One purpose of the invention according to one embodiment is to provide a magnetic recording apparatus of high recording density in which magnetization transition curvature amount of a recording pattern is small. In one embodiment, the center of a heating area is arranged at a track edge side of a recording pattern as compared with the width-direction center position of a main magnetic pole of a recording head, and a recording magnetic field is applied while a medium is locally heated at the time of signal recording. A switching magnetic field of the medium is locally reduced by heating, so that a line where the switching magnetic field of the medium is equal to the recording magnetic field from the head approaches the heating center position, and a desired recording pattern in which the transition curvature amount is reduced can be realized. Other systems and methods are also presented.