Located in central Tottori, Yurihama was created from the towns Hawai, Togo and Tomari, which all surround Lake Togo. The historical and geographical bonds between three towns has always been strong, and there has been a lot of different economic, cultural, educational, and general interaction between the residents. Consequently, these towns began to form a single region.

As a result of the decentralization of authority from federal to local governments, making decisions about administrative services and providing services that become necessary in an aging society has become the responsibility of local municipalities. For this reason a new town, Yurihama, was created on October 1st, 2004, after extensive investigation on the impact a merger would have on community building and the quality of governmental service.