Lake Hamana

Lake Hamana was a freshwater lake until the Meio earthquake of 1498 broke the sandbar at its southern end. The gap, still called Imagire, lets the sea in, and the brackish water is why the lake and Hamamatsu became known for eel; grilled unagi on rice is the meal to have here, and lunchtime queues at the well-known shops are normal. With 114 km of shoreline, it is easiest to treat it as three stops. At the south end, Bentenjima Station on the JR Tokaido Line is three minutes from a beach park and an 18 m red torii standing on a sandbank in the water, put up in 1973. For about a month either side of the winter solstice the sun sets inside the gate, and photographers stake out the spot near the park's east toilets well before 16:30. On the northeast shore, Kanzanji Onsen is a hot-spring resort town tapped in 1958, with the Hamanako Pal Pal amusement park next door. Across the water, Lake Hamana Garden Park, built on the site of the 2004 flower expo, is free to enter and has a 50 m viewing tower. Kanzanji and the garden park are about 45 to 60 minutes by bus from Hamamatsu Station, and a car makes hopping between the three much easier.