Tokio is a rural location and former rural community in Adams County, in the Palouse region of eastern Washington. It is located along Interstate 90 northeast of Ritzville.Japanese Vignettes, p. 16 (1939) ("There is a Tokio in the northeastern corner of Adams County in eastern Washington")
History In 1888, Northern Pacific Railway railway officials named the railroad stop at this location "Iona." It was changed to Tracy in 1905, and then Tokio in 1906.Washington Place Names, Tacoma Public Library
In the early 20th century the community had a rural school; its enrollment in 1917-18 was 10 pupils.Washington High School Directory 1917-18, p. 171Tokio school, two photos, circa 1907-08, WashingtonRuralHeritage.org Essentially the small community of that period has since dissipated.Turner, Steve Amber Waves and Undertow, p. 29 (2009) ("the freeways charting this new age can't leave all history behind: they have to acknowledge significant crossroads, routes names for municipal destinations, even though those towns have withered or vanished. Accordingly, they are intersections on the Adams stretch of Interstate 90 marked for Schrag and Tokio, sites now only of grain elevators.")
Several wheat fields in Tokio and neighboring areas were destroyed by a fire on July 31, 1998, which killed one farmer. His wheat crop was harvested by neighbors in a community celebration of life.
The freeway exit is adjacent to a weigh station, which inspired the name of a Spokane band. The weigh station has a truck stop and restaurant, along with a recreational cannabis store that opened in 2016. The truck stop was also used as a filming location for The Promise, an independent movie released in 2004.
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