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One of Japan's largest rivers flows through the mountains of north Hamamatsu and along the edge of town from Tenryu-cho down to the coast. The meandering mountain portion and wide delta provide abundant opportunities for rafting, kayaking, and fishing, and there are many parks along its banks. The god of this river, Ryujin, is the guest of honor at many area festivals.
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湯風景しおり
A nice bathhouse not so far from the city center.
浜松科学館, Hamamatsu Kagakukan
A range of interactive exhibits divided into five zones: nature, space, sound, light, and electricity. The third floor holds a planetarium.
浜松市楽器博物館, Hamamatsu-shi Gakki Hakubutsukan
This museum, just northeast of Act City Tower, houses a collection of over 2,000 kinds of ethnic instruments from around the world. Each instrument has a display attached, with headphones so you can listen to the sound of the instrument. The museum also has a hands-on room, where you can play many types of instruments; drums, xylophones, sitars and native Japanese instruments. This is a child friendly museum.
Hamamatsu's only skyscraper is a symbol of the city, designed to resemble a harmonica, 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 from which you can see all of central Hamamatsu. The basement floor holds two theaters at which there are frequent concerts, musicals, plays, and seminars. On the west side there is a unique rooftop park complex, and on the north there is an outdoor "Sunken Garden" used at festival times for food stalls and cultural performances.
航空自衛隊 浜松広報館, Koukuu Jieitai Hamamatsu Kouhoukan
This museum displays many aircraft used or in former use by JASDF, and many other aviation-related items. It also has a flight simulator and a theater which runs informative documentaries every 30 minutes (Japanese only).
浜松城公園, Hamamatsu-jō Kōen
North of the castle is a very big park with a Japanese garden, a koi pond, a ceremonial teahouse (see Drink below), and some commons areas. This is the best downtown location to go to see cherry blossoms in the spring.