【Hamamatsu Station / Night Walk】(Hamamatsu, Shizuoka) Friday Night in the Yurakugai Entertainment District

Hamamatsu has a larger population than Shizuoka City, the prefectural capital — making it the most populous city in Shizuoka Prefecture. On a Friday night, the area around the station comes alive, so I decided to take a walk and see for myself.

Around the Station

The south exit has a rotary where pick-up and drop-off traffic is heavy. You can also pass through the station concourse to reach the north exit on the other side.

The north exit is busy with commuters heading home and people waiting to meet up. In the distance, you can spot a round green monument — "Shusse Daimyo Ieyasu-kun," a mascot character for Tokugawa Ieyasu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a strong affinity for Ieyasu across the board.

I head west toward Chitose-cho, a stretch of traditional restaurants, clubs, and eateries that form the heart of Hamamatsu's nightlife.

Hamamatsu's dining and entertainment scene has developed around its covered shopping arcades. Standing at the entrance at night, there's something almost nostalgic about the atmosphere.

The shop on the right appears to be the girls bar where a serious incident took place not long ago. Less than a year later, a new business has already moved in.

Along the edge of the street, hostesses from Filipino pubs stand outside and call out to people walking by.

This shop covered in dense, overgrown greenery caught my eye. I couldn't quite tell what kind of place it was.

Walking north along the mall and into Yurakugai, the touts in front of izakayas and girls bars become noticeably more frequent.

These young women are holding flyers for a girls bar advertising 600 yen per 10 minutes. That works out to 3,600 yen an hour — not quite as affordable as it sounds.

The shop on the left is an aibeki-ya — a shared-table dining bar. According to Google Maps, it has since closed. It looked busy enough tonight, but perhaps the trend has run its course.

A group of young women hanging out on the pavement, clearly enjoying their Friday night.

After exploring the area, I head back toward the station. This narrow lane has a really nice atmosphere to it.

At 10 in the evening, the station plaza is filled with people rushing to catch their trains home.

Walking Around Hamamatsu Station

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