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▶Climate
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The entire town is included in Chichibu Tama Kai National Park and is blessed with abundant nature.
The town has two water systems, the Tama River and the Hibara River, with the Tama River flowing through the center of the town from west to east.
Mount Kumotori, the highest mountain in Tokyo and one of the 100 most famous mountains in Japan, and Mount Gozen, one of the three mountains of Okutama, offer panoramic views of Lake Okutama, and are popular with hikers. The old road from Okutama Station to Lake Okutama and the Hatonosu Valley, where the Tama River flows between giant rocks and oddly shaped rocks, offer a variety of scenery throughout the four seasons.
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▶History and Culture
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Okutama Town was formed in 30 by the merger of the three towns of Furusato, Hikawa, and Ogouchi. The town has a long history, and it is known that people have lived here since the Jomon period.
Due to its deep mountainous terrain, it served as a hideout for defeated troops during the medieval Warring States period, and was important as a supplier of building materials during the Edo period.
The settlements are scattered across the flat land along the river, and have well preserved and passed down the culture and lifestyle of mountain villages.
In addition to lion dances in each region, a variety of local performing arts have been handed down and performed on festival days, including the "Ogouchi no Kashima Dance," a nationally designated intangible folk cultural property and a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
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▶Sightseeing and Activities
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Okutama Town, which is easily accessible from the city center, is popular with tourists as it offers a wealth of experiences that allow you to interact with nature.
In particular, there are many tourist spots that make use of nature, such as the Nippara Cave, Lake Okutama, walking trails, and mountain climbing.
The view from the observation tower of Ogouchi Dam, which was selected as one of the 100 best dam lakes in Japan, is spectacular. The adjacent Okutama Water and Greenery Center offers local cuisine, 3D videos, and displays on the history and culture of the region, as well as activities that allow you to get in touch with nature, such as camping, canoeing, and canyoning.
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▶Specialty products
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"Okutama Yamame"
Yamame fish developed at the Okutama branch of the Tokyo Metropolitan Fisheries Experimental Station in 10
"Okutama Wasabi"
Wasabi is grown in clean, pure streams and is a local specialty that was presented to the shogunate during the Edo period.
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▶Immigration Information
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Okutama Town is experiencing a decline in population due to a declining birthrate and an aging population, so the town is taking various measures to combat the declining birthrate and encourage settlement in order to prevent population outflow and to increase the in-migration population, such as young married couples.
For more information, please see the "Childcare Support: Promoting Youth Settlement Guidebook."
https://www.town.okutama.tokyo.jp/material/files/group/3/guidebook.pdf
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▶Relocation support information
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▶Okutama Town Child and Family Support Center "Kikorin"
Kikorin operates a variety of businesses, including parenting salons, so that everyone in the community can protect children and all parents can raise their children with ease, and anyone can easily use these services.
・Advice regarding children
・Childcare salon
・With picture books
・Family Support Center
▶Child and child-rearing support promotion project
We are carrying out subsidy projects for 15 items that promote children and child-rearing support unique to Okutama Town.
・Infertility testing, infertility and infertility treatment support project
・Postnatal health check-ups and other enhancement projects
・Support for admission to kindergarten, school, and higher education
・Nursery school fee subsidy program
・After-school care association training fee subsidy project
・School meal subsidy program
・Junior high school uniform support project
・Support for high school students' school expenses
・Subsidy program for commuting commuter passes for high school students, etc. [bus]
・Subsidy program for commuting passes for high school students, etc. [Train]
・Medical expenses subsidy program for high school students
・Partial subsidy for influenza vaccinations
・Family Support Center Use Subsidy
・Partial water bill support for large families
・Waste disposal support project for single-parent and large family households
▶Town-run youth housing
We have established low-rent town-run youth housing where young people can live as a first step towards purchasing their own home and living permanently in the town in the future.
▶ Housing to support young people settling down and housing to support rural life
We will utilize vacant houses and donate houses with land. These houses are donated to people from outside the town or people who live in the town but rent, if they live there as their own residence for 15 years or more.
▶Town-run childcare support housing
If you live in rental housing built and managed by the town for a certain period of time (22 years), the housing will be given to you.
