city, Shizuoka ken (prefecture), Honshu, Japan. It lies on the Pacific coast, midway between Tokyo and Kyōto. A leading industrial centre with strong economic ties to Nagoya, it is noted for pianos and other musical instruments, 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 Tenryū River. Long a transportation hub, it is served by the Tōkaidō Line (railway) and the Shinano and Tōkaidō highways. In 2005 the city of Hamakita and several other surrounding municipalities were merged administratively into Hamamatsu city. Pop. (2005) 804,032.