“Unagiimo” is a Hamamatsu-produced sweet potato that is grown using powdered fertilizer made from the remains of eel bones and heads left over from the processing of eels.

The aged “eel sweet potato” increases its sweetness by baking it, reaching a sugar content of about 40 degrees.

Sweets such as pudding, soft serve ice cream, and dorayaki that make use of the original ingredients are very popular. You can purchase the products at the Unagiimo Store stores in Hamamatsu Station, Hamanako Service Area, Togoshi Ginza Shopping District in Tokyo, and some products can be purchased by mail order.

▲Unagiimo Store Hamamatsu Station Store

▲Unagiimo Store Hamanako Service Area Store

This month’s recommended sweets will be introduced using “Unagiimo”🍦

Founded 137 years ago.

Kogiku, a long-established Japanese confectionery shop in Hamamatsu, reopened two years ago as a factory direct sales store in Kanda-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City, with a stylish, modern Japanese atmosphere so that younger generations can easily enjoy Japanese sweets.

The store has been renovated to a “drive-through” style, which is unusual for a confectionery store, and “We have received feedback from regular customers and users alike, such as “It’s convenient to be able to purchase the confectionery you want without having to get out of your car.” says Ms. Iyona Kamei, who is in charge of planning and manufacturing.

After marrying the eldest son of the founding family, Ms. Kamei jumped into the confectionery industry from medical administration. In response to the words of the current president, “I would like to see a breath of fresh air,” the company is working to develop and manufacture new products while preserving tradition.

In this month’s recommendation, we’d like to introduce Kogiku, a confectionery shop that continues to take on new challenges while valuing tradition.

In 2001, Nagasaka Bee Farm moved from the Mikkabi shopping district to a new location along the shores of Lake Hamana, and this year marks the 89th anniversary of its founding.

“Nagasaka Bee Farm”, which is visited by approximately 450,000 tourists a year in a store the size of a convenience store, is known for its smiling staff, courteous customer service, and delicious honey made from local Mikkabi mandarin orange flowers. It has a wide variety of original processed products and is known for its high customer satisfaction.

From inside the store, you can see a lush courtyard where you can watch the natural activities of bees, and there is also plenty of playfulness, such as quizzes that are sure to pique the interest of visitors.

“Nagasaka Bee Farm” welcomes visitors with easy-to-understand product pop-ups and sample samples, and the “honey soft serve ice cream” that you can take out is also very popular.

The sweetness and richness of the vanilla soft-serve ice cream is so sweet that the honey is kneaded into the cream, and the final touch is “Oi-honey!!” The staff will show off the oi-honey right in front of you. This is a huge hit, with up to 2,000 units sold in one day.

This month’s recommendation is the popular store in Mikkabi-cho, “Nagasaka Bee Farm”♪

This year marks the 77th anniversary of Showa Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the only musical instrument manufacturer in Japan that exclusively deals with harmonicas.

The founder, Mr. Rikuhei Suyama, worked as a banker and trained as a harmonica craftsman, before starting a harmonica factory in Sunayama-cho, Hamamatsu City with three friends in 1947.

After that, the second generation, Mr. Yoshinori Suyama, developed a new way to preserve the tradition and let more people know about the appeal of the harmonica as a musical instrument, so that people could easily pick up the harmonica as a souvenir from Hamamatsu. I did. As a souvenir symbolizing Hamamatsu, the city of music, it is sold inside Hamamatsu Station and service areas in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Currently, the third generation of the company, Ms. Fumiko Suyama, works with her family to carefully manufacture each harmonica by hand, using the same craftsmanship that has remained unchanged since the company’s founding.

I have been devoted to harmonica for 77 years. This month’s recommended product is “Showa Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd.”♪

Utsuyama Seicha is a long-established teahouse that began in 1929 (Showa 4) when the first generation Mr. Washizou Utsuyama started manufacturing rough tea in his own garden. We carry original brand tea “Mikatacha,” as well as “Hamana black tea” made with pure Hamamatsu tea leaves, hojicha, and genmaicha.

Utsuyama Seicha grows tea leaves in its own fields and manages everything from production, processing, and retailing. We deliver safe and secure tea to all over the country through thorough quality control.

Utsuyama Seicha, located approximately 10 minutes by car from Hamamatsu Nishi Interchange, is easily accessible as it faces the main road from Hamamatsu to Kanzanji.

There is a tea and sweets vending machine “UTSUYAMA TEA & SEWWTS” that operates 24 hours a day, so you can always buy delicious tea and sweets. “Tea Bag Gacha 200 yen/time” is full of fun, as you never know what will come out.

“This month’s recommended item” introduces “Utsuyama Seicha”, which has the style of a long-established store and meets modern needs♪

“Actually, I’m currently taking samples of this product to an exhibition in Paris, France.”

We visited the Koike factory of Muto Senkou Co., Ltd. in Chuo Ward, Hamamatsu City to interview “Dyeing and inserting △ (Triangle) Fujisan”, which won the [Special Award] at Good Design Shizuoka 2023.

The factory brand “YUBANA” will introduce Mt. Fuji-shaped dyed products that are being promoted from Hamamatsu, inside and outside the prefecture, and even overseas.

Higashikurumeki, Inasa-cho, Hamana-ku, is surrounded by magnificent nature in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. Atop Kurumegi Mountain, overlooking the Miyakotagawa Dam and Lake Inasa, there is a unique cottage that looks like something out of a foreign fairy tale.

That is Renri Itoishinoie, a lodging facility that rents out a whole house to only one group per day.

This time, we covered the appeal and ways to enjoy Renri Itoishinoie, a next-generation outdoor accommodation facility based on the concept of “surrender yourself to nature and return to your true self.”

On Saturday, October 26, 2024, the Kawai Hana no Mai, designated as a prefectural intangible folk cultural property, will be dedicated in Sakuma-cho, Tenryu-ku, Hamamatsu City.

The Kawai Hana no Mai is a kagura dance performed at Yasaka Shrine’s Shimotsuki Festival on the last Saturday of October every year, and is a way to give thanks to the gods for bountiful harvests and pray for good health in the coming year.

In this article, we will explain in detail the history and appeal of Kawai Hana no Mai, as well as the current crowdfunding campaign.

The illuminations are beautiful lighting displays that brighten up winter nights and invite visitors into a fantastical world.

Photo courtesy of Hamamatsu Flower Park

This year, a spectacular illumination event is being held in Hamamatsu, impressing viewers.

Here we will introduce a carefully selected list of recommended illumination spots in Hamamatsu City and Kosai City.

“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!

Do you know what a plasterer is?

Plastering is a traditional Japanese technique for finishing the walls and floors of buildings.

Although it is an ancient technique, it still plays an essential role in modern home construction.

This time, we visited the plastering showroom opened in July 2023 by Hamani Co., Ltd., a company in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture that specializes in plastering work.

We asked him about the appeal of traditional techniques and the secret to creating a comfortable living environment that plastering brings. If you are considering building a custom home or want to create a sophisticated home, please read to the end.

“Premium White” appeared on “Manten★Aozora Restaurant” (Nippon Television Network) which aired on Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 6:30 pm!

Shinohara district is located along the Enshu Nada Sea, south of Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Here you can find “New White Onions,” which are amazingly juicy like fruit and have a mellow sweetness.

It’s called “Premium White.”

Image source: Lake Hamana Farmers Market

Shipment begins in the winter, which is said to be the earliest in Japan, and since it is rarely available on the market, it is also known as the “phantom new onion.”

This time, together with Hamamatsu and Lake Hamana tourism ambassadors, Ms. Yuto Hoshiyaku Yuto and Ms. Funa Shirai , we interviewed Mr. Takahiro Muramatsu, CEO of Confirm Co., Ltd., the producer of Premium White!

We asked him about the secret behind its deliciousness and the ingenuity used in its cultivation.