HAMAMATSU

city, Shizuoka ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies on the Pacific coast, midway between Tokyo and Kyoto. A leading industrial centre with strong economic ties to Nagoya, it is noted for pianos, motorcycles, cotton dyeing and weaving, and consumer goods. Hamamatsu is the marketing centre for western Shizuoka, serving the areas of Lake Hamana and the lower Tenryu River. Long a transportation hub, it is served by the Tokaido Line (railway) and the Shinano and Tokaido highways. Pop. (1990) 534,624.