Day drives from Nagoya: coast and mountain routes across Tokai
Lake Hamana Food Stops: Eel and Local Specialties by Car
Planning lunch on a Lake Hamana day drive? Here is what the local eel is, where to try it near Hamamatsu Station, and what to check about parking before you set off.
If you are planning a day around the lake, it helps to think about Lake Hamana food stops before you leave. This guide looks at the area’s best-known specialty, eel, and at one simple question that matters more on a drive than on a train trip: is it easy to stop there by car?
A day by the water deserves an unhurried meal. Rather than squeezing lunch in between viewpoints, it is worth treating the meal as a natural pause in the day.
How to choose Lake Hamana food stops by car
Before getting to the food itself, a few practical thoughts. When you travel by car, where you park becomes part of choosing where you eat.
Check parking first
Restaurants in station buildings and town centres often have no parking of their own. In that case you will need to find a car park nearby.
Once you have a place in mind, look at its official information for parking before you set off. It saves circling the streets on the day, and it keeps the drive relaxed.
Keep driving time and eating time separate
It helps to think of the lakeside driving and the sit-down meal as two different parts of the day.
Will you drive the scenic stretch first and eat afterwards, or eat first and then head for the water? Deciding this in advance makes it much easier not to overfill the day.
What is Lake Hamana known for?
The specialty most people associate with Lake Hamana is eel. Here we keep to what can be confirmed from official information.
What is Hamanako eel?
The Shizuoka Prefecture official website introduces Hamanako eel as a domestic brand whose origin is easy to trace.
There is something satisfying about driving along the lake in the morning and eating eel that carries its name at lunch. The destination and the meal belong together.
Other local flavours
The area has other local food too. This guide sticks to Hamanako eel because it can be confirmed from an official source. If something else is on your list, check the restaurant’s or producer’s own information before you go.
Hamanako Unagi Maruhama: eating near Hamamatsu Station
One place to try Hamanako eel is Hamanako Unagi Maruhama, run by the Lake Hamana eel farmers’ cooperative. The details below come from the Shizuoka Prefecture page about the restaurant.
Location and hours
The restaurant is a one-minute walk from JR Hamamatsu Station, inside the Bic Camera section of the station building (May One Ekimachi). The address is 322-4 Sunayama-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu.
Opening hours are listed as 11:00 to 20:30, with last orders at 20:00. Closing days are irregular, so it is worth confirming before you make the trip.
What is on the menu
The main items listed are unaju (eel over rice in a tiered box) in four grades: ume, take, matsu and tokujo. There is also mabushi chazuke, served on weekdays only, and an unaju ume offered on weekdays from 11:00 to 13:00, except during busy periods.
Alongside the dining room, the shop has items you can take home. Picking one up on the way back is a pleasant way to bring a little of the day with you.
Coming by car
The official page lists parking as “none”. If you are driving, you will need to find a car park in the surrounding area.
The station area is busy with people and traffic. Having an idea of where you will park before you arrive makes the meal far more relaxed.
Are there places that are easy to stop at on a drive?
What counts as easy depends on you and on how you have shaped the day. Rather than a list, here is a way to judge.
Three things to check
Before you leave, look up these three points in each place’s official information:
- Parking: does it have its own, and if not, is there somewhere nearby?
- Hours: do they suit lunch or dinner, and when are last orders?
- Closing days: are they fixed or irregular?
With these three answered, very little should catch you out on the day.
Fitting a meal around the lake
In the morning, drive slowly along the shore and take in the open water. When you start to feel hungry, stop to eat. In the afternoon, return towards the lake, and as the light softens, finish with the evening view.
Putting the meal in the middle of the day keeps driving and resting in balance. Eel for dinner before the drive home works just as well.
Roads to drive after your meal
After eating, you may want a little more time by the water. For the feel of the road along the shore, see Lake Hamana Lakeside Way Drive: Lakeside Views and Feel.
To end the day, Bentenjima Sunset Drive: A Lake Hamana Day Trip Finale pairs naturally with this one.
Planning the whole day
For a wider look at destinations around Tokai, read Day drives from Nagoya: to the coast, into the mountains, along the roads of Tokai.
For a full day around the lake, our Lake Hamana drive route sets out the flow.
About TŌNORI
TŌNORI (遠乗り) is a car rental service planned to open in Nagoya in 2027, offering Japanese and imported cars. Members will receive 10% off their first rental, with eligibility details announced at launch. We are quietly preparing for days like this one.
FAQ
What is Lake Hamana known for?
Its best-known specialty is eel. The Shizuoka Prefecture official website introduces Hamanako eel as a domestic brand whose origin is easy to trace.
Are there places that are easy to stop at on a drive?
Check parking, opening hours and closing days in official information before you leave. For example, Hamanako Unagi Maruhama near Hamamatsu Station lists parking as “none”, so drivers need to find a car park nearby.
Part of this guide
- Day drives from Nagoya: coast and mountain routes across Tokai
- Lake Hamana drive: a lakeside day route in western Shizuoka
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