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.”♪

“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.

“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.

Founded in 1966, Chikusen is a catering store that uses local ingredients and carefully handcrafts each dish.

The catered bento boxes, made with an emphasis on locally produced food, come in around 100 varieties, including seasonal bentos, makunouchi bentos, Enshu specialty bentos, Lake Hamana eel bentos, and hors d’oeuvres.

Mr. Kimata Akihiko, the second generation owner, has been preserving the traditional flavor for 58 years since the restaurant was founded.

We have inherited the company motto from our predecessors, “Taste is the heart, we pursue true deliciousness,” and we deliver lunch boxes to many people, mainly using delicious ingredients from Enshu.

This month’s recommendation is “Chikusen,” a long-established catering restaurant.

Catsivy Co., Ltd. was founded in 2011.

Their merchandise-related business involves the planning, manufacturing and sale of merchandise for Hamamatsu City’s mascot characters “Shusse Daimyo Ieyasu-kun” and “Shusse Hoshi Naotora-chan,” both of which are Hamamatsu City-approved products, as well as Tenryu’s PR character “Nobuyasu-san,” and Iwata City’s image character “Shippei,” which is an Iwata City-approved product. We also carry out a wide range of business activities, including the planning and design of advertising design and printing-related businesses, as well as various types of printing.

In particular, as part of a project to promote the quality of Tenryu wood nationwide, they have produced many goods using Tenryu wood, which are extremely popular as souvenirs for tourists in Hamamatsu and as items for everyday use.

The company’s president, Mr. Katsuhiko Kaneko, handles everything from planning to product production.

This month’s recommendation is Catsivy Co., Ltd.

Are you familiar with Lake Hamana Direct Market, an online shopping site that carefully selects delicious ingredients from the Lake Hamana region and delivers them nationwide?

This is an online shopping site that sells carefully selected seasonal and delicious ingredients, including live eels marinated in the morning, the mystical white onion, persimmons grown on trees over 20 years old, and fully ripe Mikkabi mandarins.

If you take a look at the official website of the Lake Hamana Direct Market, you’ll see a wide selection of products that are filled with the producers’ passion!

This month’s recommendation is the online shopping site “Hamanako Farmers Market” ☆

There are many attractive rides around Hamamatsu and Lake Hamana. Local railways, trains and buses. There are also ropeways and sightseeing boats. If you use the Hamamatsu Lake Hamana Marutto Pass you can ride almost anything you want! If you like vehicles, you’ll want to ride them all. While you’re there, why not try riding all the rides you can and spend the whole day riding them all? Perfect for solo travelers, families, day trips, or overnight stays. We will introduce a model itinerary where you can enjoy all the rides.

The Tenryu Hamanako Railway is a local train that runs from Kakegawa Station in Kakegawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture to Shinjohara Station in Kosai City.

This railway, which runs along the northern shore of Lake Hamana, is loved by locals as a leisurely train that allows you to enjoy the scenery.

36 buildings and facilities along the line are registered as national tangible cultural properties, and there are many other attractive spots nearby.

We will introduce a model itinerary for enjoying the Tenryu Hamanako Railway using a one-day pass.

Sakae Shokai Co., Ltd., founded in 1948, mainly deals in original eyeglass-related products such as eyeglass cases and eyeglass cloths.

One product worth noting among Sakae Shokai’s products is the floating school bag “Ukuran®.”

Based on a request from people who were saddened by the Great East Japan Earthquake to “develop a school bag that would protect children from flooding,” the company began developing the school bag with the belief that “as a company that deals with textiles, there is nothing we can’t do.”

It took about four years to complete “Ukran®.”

This month’s recommendation is Sakae Shokai Co., Ltd., located in Kamitate-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City.

Hamanako Aikane Suisan Co., Ltd. is a long-established company with its head office and factory in Magori-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City, that is involved in a wide range of businesses, including eel farming and the processing and sale of eels.

In this article, we will introduce the history and commitment of Aikane, a restaurant that has been dedicated to eel.

Image source: Hamanako Aikane Fisheries Co., Ltd. Official Website

Founded in 2021, Colorful Studio Co., Ltd. operates the recycled kimono specialty store “Chuemon,” the cute clothing for adults “KEI collection,” and the handmade experience workshop on Lake Hamana “Lubera” on Lake Hamana.

Chuemon, which has a history of about 100 years in selling recycled kimonos, has started a kimono rental business and a recycled kimono remake business as its next new endeavors.

Through these projects, they hope to contribute even a little to reducing the amount of kimono waste, which is a social problem, and to encourage people to incorporate kimonos, a traditional part of Japanese culture, into their lives.

This month’s recommendation is “Chuemon,” a recycled kimono specialty store run by Colorful Studio Co., Ltd.