Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Chūbu Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Hokuto is a city located in Yamanashi Prefecture, Chūbu Region, Japan.

Geography Hokuto is located in far north-west Yamanashi Prefecture. Most of the area of the city is elevated highland and forested, with one third of the city located on the alpine south-eastern 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 • Yamanashi Prefecture: ◦ Kōfu ◦ Nirasaki ◦ Minami-arupusu ◦ Kai • Nagano Prefecture: ◦ Chino ◦ Ina ◦ Suwa District: Fujimi ◦ Minamisaku District: Kawakami, Minamimaki.

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.

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

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.