city, Tokyo to (metropolis), Honshu, Japan, east of Lake Sayama. The town of Kumegawa, now the city centre, was a post station in the 8th century and an important local centre until the late 14th century. Higashi-Murayama remained the commercial hub of the surrounding tea-producing area until World War II. The city is now a residential suburb of the Tokyo–Yokohama metropolitan area, with some industry (food products, electric appliances). Pop. (2005) 144,929.