View of top left, Downtown Hachioji, Komiya Park, Naganuma Park, Mount Takao, stone fence and bridge in Hachioji Castle site, Yakuoin in Mount Takao, Hachioji Ramen, Hachioji Traditional Festival on August
Hachiōji (八王子市, Hachiōji-shi) is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 31 March 2021[update], the city had an estimated population of 561,344, and a population density of 3,000 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 186.38 km2 (71.96 sq mi). It is the most populous city in Tokyo outside of the special wards.
In 2015, it was designated as a core city for the first time in Tokyo. It was the second first city in Tokyo Prefecture (present-day Tokyo) to implement the municipal system after Tokyo City (present-day Tokyo's 23 wards).
Geography
Urban area of Hachiōji
Hachiōji is located in the foothills of the Okutama Mountains of western Tokyo, about 40 kilometers west of the center of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. The city is surrounded on three sides by mountains, forming the Hachioji Basin which opens up toward the east in the direction of Tokyo. The mountain ranges in the southwest include Mount Takao (599 m) and Mount Jinba (857 m), two popular hiking destinations which can be reached by train and bus, respectively.
Hachiōji has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hachiōji is 13.9 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1998 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.[2]
Climate data for Hachioji (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1976−present)
Per Japanese census data,[5] the population of Hachiōji has recently plateaued after nine decades of strong growth.
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1920
78,705
—
1930
95,389
+21.2%
1940
111,028
+16.4%
1950
131,470
+18.4%
1960
164,622
+25.2%
1970
253,407
+53.9%
1980
387,178
+52.8%
1990
466,347
+20.4%
2000
536,046
+14.9%
2010
580,053
+8.2%
2020
579,355
−0.1%
History
The area of present-day Hachiōji was part of ancient Musashi Province. It has been an important junction point and post town along the Kōshū Kaidō, the main road that connected the historical Edo (today's Tokyo) with western Japan. Hachiōji Castle was built during the Sengoku period in 1584 by Hōjō Ujiteru, but was destroyed in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. During the Edo period, the area was tenryō controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate. In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of July 22, 1878, the area became part of Minamitama District in Kanagawa Prefecture. The town of Hachiōji was created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Minaitama District was transferred to the administrative control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Hachiōji gained city status on September 1, 1917.
Hachiōji became a Core city on April 1, 2015 with increased local autonomy.
Government
Hachiōji has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 40 members, whose members are elected for a four-year term. Hachiōji contributes five members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is divided between the Tokyo 21st district and Tokyo 24th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Mayors of Hachiōji (1917–present)
No.
Name
Term of office
Took office
Left office
1
Eikichi Shibata {柴田榮吉}
14 December 1917
13 December 1921
2
Teihei Hirabayashi {平林定兵衛}
16 February 1922
25 February 1925
3
Bungo Muto {武藤文吾}
26 May 1925
25 May 1929
4
Fumitaro Akiyama {秋山文太郎}
8 July 1929
4 November 1929
5
Kunisaburo Kidokoro {城所國三郎}
11 December 1929
10 December 1933
6
Tatsuyoshi Mokudai {杢代龍喜}
16 January 1934
15 January 1938
No.
Name
Term of office
Took office
Left office
7-9
Genpei Sekiya {関谷源兵衛}
22 January 1938
31 August 1942
10
Tomohiko Fukazawa {深沢友彦}
1 September 1942
12 September 1945
11-14
Kichinosuke Kobayashi {小林吉之助}
29 September 1945
6 February 1957
15
Gizo Noguchi {野口義造}
25 February 1957
23 December 1961
16-18
Enji Uetake {植竹圓次}
24 February 1961
23 February 1973
19-22
Soichi Goto {後藤聰一}
24 February 1973
26 December 1983
No.
Name
Term of office
Took office
Left office
22-25
Shigeo Hatano {波多野重雄}
30 January 1984
28 January 2000
26-28
Ryuichi Kurosu {黒須隆一}
29 January 2000
28 January 2012
29-31
Takashi Ishimori {石森孝志}
29 January 2012
28 January 2024
32
Kazuo Shiyake {初宿和夫}
29 January 2024
Incumbent
Economy
During the Meiji period, Hachiōji prospered as an important location for the production of silk and silk textiles. The industry faded away, however, in the 1960s. Today, Hachiōji mainly serves as a commuter town for people working in Tokyo, and as a location for many large colleges and universities.
Hachiōji has 70 public elementary schools and 37 public junior high schools operated by the city government, as well as four public combined elementary/junior high schools.
Combined public elementary and junior high schools:[7]
Tai'an, Shandong, People's Republic of China, friendship city since September 23, 2006[8]
Local attractions
Hachioji stretches over a large area, combining such diverse parts as the densely populated city center and its shopping district with the hardly populated rural areas in the west.
Mt. Takao (599 m) is a popular hiking destination in the southwest, easily accessible through the Keiō Takao Line. It is famous for the Shingon Buddhist temple Takao-san Yakuōin Yūkiji (高尾山薬王院有喜寺).
Mt. Jinba (855 m) is more difficult to reach, requiring a one-hour bus ride from the city center. It is popular, however, because of the scenic view toward Mt. Fuji.
^ abc"International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
^"続日本100名城" (in Japanese). 日本城郭協会. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
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