (including from
the top of our Q Apartment buildings! Hamamatsu is famous for BBQed eel and the kite festival, and is also known as Japan's "Music City," since Kawai Pianos and Yamaha Musical Instruments are both headquartered here.
The giant ACT City dominates the downtown landscape. ACT contains a shopping center, offices and a hotel. ACT's also hosts a musical museum and a concert hall which features performances by symphonies, singers, actors and other performers from around the world.
Teachers have classes throughout the Hamamatsu Metropolitan region, traveling to Hamakita, Iwata, Tenryu, Arai, Kosai and other smaller cities all usually within 30-40 minutes drive of the school. Because of the nature of Japanese architecture, it is often difficult to tell when you have crossed the city limits!
The shores of Lake Hamana and the beaches of Bentenjima are a popular weekend getaway and the upper end of Lake Hamana hosts an amusement park, onsens (hot mineral spring resorts), and a variety of other activity options.
If you follow the Tenryu River upstream, you enter into the beautiful mountains known as "Heaven's Dragon." These are the foothills of the Japanese Alps. There is a beautiful forest park with numerous trails and a variety of other sites.
All in all, Shizuoka Prefecture and the Hamamatsu Metropolitan Region offer plenty of places to explore!
