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Hokuto 北杜市
City
Keep farm in Kiyosato Plateau
FlagSeal
Location of Hokuto in Yamanashi Prefecture
Hokuto
Coordinates: 35°46′35.3″N 138°25′25.1″E / 35.776472°N 138.423639°E / 35.776472; 138.423639
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Tōkai)
Prefecture	Yamanashi Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Eiji Uemura 上村英司 (since November 2020)
Area
• Total	602.48 km (232.62 sq mi)
Population
• Total	45,684
• Density	76/km (200/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Phone number	0551-42-1111
Address	961-1 Daizu-namada, Sutama-chō, Hokuto-shi, Yamanashi-ken 408-0188
Climate	Cfa
Website	Official website
Symbols
Bird	Ural owl
Flower	Sunflower
Tree	Japanese red pine

Hokuto (北杜市, Hokuto-shi) is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 October 2020, the city had an estimated population of 45,684 in 22,091 households, and a population density of 78 inhabitants per square kilometre (200/sq mi). The total area of the city is 602.48 square kilometres (232.62 sq mi).

Geography

Hokuto is located in far northwest Yamanashi Prefecture. Most of the area of the city is elevated highland and forested, with one third of the city located on the alpine southeastern slopes of Mount Yatsugatake, With a cooler alpine climate in summer, smaller towns such as Kiyosato are a popular location for second homes.

Neighboring municipalities

Climate

The city has a climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and relatively mild winters (Köppen climate classification Cfa). The average annual temperature in Hokuto is 11.2 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1296 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 23.8 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.0 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Hokuto has remained relatively stable over the past 50 years.

History

During the Edo period, all of Kai Province was tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate. During the cadastral reform of the early Meiji period on April 1, 1889, the rural district of Kitakoma was formed.

The modern city of Hokuto was established on November 1, 2004, from the merger of the towns of Hakushū, Nagasaka, Sutama and Takane, and the villages of Akeno, Mukawa and Ōizumi (all from Kitakoma District). On March 15, 2006, Hokuto absorbed the town of Kobuchisawa (also from Kitakoma District). Kitakoma District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Government

Hokuto has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 22 members.

Economy

The economy of Hokuto is primarily agricultural, with seasonal tourism, precision manufacturing and food processing playing secondary roles.

Education

• Teikyo-Gakuen Junior College
• Hokuto has eight public elementary schools and nine public middle schools operated by the city government and two public high schools operated by the Yamanashi Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

• Central Japan Railway Company - Chūō Main Line
  • Hinoharu - Nagasaka - Kobuchizawa
• Central Japan Railway Company - Koumi Line
  • Kobuchizawa - Kai-Koizumi - Kai-Ōizumi - Kiyosato

Highway

• Chūō Expressway
• National Route 20
• National Route 141

Sister cities

• Fukuroi, Shizuoka, since March 9, 1987 between former Asaba, Shizuoka and former Akeno, Yamanashi
• Joetsu, Niigata, since January 17, 1991 between former Misaka Town and former Kakizaki, Niigata and Sutama, Yamanashi
• Hamura, Tokyo, since October 1, 1996 with former Takane Town
• Nishitokyo, Tokyo, since February 4, 1999 between former Tanashi, Tokyo and the former town of Sutama, Yamanashi
• Madison County, Kentucky, United States, since May 12, 1990 with former municipalities of Takane, Nagasaka, Ōizumi, and Kobuchisawa
• LeMars, Iowa, United States, since July 3, 1993 with former Sutama Town
• Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, since March 21, 2003 with former Takane Town
• Manciano, Tuscany, Italy with former Kobuchisawa Town
• Crowsnest Pass, Alberta (unratified)

Local attractions

• Gikosan Yanodo Temple
• Kinsei ruins, a Jomon-period settlement trace and National Historic Site.
• Kitashōji Falls, one of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls
• Kiyosato Plateau
• Musée Kiyoharu Shirakaba
• Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
• Umenoki ruins, a Jomon-period settlement trace and National Historic Site.
• Yato Castle, ruins of a Sengoku period castle, and National Historic Site

References

1. 暮らしの情報›市政情報›人口・世帯数 [Living Information › Municipal Administration Information › Population/Number of Households]. Hokuto City Hall (in Japanese). May 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
2. Hokuto climate data
3. 観測史上1～10位の値（年間を通じての値）. JMA. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
4. 気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）. JMA. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
5. Hokuto population statistics
6. 現代用語の基礎知識 (in Japanese). 自由国民社. 2005. p. 478. ISBN 978-4-426-10123-7. 11 月 1 日山梨県北巨摩郡明野町・須玉町・高根町・長坂町・大泉村・白州町武川村が合併して北杜市が誕生する。
7. "合併の経緯". 山梨県北杜市公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-02-04. 平成16年11月1日、北巨摩郡7町村（明野村、須玉町、高根町、長坂町、大泉村、白州町、武川村）が合併し、北杜市が誕生しました。
8. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.

External links

• Media related to Hokuto, Yamanashi at Wikimedia Commons
• Official Website (in Japanese)

v t e Yamanashi Prefecture
Kōfu (capital)
Core city	Kōfu
Cities	Chūō Fuefuki Fujiyoshida Hokuto Kai Kōshū Minami-Alps Nirasaki Ōtsuki Tsuru Uenohara Yamanashi
Districts	Kitatsuru District Kosuge Tabayama Minamikoma District Hayakawa Fujikawa Minobu Nanbu Minamitsuru District Dōshi Fujikawaguchiko Narusawa Nishikatsura Oshino Yamanakako Nakakoma District Shōwa Nishiyatsushiro District Ichikawamisato
Former Districts	Higashiyamanashi District Higashiyatsushiro District Nishiyamanashi District Kitakoma District
List of mergers in Yamanashi Prefecture

• Hokuto, Yamanashi
• Cities in Yamanashi Prefecture