Kanagawa Prefecture Hayama has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

During the Edo period, all of eastern Sagami Province was tenryō territory under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, and administered by various hatamoto.

With the establishment of the modern municipalities system the early Meiji period in April 1889, the area was reorganized into Hayama village through the merger of six hamlets.

Despite its lack of rail connections, Hayama is now primarily a commuter town for Tokyo and Yokohama and, due to its mild climate, a popular resort area with a marina.

From the Meiji period it became a prestigious summer home location for the upper classes of Tokyo, partly due to the prestige of the Imperial villa.