Understand
[edit]Tourist information site
[edit]The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.
Get in
[edit]By train
[edit]- JR Tokai line
- The nearest Shinkansen stops are at Kakegawa, if you're coming in from the direction of Tokyo, or Hamamatsu if you're coming from the Nagoya area. From either, you can catch a regular JR train the rest of the way to Iwata Station.
Get around
[edit]See
[edit]- Iwata Museum of Fragrance (磐田香りの博物館, Iwata Kaori no Hakubutsukan), Tatsuno 2019-15, ☏ +81 53 836-8891. 09:30-17:00, closed Mondays. This unique museum explores the history and culture associated with fragrances in a variety of exhibits, including the "Experience Fragrance" exhibit which, for an additional fee of ¥2100, allows visitors to create and bottle their own fragrance. A café allows visitors to try out various fragrant herbal teas. Adults ¥300, students ¥200, children ¥100.
- Okegaya Marsh (桶ケ谷沼, Okegaya Numa), Iwai 315, ☏ +81 53 839-3022. 09:00-17:00, closed Mondays. An almost 2-km-long marsh and the surrounding park has abundant wildlife, including 67 species of dragonfly.
- Toyooka Plum Park (豊岡梅公園, Toyooka Ume Kouen), Uenobu 1989-1, ☏ +81 53 962-2666. 09:00-17:00. Over 4000 plums trees blossom in a beautiful valley here every spring. Adults ¥500, children ¥100.
- Yuya Long Wisteria (熊野の長藤, Yuya no Nagafuji), Ikeda 330, ☏ +81 53 836-9600. Meter-long arms of wisteria hang from a frame which covers almost 600 m². Great picnic spot during the April-May bloom. A wisteria festival is held here during Golden Week as well. Free.
Do
[edit]Buy
[edit]- LaLa Port Iwata (ららぽーと磐田), 1200 Takamigaoka (off the Tomei Expressway north of the Iwata Interchange), ☏ +81 538-59-0100. 10:00-21:00. Opened in 2009, the largest western-style mall in the area, with a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and a Toho Cinema.
Eat
[edit]Budget
[edit]Mid-range
[edit]- Unagi no Tanaka (うなぎのたなか), Shirabane 147, ☏ +81 53 866-5252. Eel from Hamamatsu's Lake Hamana is the Enshu region's most famous regional dish. Check out their take-away menu.
Splurge
[edit]- Ajishou Tenhiro (味匠天宏), Mitsuke 3884-5 (about 2 km north of JR Iwata station), ☏ +81 53-832-7078. 11:00-14:00, 17:00-21:00. Tempura served in an old-style Japanese atmosphere. The restaurant is installed in a historic house once lived in by the head of the Akamatsu clan. Beyond tempura, the restaurant also specializes in the local "three-color curry" (miiro kare). Dinner for around ¥5000.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]Go next
[edit]
| Routes through Iwata |
| Nagoya ← Hamamatsu ← | W  E
|
→ Fukuroi → Shizuoka |
| Nagoya ← Hamamatsu ← | W  E
|
→ Fukuroi → Shizuoka |
| Nagoya ← Hamamatsu ← | W  E
|
→ Fukuroi → Shizuoka |