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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Hamamatsu: Tenryu River and Akiha Shrine
Be showered in sparks at a Shinto fireworks festival and cool off with water sports
Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Located halfway between Tokyo and Osaka, Hamamatsu is home to famous Japanese brands including Yamaha and motorcycle and car manufacturers Suzuki and Honda. Do a factory tour to see pianos being made, vintage cars, and the process of creating a vehicle, from inception to manufacturing and sales. But that is far from all there is to do in this Shizuoka Prefecture city. If you want to enjoy splendid natural scenery and explore cultural sites, Hamamatsu is a great place for you to choose.
Slide down bare rocks and dive into the basin of a waterfall to feel nature with your whole body in a canyoning course on the Tenryu River. If you’d prefer a slower pace, take in the view of the river from a kayak or canoe.
For pyrotechnics fun, head to the Tezutsu Hanabi (lit. ‘hand-held fireworks’) Festival, held in the precinct of Akiha Shrine every July. It is a splendid show of over 200 hand-held fireworks as well as aerial fireworks lighting up the sky. The handheld firework launchers used for the festival are candles handmade by local residents and consist of a bamboo tube wrapped in rope and held by a person to light. They are believed to provide protection against fire, disaster, and misfortune.
This is the head Akiha shrine for all of Japan, and people from across the country come here to pray for protection against fires—or, for people such as firefighters and chefs who work with fire, to pay their respects at this shrine.
How to get there
From Nagoya Station, take the Shinkansen bullet train to Hamamatsu Station (about 30 minutes). From Shin-Hamamatsu Station, take the Enshu Railway and get off at Nishi-Kashima Station (about 30 minutes). From Nishi-Kashima Station, take the Entetsu Bus to Akiha Shrine (about 10 minutes).
841 Ryoke, Haruno-cho, Tenryu-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken
