Hamamatsu City
Hamamatsu City (Hamamatsu City, Binsho City) is a city in western Shizuoka Prefecture. On July 1, 2005, the city became the most populous city in the prefecture by incorporating 11 municipalities in western Shizuoka Prefecture. The prefectural office of Shizuoka Prefecture is located in Shizuoka City, but Hamamatsu City is the largest city in Shizuoka Prefecture because it is a large industrial city with a large plain in Shizuoka City. In 2003, Shizuoka City merged with Shimizu City to overtake the population of Hamamatsu City. In 2005, however, Hamamatsu City passed Shizuoka City again with 11 municipalities. In addition, this incorporation became the largest area in the prefecture. It is also the second largest in Japan after Takayama City in Gifu Prefecture (Takayama City). The administrative district is a long north-south area extending from the Pacific coast to the border with Aichi Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture, and there are many mountainous areas.