Saitama (city)
Saitama .mw-parser-output .nobold{font-weight:normal} さいたま市 | ||
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| Designated city | ||
| Saitama City | ||
 From top left: Saitama Stadium 2002, Urawa Parco, Gyokuzouin, Hikawa Shrine, Saitama New City Center, Saitama Super Arena, Musashi urawa | ||
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 Location of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture | ||
  Saitama Location of Saitama in Saitama Prefecture | ||
| Coordinates: 35°51′41″N 139°38′44″E / 35.86139°N 139.64556°E / 35.86139; 139.64556Coordinates: 35°51′41″N 139°38′44″E / 35.86139°N 139.64556°E / 35.86139; 139.64556 | ||
| Country | Japan | |
| Region | Kantō | |
| Prefecture | Saitama Prefecture | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 217.43 km2 (83.95 sq mi) | |
| Population (February 2016) | ||
| • Total | 1,266,656 | |
| • Density | 5,830/km2 (15,100/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time) | |
| - Tree | Zelkova serrata | |
| - Flower | Primula sieboldii | |
| Phone number | 048-829-1111 | |
| Address | 6-4-4 Tokiwa, Urawa-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama-ken 330-9588 | |
| Website | http://www.city.saitama.jp/ | |
Saitama City Hall
Saitama (さいたま市, Saitama-shi, Japanese: [saꜜitama]) is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lying 15 to 30 kilometres north of central Tokyo, many of its residents commute into Tokyo. As of 1 February 2016[update], the city had an estimated population of 1,226,656, and a population density of 5830 persons per km². Its total area is 217.43 square kilometres (83.95 sq mi).
Contents
1 History
1.1 Name
2 Geography
2.1 Surrounding municipalities
3 Climate
4 Wards
5 Economy
6 Transportation
6.1 Railway stations
6.2 Highways
7 Politics and government
7.1 Elections
8 Culture
8.1 Education
8.1.1 Universities
8.1.2 Junior Colleges
8.1.3 Professional Graduate School
8.2 Sports
8.3 Mass media
9 Sister cities
10 Visitor attractions
11 References
12 External links
History
The city was founded on May 1, 2001, and was designated on April 1, 2003 as a government ordinance. For the histories of Urawa, Ōmiya and Yono before the merger, see:
- Urawa-ku, Saitama
Ōmiya-ku, Saitama and
Yono, Saitama, respectively.
On April 1, 2005, Saitama absorbed the city of Iwatsuki to its east, which became a new ward, Iwatsuki-ku.
Name
The name "Saitama" originally comes from the Sakitama District (埼玉郡) of what is now the city of Gyōda in the northern part of what is now known as Saitama Prefecture. "Sakitama" has an ancient history and is mentioned in the famous 8th century poetry anthology Man'yōshū. The pronunciation has changed from Sakitama to Saitama over the years.
With the merger of Urawa, Ōmiya, and Yono it was decided that a new name, one fitting for this newly created prefectural capital, was needed. The prefectural name "Saitama" (埼玉県) was changed from kanji into hiragana, thus Saitama City (さいたま市) was born. It is the only prefectural capital in Japan whose name is always written in hiragana, and belongs to the list of hiragana cities.
However, Saitama written in hiragana (さいたま市) actually finished in second place in public polling to Saitama written in kanji (埼玉市). Despite this, government officials decided to name the new city Saitama in hiragana, not kanji. In third place in the poll was Ōmiya (大宮市). In fourth was Saitama (彩玉市), written with an alternative kanji for "sai" (彩) which means "colorful". The "sai" (埼) used in the prefectural name is a rare form of a common character (崎) that means 'cape' or 'promontory'.
Geography
The city is located 20 to 30 km north of central Tokyo, roughly at the center of the Kantō Plain. Situated in approximately the center of Saitama Prefecture, the city is topographically comprised by lowlands and plateaus, at mostly less than 20 m above sea level, with no mountain ranges or hills within the city boundaries. The western portion of the city lies on the lowland created by the Arakawa River along with those created by small rivers such as the Moto-Arakawa River, Shiba River, and Ayase River. The rest of the area mostly resides on the Ōmiya Plateau lying in the north-south direction. Dispersed in this region, major rivers flow southward, almost paralleling to one another.
Surrounding municipalities
- Saitama Prefecture
Ageo (to the northwest)
Hasuda (to the north)
Shiraoka (to the north)
Asaka (to the south)
Kawaguchi (to the south)
Toda (to the south)
Warabi (to the south)
Koshigaya (to the east)
Kasukabe (to the northeast)
Kawagoe (to the west)
Shiki (to the west)
Fujimi (to the west)
Climate
| Climate data for Saitama City (1981 - 2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.7 (65.7) | 25.5 (77.9) | 25.4 (77.7) | 31.2 (88.2) | 33.3 (91.9) | 35.9 (96.6) | 38.7 (101.7) | 37.9 (100.2) | 37.4 (99.3) | 32.1 (89.8) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.1 (77.2) | 38.7 (101.7) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 9.2 (48.6) | 9.9 (49.8) | 13.1 (55.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 23.2 (73.8) | 26.0 (78.8) | 29.8 (85.6) | 31.5 (88.7) | 27.1 (80.8) | 21.6 (70.9) | 16.2 (61.2) | 11.7 (53.1) | 19.9 (67.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 3.6 (38.5) | 4.4 (39.9) | 7.8 (46) | 13.4 (56.1) | 18.0 (64.4) | 21.5 (70.7) | 25.1 (77.2) | 26.6 (79.9) | 22.7 (72.9) | 16.9 (62.4) | 11.0 (51.8) | 5.9 (42.6) | 14.8 (58.6) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −1.5 (29.3) | −0.6 (30.9) | 2.8 (37) | 8.1 (46.6) | 13.4 (56.1) | 17.7 (63.9) | 21.5 (70.7) | 22.9 (73.2) | 19.2 (66.6) | 12.8 (55) | 6.2 (43.2) | 0.8 (33.4) | 10.3 (50.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.8 (18) | −8.7 (16.3) | −5 (23) | −2 (28) | 4.8 (40.6) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.7 (58.5) | 17.1 (62.8) | 9.5 (49.1) | 3.6 (38.5) | −2.4 (27.7) | −6.7 (19.9) | −8.7 (16.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 37.4 (1.472) | 43.1 (1.697) | 90.9 (3.579) | 102.3 (4.028) | 117.3 (4.618) | 142.4 (5.606) | 148.1 (5.831) | 176.3 (6.941) | 201.8 (7.945) | 164.9 (6.492) | 75.7 (2.98) | 41.1 (1.618) | 1,346 (52.992) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 3.9 | 5.2 | 9.5 | 9.8 | 10.3 | 11.6 | 12.1 | 8.7 | 11.5 | 9.6 | 6.7 | 3.9 | 102.8 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 193.3 | 179.9 | 177.8 | 185.7 | 174.7 | 128.2 | 145.5 | 173.0 | 128.1 | 137.0 | 154.5 | 182.9 | 1,960.9 |
| Source: Japan Meteorological Agency[1][2] | |||||||||||||
Wards
Saitama has ten wards (ku), which were assigned official colours as of April 2005:
■1 - Chūō-ku | 中央区 | (Rose red) |
■2 - Iwatsuki-ku | 岩槻区 | (Ochre) |
■3 - Kita-ku | 北区 | (Dark green) |
■4 - Midori-ku | 緑区 | (Green) |
■5 - Minami-ku | 南区 | (Lemon yellow) |
■6 - Minuma-ku | 見沼区 | (Sky blue) |
■7 - Nishi-ku | 西区 | (Blue) |
■8 - Ōmiya-ku | 大宮区 | (Orange) |
■9 - Sakura-ku | 桜区 | (Cherry blossom pink) |
■10 - Urawa-ku | 浦和区 | (Red) - administrative center |
Economy
Saitama's economy is principally constituted by commercial business. The city is one of many commercial centers of the Greater Tokyo area and serves Saitama Prefecture, North Kanto, and northeast Honshu.
Saitama is also home to various manufacturers, exporting automotive (Honda manufactures the Honda Legend at Sayama Plant), food, optical, precision and pharmaceutical products. Calsonic Kansei, a global automotive company is headquartered in the city.[3]Iwatsuki is famous for manufacturing of hinamatsuri dolls and ornate kabuto (samurai helmets).
Transportation
Omiya Station, a major railway hub in Saitama
Representative station is Urawa Station. Saitama is a regional transportation hub for both passengers and freight train lines. Ōmiya Station, part of the Shinkansen high-speed train network, serves as the biggest railway hub in the prefecture.
The closest major airports are Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport, both about two hours away.[4]Honda Airport in Okegawa is for general aviation and offers no scheduled transport services. Commuter helicopter flights to Narita Airport are offered from Kawajima.[5]
Railway stations
■ East Japan Railway Company
■ Tōhoku, Akita, Yamagata, Jōetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen
- Ōmiya
■ Utsunomiya Line
Urawa - Saitama-Shintoshin - Ōmiya - Toro - Higashi-Ōmiya
■ Takasaki Line
- Urawa - Saitama-Shintoshin - Ōmiya - Miyahara
- Urawa - Saitama-Shintoshin - Ōmiya - Miyahara
■ Keihin-Tōhoku Line
Minami-Urawa - Urawa - Kita-Urawa - Yono - Saitama-Shintoshin - Ōmiya
■ Saikyō Line
Musashi-Urawa - Naka-Urawa - Minami-Yono - Yonohommachi - Kita-Yono - Ōmiya
■ Musashino Line
Nishi-Urawa - Musashi-Urawa - Minami-Urawa - Higashi-Urawa
■ Kawagoe Line
- Ōmiya - Nisshin - Nishi-Ōmiya - Sashiōgi
- Ōmiya - Nisshin - Nishi-Ōmiya - Sashiōgi
■ Saitama Rapid Railway Line
- Urawa Misono
■ Tobu Urban Park Line
- Ōmiya - Kita-Ōmiya - Ōmiya-kōen - Ōwada - Nanasato - Iwatsuki - Higashi-Iwatsuki
- Ōmiya - Kita-Ōmiya - Ōmiya-kōen - Ōwada - Nanasato - Iwatsuki - Higashi-Iwatsuki
■ Saitama New Urban Transit ("New Shuttle")
- Ōmiya - Tetsudō-Hakubutsukan - Kamonomiya - Higashi-Miyahara - Konba - Yoshinohara
- Ōmiya - Tetsudō-Hakubutsukan - Kamonomiya - Higashi-Miyahara - Konba - Yoshinohara
Highways
- Tohoku Expressway
- Tokyo Gaikan Expressway
- Shuto Expressway
- National Route 16
- National Route 17
- National Route 122
- National Route 293
- National Route 463
Politics and government
The executive mayor, who is directly elected, is Sōichi Aikawa, an independent backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. On May 24, 2009, Aikawa lost his bid for reelection against Hayato Shimizu, who was backed by the opposition DPJ.[6] The city assembly of Saitama has 64 elected members.
Elections
- Saitama mayoral election, 2005
Culture
Education
Universities
- Mejiro University
Nihon University Faculty of Law- The Open University of Japan Omiya Study Center
- Saitama University
- Shibaura Institute of Technology
- University of Human Arts and Sciences
- Urawa University
- Nippon Institute of Technology
Junior Colleges
- Kokusai Gakuin Saitama Junior College
- Urawa University Junior College
Professional Graduate School
- Omiya Law School
Sports
Saitama was one of the host cities for the playoffs and the final of the official 2006 Basketball World Championship.
It is home to two J. League football (soccer) teams: the Urawa Red Diamonds, formerly owned by Mitsubishi, and Omiya Ardija, formerly owned by NTT.
The city and Tokorozawa are home to the Japan Professional Basketball League team the Saitama Broncos.
Urawa Red Diamonds - J. League football (soccer)
Omiya Ardija - J. League football (soccer)
Saitama Broncos - bj league basketball (The base is Saitama Prefecture, main is Saitama, Tokorozawa.)
Saitama Seibu Lions - NPB (baseball)
NJPW Dojo - NJPW (professional wrestling)
Since 2013, the city has hosted the Saitama Criterium cycling race sponsored by the Tour de France, held at the end of October.
Mass media
Most of Saitama Prefecture's mass media presence is concentrated in this city. See Mass media in Saitama Prefecture for details.
Sister cities
Saitama has seven sister cities.[7]
Toluca, State of Mexico, Mexico (1979)
Zhengzhou, Henan, China (1981)
Hamilton, New Zealand (1984)
Richmond, Virginia, United States (1994)
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada (1996)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States (1998)
Balzers, Liechtenstein (2000)
Visitor attractions
Saitama Museum of Modern Art
- Akigase Park
- Besshonuma Park
- Hikawa Shrine
- Minuma Rice Paddies
- Minuma Tsūsen-bori
- Ōmiya Bonsai Village
- Railway Museum
- Saitama New Urban Center
- Saitama Stadium 2002
- Saitama Super Arena
- Saitama Museum of Modern Art
- Irumagawa stable
References
^ [1]
^ 観測史上1〜10位の値（年間を通じての値） (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Company Profile." Calsonic Kansei. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
^ Haneda bus and Narita bus
^ Connecting TOKYO and Narita Int'l Airport - NARITA HELI EXPRESS
^ "DPJ Triumphs in Saitama Election", The Japan Times, 25 May 2009.
^ 姉妹友好都市 [Sister Cities] (in Japanese). Saitama Tourism and International Relations Bureau. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saitama, Saitama. |
 | Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Saitama. |
Official Website (in Japanese)
 Saitama Prefecture | ||
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Saitama (capital) | ||
Wards of Saitama |
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| Core cities |
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| Special cities |
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| Cities |
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| Districts |
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List of mergers in Saitama Prefecture | ||
Authority control  |
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