Otsuki

Otsuki is a Japanese toponym and surname with several notable uses. The best-known reference is Otsuki City (Otsuki-shi) in Yamanashi Prefecture, located in western Honshu. The city serves as a gateway to the Fuji region and surrounding valleys, with an economy based on agriculture, light industry, and commerce, and with tourism linked to access routes toward Mount Fuji and the Fuji Five Lakes area.

Otsuki Station is a major rail hub within the city. It is served by JR East’s Chūō Main Line, which connects Tokyo and points inland, and by the private Fujikyū Railway’s Fujikyū Line, which runs from Otsuki to Kawaguchiko and provides access to the Mount Fuji area. The station functions as a transfer point for travelers heading toward mountain scenery, hot springs, and lakes.

In addition to its geographic uses, Otsuki is also a Japanese surname. People with the surname Otsuki can be found in Japan and among Japanese communities abroad. The kanji commonly associated with the name are 大月, which literally means “large moon.” In place names, the meaning reflects historical naming rather than a literal description.

Overall, Otsuki denotes both a specific municipality in Yamanashi Prefecture and a broader set of related uses in Japanese geography and genealogy, with transport links that make it a notable access point to central Japan’s mountain and lake regions.