Hokuto (北斗市, Hokuto-shi) is a city in the center of the Oshima Subprefecture in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. It serves as a bedroom community for Hakodate, to the east of the city. Hokuto was formed on February 1, 2006, from merging the town of Kamiiso, from Kamiiso District, and the town of Ōno, from Kameda District.
Hokuto is the third city to be established in Oshima. (The second, Kameda, no longer exists, being dissolved just two years after its founding in 1971). Hokuto is the second largest city in Oshima by population after the city of Hakodate.
Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station can be reached from Sapporo via the Hokuto Limited Express line in three and a half hours, or from Tokyo via the Tohoku-Hokkaido Shinkansen in as little as four hours.
The nearest airport is Hakodate Airport, which is about 45 minutes away by car or taxi.
The JR Esashi Line runs east-west across Hokuto along the coast and connects most of the major residential and commercial areas. Services are infrequent with usually an hour gap between each train (in either direction). Kamiiso Station has a JR ticket office where one can reserve tickets for any JR service in Japan. The one-way fare from Kamiiso Station to Hakodate Station is ¥260.
A local bus service connects Ōno with Kamiiso.
Hokuto is located at the southern end of Japan's northernmost prefecture, Hokkaido, and is immediately west of Hakodate. The city was formed by the merger of Kamiiso and Ōno towns on February 1, 2006. It is now the 2nd largest city in Oshima Subprefecture with a population of about 50,000 people.
Hokuto is the northern terminus of the Hokkaido Shinkansen. Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station is located at the former site of Oshima-Ono Station.
