Tokyo · Core city

Hachioji

八王子市はちおうじしHachiōji-shi

Mount Takao and the silk town at Tokyo's western edge

Hachioji is the largest city in the Tama area of western Tokyo, about 40 km from the centre, and a core city of over half a million people. It is best known for Mount Takao, a sacred mountain of forested trails, and has a history as a castle site, a post town on the Koshu Kaido and a centre of silk weaving.

Overview

Hachioji fills a basin on the upper Asa and Tama river system where the Kanto Plain meets the mountains of western Tokyo. The old Koshu Kaido highway passed through it on its way to Kai province, and the city grew as a post and market town serving the silk-producing villages of the Tama hills – so important that it was called Kuwa no Miyako, the 'capital of mulberries'.

Today Hachioji is a large residential and university city, home to more than twenty colleges and universities that moved to its hills from central Tokyo, and to parts of Tama New Town. Its western districts remain green: Mount Takao, a 599 m mountain with the temple Yakuo-in and a network of trails, is one of the most climbed mountains in the world, and ridge walks lead on to Kagenobu-yama and Jinba-san on the Kanagawa border.

The city also holds the Musashi Imperial Mausoleums of the Taisho and Showa emperors and their consorts, the ruins of the Hojo clan's mountain castle, and traditions such as the Hachioji kuruma ningyo puppet theatre and the floats of the summer Hachioji Festival.

Landmarks

Mount Takao and Yakuo-in
高尾山薬王院Takaosan Yakuō-in
Shingon temple on Mount Takao dedicated to Izuna Gongen, guarded by tengu statues and reached by cable car, chairlift or trail.
Hachioji Castle ruins
八王子城跡Hachiōji-jō ato
Stone walls, a reconstructed bridge and gate and mountain-top fortifications of the Hojo castle, a National Historic Site.
Musashi Imperial Mausoleums
武蔵陵墓地Musashi Ryōbochi
Burial mounds of the Taisho and Showa emperors and empresses in a cedar-lined precinct at Nagabusa.
Takiyama Castle ruins
滝山城跡Takiyama-jō ato
Well-preserved earthwork castle of the sixteenth century above the Tama River, known for its cherry trees.
Takao 599 Museum
高尾599ミュージアムTakao Go-Kyū-Kyū Myūjiamu
Visitor museum at the foot of Mount Takao on the mountain's plants, insects and wildlife.
Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
東京富士美術館Tōkyō Fuji Bijutsukan
Art museum with a wide-ranging collection of Western and Japanese paintings and decorative arts.

Districts

Central Hachioji
八王子駅周辺Hachiōji-eki shūhen
Shopping streets between the JR and Keio stations, around the old Koshu Kaido post town.
Takao
高尾Takao
The western gateway to the mountain, with soba restaurants, the Keio terminus and trailheads.
Minami-Osawa
南大沢Minami-Ōsawa
Part of Tama New Town with a university campus and an outlet mall.
Hachioji university hills
Campuses scattered through the western and southern hills, giving the city a large student population.

History

Hachioji Castle was built in the 1580s by Hojo Ujiteru on a mountain west of today's centre. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi's armies besieged the Hojo in 1590, the castle fell in a single day with heavy loss of life. Under the Tokugawa a new town was laid out on the plain as a post station on the Koshu Kaido, guarded by the Hachioji Sennin Doshin, a corps of a thousand samurai-farmers who also served as fire guards at Nikko.

Silk made Hachioji prosperous in the nineteenth century: raw silk from the area travelled to Yokohama along the so-called Silk Road, and the town's weavers produced kimono fabrics. The railway arrived in 1889, and Hachioji became the first city of the Tama area in 1917. An air raid in August 1945 destroyed most of the centre. Post-war suburban growth, the arrival of universities and the Keio line to Mount Takao shaped the modern city.

c. 1587
Hojo Ujiteru builds Hachioji Castle on a mountain west of the plain.
1590
Hachioji Castle falls to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's forces in one day.
1600
The Hachioji Sennin Doshin, a thousand-man guard, is organised under the Tokugawa.
1889
The Kobu Railway (today's JR Chuo Line) reaches Hachioji.
1917
Hachioji becomes the first city in the Tama area.
1927
The mausoleum of Emperor Taisho is built at Nagabusa, the origin of the Musashi Imperial Mausoleums.
1945
An air raid on 2 August destroys most of the city centre.
1967
The Keio Takao Line opens to Takaosanguchi.
2015
Hachioji becomes a core city.

Culture

Hachioji preserves traditions from its silk-town past: Tama-ori weaving, a designated traditional craft, and the kuruma ningyo puppet theatre, in which a single puppeteer sits on a wheeled box to operate a doll, a tradition protected as intangible cultural heritage. Mount Takao has been a centre of mountain worship (Shugendo) for centuries, and the city's many universities give it a young population.

Festivals

Hachioji Festival
八王子まつりHachiōji Matsuri
In early August, around twenty richly carved floats and portable shrines parade along the old Koshu Kaido.
Takao-san Fire-walking
高尾山火渡り祭Takaosan Hiwatari Matsuri
In March at the foot of Mount Takao, mountain ascetics and visitors walk over embers after a fire ritual.
Autumn colours on Mount Takao
高尾山もみじまつりTakaosan Momiji Matsuri
A November festival of maple colours with events on the mountain and at its foot.

Food

Hachioji ramen
八王子ラーメンHachiōji rāmen
Soy-sauce ramen topped with chopped raw onion and a film of flavoured oil.
Takao soba
とろろそばtororo soba
Buckwheat noodles with grated yam, the traditional meal of pilgrims to Mount Takao.
Temple vegetarian cuisine
精進料理shōjin ryōri
Buddhist vegetarian meals served at Yakuo-in on Mount Takao.

Getting around

JR Chuo Line rapid trains run from Shinjuku to Hachioji in about 45 minutes; limited expresses bound for Kofu and Matsumoto are faster.
Keio trains run from Shinjuku to Keio-Hachioji and to Takaosanguchi at the foot of Mount Takao in about 50 minutes.
The JR Yokohama Line connects Hachioji with Shin-Yokohama and Yokohama, and the JR Hachiko Line runs north towards Takasaki.
On Mount Takao a cable car and chairlift climb the lower slopes; the summit is about 90 minutes on foot from Takaosanguchi.

Day trips

Mount Takao
Trails, the temple and views to Mount Fuji on clear winter days.
Okutama and Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park
River gorges and mountains in Tokyo's far west.
Kofu
Capital of Yamanashi, reached by limited express on the JR Chuo Line.
Fujikawaguchiko
Lake Kawaguchi below Mount Fuji, via the Chuo Line and Fuji Kyuko.
Shinjuku
Back to central Tokyo by JR or Keio.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalShinjukuShinjuku-kuSkyscrapers, neon and the seat of Tokyo's government Special wardChiyodaChiyoda-kuThe palace, the Diet and Tokyo Station at the heart of Japan Special wardChuoChūō-kuEdo's merchant heart, from Nihonbashi to Ginza Special wardMinatoMinato-kuEmbassies, art museums and Tokyo Tower on the bay Special wardShibuyaShibuya-kuFashion, youth culture and a forest shrine in the heart of Tokyo Special wardTaitoTaitō-kuTemples, museums and the old shitamachi of Asakusa and Ueno

Frequently asked questions

Is Hachioji part of Tokyo?

Yes. Hachioji is a city in the Tama area of the Tokyo Metropolis, outside the 23 special wards.

How long does it take to climb Mount Takao?

About 90 minutes on foot from Takaosanguchi Station by the main trail, or less using the cable car or chairlift for the lower section.

When is the best time to visit Mount Takao?

Autumn (mid-November to early December) for maple colours and winter for clear views of Mount Fuji; weekends in autumn are very crowded.

Why are there so many universities in Hachioji?

From the 1960s many universities moved from crowded central Tokyo to spacious campuses in the Hachioji hills.

Sources

1.八王子市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 八王子市 (Hachioji City)
2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局 (Statistics Bureau of Japan)
3.明治の森高尾国定公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
4.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — JNTO