Hachimantai City is located in northwestern Iwate Prefecture. The Tohoku Expressway and the Hachinohe Expressway branch off from each other, making it a strategic transportation hub. The mountains that make up Hachimantai include Mt. Iwate, Mt. Hachimantai, Mt. Maemori, and Mt. Nanashigure, and the rivers include the Aka River and the Appi River. The climate is subarctic and humid. Hachimantai City is a relatively new city formed in 2005 by the merger of Nishine Town, Matsuo Village, and Ashiro Town in Iwate County. Major tourist attractions in the city include the Yakehashiri Lava Flow, Hachimantai Trout Garden, Kanazawa Shimizu, selected as one of Japan's 100 best waters, Hachimantai Resort, and Fudo Falls, selected as one of Japan's 100 best waterfalls. There are also many hot springs, and Hachimantai Onsenkyo is a national hot spring resort.