Hachiōji

About Hachiōji

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, the city has an estimated population of 561,344, and a population density of 3,000 persons per km2. 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 city in Tokyo Prefecture (present-day Tokyo) to implement the municipal system after Tokyo City (present-day Tokyo's 23 wards).

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.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.