Hachijō, Tokyo

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Hachijō 八丈町
Town
Hachijōjima as viewed from Noboryu peak
Flag Seal
Location of Hachijō in Tokyo Metropolis
Hachijō
Coordinates: 33°06′34.2″N 139°47′27.2″E / 33.109500°N 139.790889°E / 33.109500; 139.790889Coordinates: 33°06′34.2″N 139°47′27.2″E / 33.109500°N 139.790889°E / 33.109500; 139.790889
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tokyo Metropolis
First official recorded	1156 AD
Town settled	April 1, 1955
Government
• Mayor	Tomonari Yamashita (from November 2011)
Area
• Total	72.23 km2 (27.89 sq mi)
Population  (June 2016)
• Total	7,516
• Density	104/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols
• Tree	Pygmy date palm
• Flower	Strelitzia
• Bird	Izu thrush
• Fish	Flying fish
Phone number	04996-2-1121
Address	2345-1, Ōkagō, Hachijō-machi, Tōkyō-to 100-1498
Website	www.town.hachijo.tokyo.jp

Hachijō (八丈町, Hachijō-machi) is a town located in Hachijō Subprefecture, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 1 June 2016, the town had an estimated population of 7,516, and a population density of 104 persons per km². Its total area is 72.23 square kilometres (27.89 sq mi). Electric power for the town is provided by a geothermal power station and by a wind farm.

Geography[]

Hachijō covers the islands of Hachijō-jima and Hachijō-kojima, two of the islands in the Izu archipelago in the Philippine Sea, 228 kilometres (142 mi) south of central Tokyo. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current, the town has a warmer and wetter climate than central Tokyo. All of the town's residents live on the island of Hachijō-jima.

Neighboring municipalities[]

• Tokyo Metropolis
  • Aogashima, Tokyo
  • Mikurajima, Tokyo

Population[]

The population of Hachijō as of 2015 was 7613.^[1]

Comparison of Population Distribution between Hachijō-jima and Japanese National Average	Population Distribution by Age and Sex in Hachijō-jima
■Hachijō-jima ■Japan (average)	■Male ■Female
1970 10,316 1975 10,318 1980 10,244 1985 10,024 1990 9,420 1995 9,476 2000 9,488 2005 8,837 2010 8,231 2015 7,613
2015 Census, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications - Statistics Department

History[]

During the Edo period, Hachijōjima was known as a place of exile for convicts. This practice ended in the Meiji period, and the island residents developed an economy based on fishing, sericulture, and agriculture. Hachijō Subprefecture was organized on April 1, 1908, and included the villages of Mitsune, Nakanogo, Kashitate, Sueyoshi and Ōkago. The villages of Toruchi and Utsuki on Hachijōkojima were organized on May 3, 1947. The five villages of Hachijōjima merged on October 1, 1954 to form the village of Hachijō. On April 1, 1955, the two villages of Hachijōkojima also merged with the village of Hachijō, which was promoted to town status. However, in March 1966, the residents of Hachijōkojima voted to abandon their island, citing the inaccessibility of basic public services and economic difficulties, and Hachijōkojima became a deserted island from June 1969.

Economy[]

Fishing and tourism are the mainstays of the economy of Hachijō.

Education[]

The town government operates three public elementary and three public middle schools. The Tōkyō Metropolitan Government Board of Education operates  [ja].^[2]

Transportation[]

Hachijōjima is accessible both by aircraft and by ferry. A pedestrian ferry leaves Tōkyō once every day at 10 p.m., and arrives at Hachijōjima at 9:00 a.m. the following day. Air travel to Hachijojima Airport takes 45 minutes from Tōkyō International Airport (Haneda).

Sister city relations[]

• - Maui County, Hawaii, United States

Gallery[]

• 

  Hachijōjima (right) and Hachijōkojima (left)

• 

  typical stone walls

• 

  Sokodo Harbor

See also[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hachijo, Tokyo.

• Runin: Banished, a 2004 film about convicts exiled to Hachijōjima, and their attempts to escape.
• Battle Royale, a controversial 2000 film filmed on the neighbouring, uninhabited island, Hachijō-kojima, although not set there.

References[]

External links[]

• Hachijō Town Official Website (in Japanese)
• The Anchor Pub in Hachijō Town