Arguably the best part of this city.

The park features all the staples of a Japanese garden attraction; Koi fish, a reconstruction of a castle, well maintained plants and trees, people milling around peacefully, some regrettable eyesores, vending machines aesthetic toilets, 0 bins, parking directed by those old guys that wear the caps and a starbucks.

The castle, while looking like a slightly downscaled model of an authentic one, stands relatively high and so is viewable from many parts of the surrounding gardens. The most beautiful area of the gardens are the staggered koi ponds which cascade gently downwards into one another through small waterfalls to form a main body of water which, during autumn and spring, reflects the vivid leaves and blossoms of the trees whose boughs hang outstretched over it. Based on the beauty and focality of this particular spot, I would strongly reccommend visiting during the aformentioned seasons. In Winter the area is still pretty and far quieter, but comes with a slightly sad, desaturated sort of look which explains the tendency for renovation/cleaning to be carried out during these months.

A large sports oval can be found towards the Southern end of the gardens along with an attractive, if not slightly out of place Starbucks, nestled among the trees. The oval, seemingly unable to decide between dirt or grass has opted for a mix of both, which unfortunately has only allowed for the negative aspects of both terrains to come through. The dirt isn't plentiful enough to conduct proper ball games, while the grass is so patchy that it looks ugly and bare. A thick, closely cropped, tougher grass would suit the surrounding foliage and general aesthetic far better, while also being hardy enough to withstand the ball games and frequent use from visitors.

On the topic of downsides it is neccesary to discuss the Hotel Concorde. The planning permission for the ridiculous, towering, domino-like abomination must have come with the largest bribe in city history to allow its construction. Either that or it was approved at a time when those responsible still imagined that Hamamatsu would swell to include similarly sized buildings nearby, effectively watering down the contrast between it and its neighbours. Regrettably this 20-or-so-story monolith which boasts 'less than a 1 minute walk to the castle gardens' on its website has become the most unfortunate aspect of the area. Be advised, your authentic Japanese holiday snaps of the cherry blossoms and castle vistas will likely, come complete with a looming Hotel Concorde somewhere in the background.

For people living here and tourists alike this is likely the best place to spend your free time in this city. There is nothing in particular about the gardens that sets it aside from those found throughout Japan, but for a tough, concrete, industrial city like Hamamatsu, this area serves for me at least, as a place to slow down a little, to watch kids playing in the sun with their families, to catch up with old friends or just re-explore and check in with the seasons and remind yourself why you love Japan.