is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

located in the western portion of the

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 561,344, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 3,000 persons per km². The total area of the city is . 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

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 of Tokyo are a special form of Municipalities of Japan, municipalities in Japan under the 1947 Local Autonomy Act, Local Autonomy Law. They are city-level wards: primary subdivisions of a prefecture with municipal autonomy largely comparabl ...

. 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 is a mountain in the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. It is protected within Meiji no Mori Takao Quasi-National Park. Standing tall and located within an hour of downtown Tokyo, it is a popular hiking spot, with eight hiking trails and more ...

(599 m) and Mount Jinba (857 m), two popular hiking destinations which can be reached by train and bus, respectively.

Surrounding municipalities

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

Sagamihara is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 723,470, with 334,812 households, and a population density of 1,220 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Sagamihara is the third-most-populous city ...

Akiruno 260px, Akigawa River in the autumn is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,177, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geo ...

* Akishima *

Fussa is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 56,786, and a population density of 5600 persons per km². The total area of the city is . About one third of the city area is ...

Hino Hino may refer to: Places Estonia * Hino, Põlva County * Hino, Võru County ** Lake Hino Japan * Hino, Shiga * Hino, Tokyo * Hino, Tottori ** Hino District, Tottori ** Hino River Transportation * Hino Motors, a Japanese truck manufacturer own ...

Hinohara is a village located in West Tokyo, the western portion of Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. , the village had an estimated population of 2,101, and a population density of 20 persons per km2. The total area of the village is . It is the only administra ...

* Machida * Tama

Climate

Hachiōji has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(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.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hachiōji has recently plateaued after nine decades of strong growth.

History

The area of present-day Hachiōji was part of ancient

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

. It has been an important junction point and

post town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in t ...

along the ''

Kōshū Kaidō The was one of the five routes or major highways of the Edo period. It was built to connect Edo (modern-day Tokyo) with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shi ...

'', the main road that connected the historical

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

(today's Tokyo) with western Japan.

Hachiōji Castle was a Sengoku period Japanese castle, located in what is now the city of Hachiōji, Tokyo, in the Kantō region of Japan. Its ruins have been protected as a National Historic Site since 1951, with the area under protection extended in 2005 ...

was built during the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

in 1584 by

Hōjō Ujiteru (1540? – August 10, 1590) was a Japanese samurai, who was the son of Hōjō Ujiyasu and lord of Hachiōji Castle in what is now Tokyo. He fought in the Siege of Odawara (1561) and Battle of Konodai (1564). In 1568, Ujiteru defended Takiyama ...

, but was destroyed in 1590 by

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

. During the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the area was ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...

'' controlled directly by the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

. In the post-

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

cadastral reform of July 22, 1878, the area became part of Minamitama District in

. 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. During the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subseq ...

, the city played host to the

road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes recreational, racing, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, road cyclists are generally expected to obey the same laws a ...

events. A

velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...

in the city played host to the track cycling events. Hachiōji became a

Core city In urban planning, a historic core city or central city is the municipality with the largest 1940 population in the present metropolitan area (metropolitan statistical area). This term was retired by the US census bureau and replaced by the term ...

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 Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

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 A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Mayors of Hachiōji (1917–present)

Economy

During the

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

, 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 A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for people working in Tokyo, and as a location for many large colleges and universities.

Education

Colleges and universities

Chuo University , commonly referred to as or , is a private research university in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. The university finds its roots in a school called Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (English Law School), which was founded in 1885, and became a university in 1 ...

(Tama Campus) * Digital Hollywood University * Kogakuin University (Hachioji Campus) *

Kyorin University is a private university in the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Its three campuses are in Mitaka and Hachiōji, Tokyo. It was established in 1970. The predecessor of the school, Mitaka Shinkawa Hospital, was founded in 1953 by Shinyu Matsuda. Histo ...

(Hachioji Campus) * Meisei University (Hino Campus) * Nihon Bunka University * Soka University *

Tama Art University or is a private Art school, art university located in Tokyo, Japan. It is known as one of the top art schools in Japan. History The forerunner of Tamabi was Tama Imperial Art School (多摩帝国美術学校, Tama Teikoku Bijutsu Gakkō) fou ...

(Hachioji Campus) *

Takushoku University Takushoku University (拓殖大学; ''Takushoku Daigaku'', abbreviated as 拓大 ''Takudai'') is a private university in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time) Taro Katsura (1848–1913).Teikyo University is a private university headquartered in the Itabashi, Tokyo, Itabashi ward of Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1931 as Teikyo shogyo, Commercial High School (帝京商業高等学校). It became Teikyo University in 1966. It is part of Teik ...

(Hachioji Campus) * Tokyo Junshin University * Tokyo Kasei-Gakuin University (Machida Campus) *

Tokyo Metropolitan University , often referred to as TMU, is a Public university, public research university in Hachiōji, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. In contrast to other non-private universities in Tokyo, the university is established under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, ...

(Minamiōsawa Campus) *

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology The commonly known as TUAT is a national university headquartered in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. The university consists of two faculties that provide courses in agriculture and engineering. History The predecessor of the university was founded i ...

* Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences *

Tokyo University of Technology is a private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government g ...

(Hachiōji Campus) *

Tokyo Zokei University is a private university in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1966 by Japanese art educator, fashion designer and design journalist, Yoko Kuwasawa (1910-1977). It is a four-year art college offering both bachelor's and master's degrees in studi ...

*Nippon Engineering College *

Primary and secondary education

The

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education (東京都教育委員会 ''Tōkyō-to Kyōiku Iinkai'') is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board directly manages most of the Public school (government funded), public secondary schoo ...

operates nine public high schools, and the Hachioji School for the Blind. There are also eleven private high schools. Metropolitan high schools: * (junior and senior high) * * * * * * * * 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: * Izumi no Mori School ( いずみの森義務教育学校) * Tate ( 館小中学校) Municipal junior high schools: * No. 1 ( 第一中学校) * No. 2 ( 第二中学校) * No. 4 (第四中学校) * No. 6 (第六中学校) * No. 7 ( 第七中学校) * Asakawa (浅川中学校) * Bessho ( 別所中学校) * Hiyodoriyama ( ひよどり山中学校) * Ishikawa ( 石川中学校) * Kamiyugi ( 上柚木中学校) * Kasumi (加住中学校) * Kawaguchi ( 川口中学校) * Konobara (甲ノ原中学校) * Kunigida ( 椚田中学校) * Matsugaya ( 松が谷中学校) * Matsugi (松木中学校) * Minamino (みなみ野中学校) * Minamiosawa (南大沢中学校) * Miyagami ( 宮上中学校) * Moto Hachioji ( 元八王子中学校) * Nagabusa (長房中学校) * Nakayama ( 中山中学校) * Nanakuni ( 七国中学校) * Narahara ( 楢原中学校) * Ongata (恩方中学校) * Ryonan ( 陵南中学校) * Shiroyama (城山中学校) * Uchikoshi (打越中学校) * Yarimizu (鑓水中学校) * Yokokawa (横川中学校) * Yokoyama (横山中学校) * Yotsuya (四谷中学校) * Yugi ( 由木中学校) * Yui ( 由井中学校) Municipal elementary schools: * No. 1 (第一小学校) * No. 2 (第二小学校) * No. 3 (第三小学校) * No. 4 ( 第四小学校) * No. 5 ( 第五小学校) * No. 7 (第七小学校) * No. 8 (第八小学校) * No. 9 ( 第九小学校) * No. 10 ( 第十小学校) * Akibadai ( 秋葉台小学校) * Asakawa ( 浅川小学校) * Atago ( 愛宕小学校) * Bessho ( 別所小学校) * Funeda (船田小学校) * Higashi Asakawa ( 東浅川小学校) * Kami Ichibukata (上壱分方小学校) * Kami Kawaguchi ( 上川口小学校) * Kami Yugi ( 上柚木小学校) * Kashima ( 鹿島小学校) * Kashiwagi ( 柏木小学校) * Kasumi (加住小学校) * Katakuradai (片倉台小学校) * Kawaguchi (川口小学校) * Komiya (小宮小学校) * Kunugida (椚田小学校) * Nagaike (長池小学校) * Matsugaya (松が谷小学校) * Matsugi ( 松木小学校) * Midorigaoka (緑が丘小学校) * Minamino (みなみ野小学校) * Minamino Kimita (みなみ野君田小学校) * Minami Osawa (南大沢小学校) * Miyakami (宮上小学校) * Miyama (美山小学校) * Moto Hachioji (元八王子小学校) * Moto Hachioji Higashi (元八王子東小学校) * Motoki (元木小学校) * Nagabusa (長房小学校) * Naganuma (長沼小学校) * Nakano Kita (中野北小学校) * Nakayama (中山小学校) * Nanakuni (七国小学校) * Narahara (楢原小学校) * Matsue ( 松枝小学校) * Nibukata (弐分方小学校) * Ongata No. 1 (恩方第一小学校) * Ongata No. 2 (恩方第二小学校) * Owada ( 大和田小学校) * Sanda (散田小学校) * Shimizu (清水小学校) * Shimo Yugi ( 下柚木小学校) * Shiroyama (城山小学校) * Takakura (高倉小学校) * Takane (高嶺小学校) * Toyo (陶鎔小学校) * Utsukidai ( 宇津木台小学校) * Yamada (山田小学校) * Yarimizu ( 鑓水小学校) * Yokokawa (横川小学校) * Yokoyama No. 1 (横山第一小学校) * Yokoyama No. 2 (横山第二小学校) * Yugi Chuo ( 由木中央小学校) * Yugi Higashi (由木東小学校) * Yugi Nishi ( 由木西小学校) * Yui No. 1 ( 由井第一小学校) * Yui No. 2 ( 由井第二小学校) * Yui No. 3 (由井第三小学校) Former: * Takaosan Gakuen ( 高尾山学園) - Elementary and junior high

Transportation

Railways

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

Chūō Main Line The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It connects Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faste ...

* – –

Yokohama Line The Yokohama Line () is a Japanese railway line of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) connecting Higashi-Kanagawa Station in Yokohama, Kanagawa and Hachiōji Station in Hachiōji, Tokyo. The line forms part of what JR East refers to as t ...

* – –

Hachikō Line The is a 92.0 km (57.2 mi) regional railway line owned and operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is located within Tokyo, Saitama, and Gunma Prefectures in Japan. It connects Hachiōji Station in Hachiōji, Tokyo w ...

* – –

40px 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

Keio Corporation is a private railway operator in Tokyo, Japan and the central firm of the that is involved in transport, retailer, retail, real estate and other industries. The Keio railway network connects western suburbs of Tokyo (Chōfu, Tokyo, Chōfu, Fuc ...

Keiō Line The is a railway line in western Tokyo, Japan, owned by the private railway operator Keiō Corporation. It connects Shinjuku, Tokyo, with the suburban city of Hachiōji. The Keiō Line is part of a network with interchanges and through run ...

* – –

Keiō Takao Line The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway operator Keio Corporation. The line connects Kitano Station on the Keio Line, to Takaosanguchi Station, and offers access to Mount Takao at the terminal. It is gauge, electrifie ...

* – – – – – –

- Sagamihara Line * – 12px Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail -

Tama Toshi Monorail Line The , also referred to as the Tama Monorail, is a monorail system in Western Tokyo. Operated by the Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail Co., Ltd., the double tracked, monorail line carries passengers between the suburban cities of Higashiyamato and ...

* – – * Takaotozan Railway

Highways

* * * * *

Sister cities

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung, officially Kaohsiung City, is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsiung City has a population of approximately 2.73 million p ...

, Taiwan, friendship city since November 1, 2006 *

Siheung Siheung (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The city has a population of 511,807 people, where 508,646 are residents out of 218,846 households as of August 2021. Siheung acquired its cu ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

, South Korea, friendship city since November 7, 2006 *

Tai'an Tai'an () is a prefecture-level city in Western Shandong Province of the People's Republic of China. Centered on Mount Tai, the city borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the north, Zibo to the east, Linyi to the southeast, Liaocheng ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, People's Republic of China, friendship city since September 23, 2006

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

. It is famous for the

Shingon Buddhist is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...

temple . * 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. * Tama Forest Science Garden *

Tokyo Fuji Art Museum was established by Daisaku Ikeda and opened near the Sōka University campus in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan, in 1983. The new wing was added in 2008. The collection of some thirty thousand works spans the arts and cultures of Japan, Asia, and Europ ...

* Kamiyugi Park Baseball Field * Kamiyugi Park Athletic Stadium *

Musashi Imperial Graveyard is a mausoleum complex of the Japanese Emperors in Nagabusa-machi, Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. Located within a forest in the western suburbs of Tokyo and named for the ancient Musashi Province, the site contains the mausolea of Emperor Taishō ...

houses the remains of the Taishō and

Shōwa Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

emperors. * Takiyama Castle, A castle ruin in the Sengoku period, one of the

Continued Top 100 Japanese Castles The is a list of 100 Japanese castle, castles, intended as a sequel of 100 Fine Castles of Japan. The castles were chosen for their significance in culture, history, and in their regions by the in 2017. Hokkaidō region Tōhoku region Kant ...

. *

, A castle ruin in the Sengoku period, one of

Japan's Top 100 Castles The Japanese castle, castles in were chosen based on their significance in culture, history, and in their regions by the in 2006. In 2017, the Japanese Castle Association created an additional finest 100 castles list as Continued Top 100 Japane ...

. File:Sign of Summit of Mt. Takao taken in May 2009.jpg, Mt. Takao File:Mausoleum of Emperor Showa 2012.png, Shōwa emperor's grave File:Imperial Mausoleum-TaishōEmperor.JPG, Taishō emperor's grave File:Bridge of Takiyama Castle.jpg, Reconstructed bridge of Takiyama Castle File:Hachioji Castle Gosyuden entrance.JPG, Stone wall and gate of Hachiōji Castle

References

1964 Summer Olympics official report.
Volume 2. Part 1. p. 263.

External links

Hachiōji City Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hachioji, Tokyo Venues of the 1964 Summer Olympics Cities in Tokyo Olympic cycling venues Western Tokyo