Hachimantai, Iwate

Hachimantai 八幡平市
City
Hachimantai City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Hachimantai in Iwate Prefecture
Hachimantai
Coordinates: 39°57′22″N 141°4′16″E / 39.95611°N 141.07111°E / 39.95611; 141.07111Coordinates: 39°57′22″N 141°4′16″E / 39.95611°N 141.07111°E / 39.95611; 141.07111
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Iwate
Area
• Total	826.30 km2 (319.04 sq mi)
Population (February 28, 2017)
• Total	26,579
• Density	30/km2 (80/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
• Tree	Japanese red pine
• Flower	Rindo
• Bird	Copper pheasant
Phone number	0195-76-2111
Address	62 Ōfuke dai-35 jiwari, Hachimantai-shi, Iwate-ken 028-7192
Website	http://www.city.hachimantai.lg.jp/

Lake Hachiman

Hachimantai (八幡平市, Hachimantai-shi) is a city located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of 28 February 2017, the city had an estimated population of 26,579, and a population density of 32 persons per km² in 10,490 households.^[1] The total area of the city is 826.30 square kilometres (319.04 sq mi).

Geography

Hachimantai is located in the Ōu Mountains of far northwest Iwate Prefecture, bordered by Aomori Prefecture to the north and Akita Prefecture to the west. The headwaters of the Yoneshiro River are in Hachimanai. Part of Mount Hachimantai and Mount Iwate are within its borders. Parts of the city are within the borders of the Towada-Hachimantai National Park. Mount Iwate, the highest mountain in Iwate Prefecture, is on the border of Hachimantai with Shizukuishi and Takizawa.

Neighboring municipalities

• Aomori Prefecture
  • Takko
• Akita Prefecture
  • Kazuno
  • Semboku
• Iwate Prefecture
  • Morioka
  • Ninohe
  • Takizawa
  • Ichinohe
  • Iwate
  • Shizukuishi

Climate

Hachimantai has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa), the same as much of Hokkaido to the north, characterized by mild summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Hachimantai is 9.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1387 mm with September as the wettest month and February as the driest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 22.9 °C, and lowest in January, at around -3.4 °C.^[2]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,^[4] the population of Hachimantai has declined steadily over the past 40 years.

History

The area of present-day Hachimantai was part of ancient Mutsu Province. The area was dominated by the Nanbu clan from the early Muromachi period. During the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate, the area was under Morioka Domain, and wad divided between Ninohe District in the north and Iwate District in the south.

In the early Meiji period, the village of Arasawa was created within Ninohe District on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities system. Arasawa merged with neighboring Tayama Village on September 30, 1956 to from the town of Ashiro. Ashiro was transferred to Iwate District on April 1, 2002.

Likewise, on April 1, 1889, the villages of Tairadate, Obun, Dendo and Terada were established within Kita-Iwate District. Kita-Iwate was merged with Minami-Iwate in 1896. The four villages merged on September 30, 1956 for form the town of Nishine.

The modern city of Hachimantai was established on September 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Ashiro and Nishine, and the village of Matsuo.

Government

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

Economy

The local economy is based on agriculture, forestry and seasonal tourism.

Education

Hachimantai has ten public elementary schools and four middle schools operated by the city government, and one public high school operated by the Iwate Prefectural Board of Education.

Transportation

Railway

• East Japan Railway Company (JR East) – Hanawa Line
  • Higashi-Ōbuke - Ōbuke - Tairadate - Kitamori - Matsuo-Hachimantai - Appi-Kōgen - Akasakata - Koyanohata - Arayashimmachi - Yokoma - Tayama - Anihata

Highway

• Tōhoku Expressway – Nishine IC, Iwatesan SA, Matsuo-Hachimantai IC, Maemoriyama PA, Ajiro JCT, Ajiro IC, Tayama PA
• Hachinohe Expressway – Ajiro JCT
• Japan National Route 282 – Nishine roadside station

Sister cities

• Miyako, Iwate – from October 1, 1986
• Nago, Okinawa – from January 28, 1988
• Altenmarkt, Salzburg, Austria, friendship city from November 13, 1994 with former Matsuo Village

Local attractions

• Towada-Hachimantai National Park
• Mount Hachimantai
• Yakehashiri Lava Flow^[5]
• Appi Kogen Ski Resort^[6]
• Fudō Falls, One of Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls^[7]
• Matsuo mine, an abandoned mine
• Matsukawa Gorge ^[8]
• Matsukawa Geothermal Power Plant, the first commercial geothermal plant in Japan
• Nanbu Fuji Golf Course ^[9]
• Hachimantai hot spring resorts ^[10]

Notable people from Hachimantai

• Hideji Oda – manga artist
• Hanahikari Setsuo – sumo wrestler

References

External links

Media related to Hachimantai, Iwate at Wikimedia Commons

• Official Website (in Japanese)