If you were asked, “What snack goes best with beer?”, how would you answer?
Edamame, fried chicken, and potatoes. While there are many different dishes that come to mind, one that you must not forget is “gyoza”! .
“Hamamatsu Gyoza” competes with Utsunomiya Gyoza every year for the number one spot in Japan in terms of gyoza consumption. This time, we will be reporting on the “Introduction to recommended gyoza” held on YOUTUBE in conjunction with the “Hamamatsu Craft Beer Adventure” where you can enjoy craft beers from all over the country.
*What is Sea Lake HAMANA Jenne? A team of 12 women who are active in the area who promote the charm of the local area on SNS.
“Hamamatsu Craft Beer Adventure” is a spin-out project of the “Hamamatsu Craft Beer Festival,” which was held every year at Solamo in front of Hamamatsu Station.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, events that gather many restaurants cannot be held, but this is a campaign to “Enjoy Craft Beer in Your Own Style” that utilizes e-commerce shopping so that you can enjoy craft beer from all over the country at home.
This time, Jenne and her friends held two online live broadcasts where they enjoyed pairing local “Hamamatsu Gyoza” with craft beers from all over the country sold at Hamamatsu Craft Beer Adventure.
Hamamatsu Craft Beer Adventure (This event has already ended.)
https://craftbeer-adventure.net/
Main Schloss and Octagon Brewing from Hamamatsu are participating in this project. Mainschloss features authentic German beers such as Weizen and Helles. Octagon Brewing is working on making beer that makes use of local ingredients from Hamamatsu. In conjunction with the event, Mr. Chiba, the brewer’s manager, will also be speaking at an online brewery talk.
The online drinking party started with everyone bringing their own beer and recommended gyoza. Each member talked about their love for Hamamatsu Gyoza over a beer, with some members having experience working part-time at a gyoza restaurant, and others saying they have a “Gyoza Day” every week at home.
●Recommended by Akiko Hirokami Jenne
[Kojimaya]
415-7 Futamata, Futamata-cho, Tenryu-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-925-2367
The skin is chewy and the folds are wrapped neatly, making it appetizing. It’s light with lots of vegetables, but each piece is large so it’s filling. The slightly sweet sauce is characteristic and goes well with the homemade chili peppers.
[Gyoza specialty store Tatsuhan]
6090 Shinbara, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-401-8876
Trained at the famous Hamamatsu gyoza restaurant “Kanbee” and opened in Shinbaru, Hamakita Ward in 2021. When you take a bite of the gyoza filled with filling, you can feel the flavor of ginger more than garlic. Sauce and chili pepper are sold separately. This store is also very particular about the packaging it takes home.
●Anna Jenne Mizogaki recommended
[Maruwa Shoten]
2689 Okubo-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-485-0456
It’s a take-out specialty store with a good balance of vegetables and meat, and is a popular store with a lot of people lining up even on weekdays. At 1,000 yen for 56 pieces (17.8 yen per piece), the price is great for everyday dining. The recommended way to eat them is to grill the gyoza in consommé soup. You can eat it deliciously even without sauce.
●Yuki Ogawa Jenne Recommended
[Chikuya]
20 stores in Hamamatsu city, other stores inside and outside the prefecture, and online sales TEL. 053-437-7555 (representative)
Chikuya’s gyoza, a healthy side dish and bento box that is well-known to local residents because it operates multiple stores, is free of chemical seasonings, artificial coloring, and synthetic preservatives. You can also order it online, and enjoy the delicious flavor of vegetables.
●Haruka Isobe Jenne recommended
[Fukuna Gyoza Store]
328-5 Zudaji-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-463-3956
When you break apart the crispy and fragrant Fukuna Gyoza with your chopsticks, you will find that the inside is soft and fluffy. The skin is just the right thickness and is satisfying to eat. Speaking of Hamamatsu gyoza, I can’t get enough of the obligatory boiled bean sprouts that come with it even when you take it out.
[Gyoza shop Kame]
・1030-1 Nakano-machi, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City (Nakanomachi Main Store)
TEL.053-421-0798
・752-2 Ryuzenji-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City (Ryuzenji store)
TEL.053-401-1090
2 stores in the city. The skin is thin and the filling is soft to the touch. The filling has a strong flavor, so the gyoza is delicious even without sauce, and it has a lot of garlic, so it goes well with rice and beer.
●Okubo Yuna Jenne Recommended
[Mercato Mabuchi]
317-17 Sakana-machi, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-456-6999
A long-established liquor store in the city that carries a wide selection of craft beers, snacks, and specialty foods. “Otoyosan Gyoza” is made with domestic ingredients, and the taste of garlic is addictive! The “Dragon Gyoza” is full of juicy meat and has an impressive bright red sauce made with plenty of spices and chili oil. The numbing deliciousness is recommended for people with a spicy tooth.
●Yusa Chiemi Jenne Recommended
[Kibori]
563-3 Masuraku-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-447-5737
In addition to the standard gyoza (normal 10 pieces), you can enjoy variations such as seafood gyoza (8 squid). These unique gyoza dumplings are made with squid, and the gyoza itself has a lot of flavor, so you can enjoy the flavor and texture of seafood even without the sauce.
●Yuki Takahashi Jenne Recommended
[Takafuku]
1201 Yokosuka, Hamana-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-587-2507
The shop has a warm atmosphere with a characteristic chewy skin that feels voluminous when grilled.
【Kiyo】
1-33-5 Kamoe, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City
TEL.053-454-1931
The homemade sauce and gyoza go perfectly together. Each piece is the perfect size, so even women can eat it in one go.
In the broadcast episode on September 5th, Gyoza talk by Jenne from Hamamatsu will be accelerated with beer as the engine. If you dig deeper into how to eat Hamamatsu gyoza in Dice Talk, you’ll find many unique ways to enjoy them, such as frying them in plenty of oil or squeezing lemon. When I make gyoza at home, I usually make 60 to 70 gyoza at a time. “I don’t even eat rice when I’m eating gyoza,” they told us about their particular preferences.
How much gyoza do Hamamatsu girls eat on a regular basis? Be sure to watch Jenne’s answers to the question “How many gyoza do you eat in a month?” on YOUTUBE.
Click here to watch the first episode
「https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiHhXZ_akLk&t=4s」
Click here for the second episode
Hamamatsu is a city that every year comes up in the race for the title of “Japan’s best gyoza town,” as the amount of gyoza purchased per household is so high that gyoza has become a staple of the city’s residents.
There are many retailers and manufacturers, and when you combine that with the variety of craft beers there are said to be around 500 in Japan, the entertainment at your dining table is truly limitless.
“Beer and gyoza are the best!” said a tipsy Yusa Jenne. Although he urged viewers to “be careful not to drink too much,” the broadcast was so exciting that the game went into overtime. Finally, Jenne Okubo concluded the live stream with, “If there’s a beer you’re interested in, please check out our EC site.”
The archive is available on YOUTUBE, so if you weren’t able to watch it on the day, you can enjoy it even more if you grab some beer and gyoza.
Hamamatsu Craft Beer Adventure has been decided to continue after October when Shizuoka Prefecture’s emergency expectation declaration is lifted.
New beers from each brewery are added all the time. I heard that they also have beers brewed by Hamamatsu’s promising new brewers, so be sure to check them out.
A Bloom-Filled Escape to Hamamatsu & Lake Hamana
Have you ever explored the Hamamatsu and Lake Hamana area, where beautiful flowers bloom throughout the seasons and let you feel the charm of Japan’s nature?
Cherry blossoms in spring, wisteria in early summer, and cosmos flowers in autumn—each season brings its own colors and charm, gently soothing the hearts of those who visit.
Strolling through flower-filled landscapes, snapping photos, and taking in the scent of the air and the breeze—these are some of the uniquely Japanese ways to enjoy each season.
Hamamatsu is still a hidden gem for many travelers, which makes it the perfect place to escape the crowds and truly relax.
Even if you missed this year’s blooms, I hope this article inspires you to add Hamamatsu to your list of future travel destinations.
As you picture the flowers in full bloom, why not add Hamamatsu to your next travel plans?
Surely, you will encounter a landscape that feels truly special to you.
*The usual bloom times are listed here as a general guide. Since blooming conditions can vary depending on the weather, be sure to check the latest information before you go.
The only one in Japan! Enjoy airplanes at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Hamamatsu Public Relations Center Air Park!
Have you ever heard of Hamamatsu Public Relations Center Air Park, which is nicknamed “Air Park” and is crowded with visitors from all over the country?
Admission is free, and the facility is filled with a variety of content, including watching powerful videos in the all-sky theater and experiencing flight in a fighter jet simulator!
This time, we will take a closer look at the charm of the air park, which can be enjoyed not only on sunny days, but also on rainy days and days with strong winds in Enshu!
An amazing sunset seen from the top of the mountain! Winter-only spectacular sunset plan| Lake Hamana Paragliding School
“I want to spend special time with someone special”
If you are such a person, we recommend the “Visit to the Spectacular Paragliding Site” experience at Lake Hamana Paragliding School!
Among them, the “Spectacular Sunset Plan”, which is only available in winter, is a romantic activity where you can watch the sun set over Lake Hamana from the top of the mountain.
This time, we actually experienced the “Breathtaking Sunset Plan” together with Hamamatsu and Lake Hamana Tourism Ambassadors Ms. Haruka Isobe and Mr. Akira Natsukawa, so we will report in detail on its charms!