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Coordinates: 35°47′58.6″N 139°28′7″E

Tokorozawa,

T okorozawa ( 所沢市 Tokorozawa-shi) is a city located in , Tokorozawa . As of 1 February 2016, the city had estimated population of 335,968, 所沢市 and a population density of 4660 persons per km². Its total area is 7 2.11 square kilometres (27 .84 sq mi). Special city

Contents Geography Surrounding municipalities Climate History Economy Public sector Private sector Central Tokorozawa from Hachikokuyama Education Transportation Railway Highway Twin towns and sister cities Flag Local attractions Seal Professional sports teams General points of interest Historical points of interest Events Notable people from Tokorozawa Tokorozawa in popular culture References External links

Location of Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture Geography

Located in the central part of the Terrace, about 30 km west of central . Tokorozawa can be considered part of the ; its proximity to the latter and lower housing costs make it a popular bedroom community. Most of Lake falls within city boundaries; Lake Tama also touches the south-western part of the city. The area around 's west exit is built up as a shopping district with several department stores. Prope Tokorozawa Street is a popular shopping arcade.

Surrounding municipalities Location of Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture Saitama Prefecture Coordinates: 35°47′58.6″N 139°28′7″E Iruma Niiza Country Japan Sayama Region Kantō Kawagoe Prefecture Saitama Prefecture Miyoshimachi Government Tokyo Metropolis • Fujimoto (since Kiyose October 2011) Higashimurayama Area Higashiyamato, 2 Musashimurayama • Total 72.11 km (27.84 sq mi) Mizuho Population (February 2016) • Total 335,968 Climate • Density 4,660/km2 (12,100/sq mi) Time zone (UTC+9) - Tree Ginkgo biloba - Flower Camellia sinensis - Bird Eurasian skylark Phone number 04-2998-1111 Address 1-1-1 Namiki, Tokorozawa-shi, Saitama- 359-8501 Website www.city.tokorozawa.saitama.jp (http://www.city.tokorozawa.sa itama.jp)

Tokorozawa City Office

Climate data for Tokorozawa (1981 - 2010) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high 19.0 23.3 26.2 32.0 33.8 36.5 39.6 38.7 37.4 31.9 25.8 25.7 39.6 °C (°F) (66.2) (73.9) (79.2) (89.6) (92.8) (97.7) (103.3) (101.7) (99.3) (89.4) (78.4) (78.3) (103.3) Average high 9.0 9.6 12.7 18.5 22.7 25.3 29.2 30.9 26.6 21.0 16.0 11.6 19.4 °C (°F) (48.2) (49.3) (54.9) (65.3) (72.9) (77.5) (84.6) (87.6) (79.9) (69.8) (60.8) (52.9) (66.9) Daily mean 3.6 4.1 7.3 12.9 17.3 20.7 24.4 25.8 22.0 16.4 10.8 6.1 14.3 °C (°F) (38.5) (39.4) (45.1) (55.2) (63.1) (69.3) (75.9) (78.4) (71.6) (61.5) (51.4) (43) (57.7) Average low −0.8 −0.5 2.5 7.7 12.8 17.0 20.9 22.3 18.7 12.7 6.8 1.8 10.1 °C (°F) (30.6) (31.1) (36.5) (45.9) (55) (62.6) (69.6) (72.1) (65.7) (54.9) (44.2) (35.2) (50.2) Record low −7.8 −6.6 −5.2 −2.1 4.8 10.7 13.6 16.4 9.3 4.5 −0.3 −6.7 −4.1 °C (°F) (18) (20.1) (22.6) (28.2) (40.6) (51.3) (56.5) (61.5) (48.7) (40.1) (31.5) (19.9) (24.6) Average 44.4 48.9 95.9 111.5 120.6 157.2 164.2 209.7 233.3 173.7 80.9 41.3 1,481.6 precipitation (1.748) (1.925) (3.776) (4.39) (4.748) (6.189) (6.465) (8.256) (9.185) (6.839) (3.185) (1.626) (58.331) mm (inches) Average precipitation 3.9 5.5 9.7 9.6 10.8 12.8 12.6 9.8 12.5 10.3 6.8 4.4 108.7 days (≥ 1.0 mm) Mean monthly 188.6 175.3 169.9 175.7 166.7 121.7 138.2 169.0 124.0 136.5 156.0 183.3 1,899.2 sunshine hours

Source #1: 気象庁 (http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_amd_ym.php?prec_no=43&block_no=1070&year=&month=&day=&view=)

Source #2: 観測史上1〜10位の値（年間を通じての値） (http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/rank_a.php?prec_no=43&block_no=107 0&year=&month=&day=&view=)

History

Archaeological research has shown that the vicinity of Tokorozawa was settled from about 20,000 years ago.[1] Tokorozawa Shinmei Shrine has a traditional establishment of A.D. 110. Hatogamine Shrine is believed to date from A.D. 921.

During the period, the Kamakura Kaido ran through the area and the area was host to a series of battles fought in May 1333 that were part of the Genko War that ultimately ended the Kamakura Shogunate. These include the 1333 Battle of Kotesashi and the Battle of Kumegawa. Kotesashi was again the site of another battle nineteen years later.

During the (1603–1867 ) the area's major industry was silk textile production. It was also an important trading center, being located at the intersection of roads connecting Edo with the towns of Hachioji, Chichibu, Kawagoe and Fuchu. The modern town of Tokorozawa was created within Iruma District, Saitama with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889.

Tokorozawa became the site of Japan's first air base and air service academy in 1911. The base was used through the end of World War II and fell under the control of the United States Armed Forces after the war. The US returned most of its property in Tokorozawa to Japan in 197 1, but retains a communications facility in the city which is operated by the 37 4th Airlift Wing of the Fifth Air Force, based at Y okota Air Base to the southwest. The facility houses antennas for communications with USAF aircraft in the region. Much of the land returned to Japan has been converted into the public Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park.

Tokorozawa was elevated to city status on November 3, 1950. In 1955, Tokorozawa annexed the neighboring villages of Y anase and Mikajima, and assumed its present boundaries. The development of large scale public housing and railroad development led to a rapid population increase in the 1960s. Tokorozawa was the site of the Clay pigeon shooting event in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.[2]

Tokorozawa was designated as a special city with increased local autonomy in 2002. It currently meets the conditions to be designated as a core city but has yet to receive this designation.

Economy

Public sector

Tokorozawa houses the Tokyo Area Control Center, which controls airspace in the Kantō, Jōetsu, Tōhoku, Chūbu, and Hokuriku regions and a portion of the .[3]

Private sector

Tokorozawa is the headquarters of , the parent company of and Seibu department store in central Tokorozawa Station forms a hub in the Seibu Railway network which serves western Tokyo and Tokorozawa southern Saitama. Tokorozawa is at the intersection of Seibu's two main lines, which respectively run to and Seibu Station in central Tokyo. Several Seibu group companies, including its railway and bus divisions, are headquartered in the vicinity of Tokorozawa Station. Seibu owns an amusement park, baseball stadium (Seibu Prince Dome) and velodrome (Seibu-en Velodrome) in the "Seibu-en" district near Lake Tama in the southwestern corner of the city.

Citizen Holdings operates a watch factory in Tokorozawa.

Education

Akikusa Gakuen Junior College – Tokorozawa campus College of Art, – Tokorozawa campus Tokorozawa has 32 elementary schools, 15 middle schools and six high schools.

Transportation

Railway

JR East - Higashi-Tokorozawa Station Seibu Railway - Tokorozawa - Nishi-Tokorozawa - Kotesashi Station - Sayamagaoka Station Seibu Railway - Tokorozawa - Kōkū-kōen Station, Shin-Tokorozawa Station Seibu Railway - Seibu Sayama Line Map of Seibu Railway Nishi-Tokorozawa - Shimo- Station, Seibu-Kyujomae Station Seibu Railway - Seibu Yamaguchi Line Seibu-Kyujomae Station, Yuenchi-Nishi Station

Highway

Kan-Etsu Expressway Japan National Route 463

Twin towns and sister cities

Tokorozawa is twinned with:

Decatur, Illinois, USA[4] from May 6, 1966 Changzhou, Jiangsu China[5] from April 20, 1992 Anyang, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea[5] from April 17, 1998

Local attractions

Professional sports teams

Saitama Seibu Lions (baseball, MetLife Dome) Saitama Broncos (basketball, Tokorozawa Municipal Stadium)

General points of interest

MetLife Dome: home of the Seibu Lions Seibu-en: amusement park Sayama Ski Slope: indoor ski and snowboard resort Tokorozawa Aviation Museum: the location of Japan's first airfield. Tokorozawa Civic Cultural Centre Muse: public auditorium and concert all Arahata Fuji Shrine: Shrine that is a scale reproduction of offering views of the latter Hachikokuyama: nature park famous for being the inspiration of Totoro Kurosuke no ie: office of Totoro fund MetLife Dome Futagoyama stable: stable of professional sumo wrestlers

Historical points of interest

Battle of Kotesashi: site of an important battle during the Genko War Tokorozawa Shinmei Shrine: believed to have been founded in the second century A.D. Shinko-ji: A Buddhist temple that was established during the Waterfall Castle: a Sengoku Period castle ruin Hatogamine Hachiman Shrine: an ancient including a 13th-century main shrine building Sayama Fudōson: important temple of Tendai Konjoin: "Yamaguchi Kanon" Since 810-824 Tokorozawa Aviation Museum Events

T he T okorozawa Matsuri is a festival held each year in October and features traditional Japanese parade floats ( ), taiko drums, and samba dancers.

A two-day festival featuring music, cultural and sports exhibitions, community group activities and food booths takes place in late October in Kokukoen Park on the grounds of the former airfield. A similar 1-day festival, the Shimin Bunka Fair, takes place in early April in the park.

The city and local business community decorates the west side of Tokorozawa station with holiday lights from early December through mid March, and separate lighting ceremonies featuring local musicians, politicians, and sports figures are conducted for various portions of the lighted areas.

Notable people from Tokorozawa

Bokuzen Hidari (1894–1971), actor born in Kotesashi Village (which was absorbed into Tokorozawa) George Tokoro (Takayuki Haga), comedian Yoshiharu Habu, professional shogi player Toshiaki Kasuga, comedian Hokutōfuji Daiki, sumo wrestler Okai Chisato, former member of the idol group C-ute

Tokorozawa in popular culture Tokorozawa inspired the setting for the animated film My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro).[6] Scenes in the Japanese film Shall We Dance? were set in Tokorozawa. The Seibu Ikebukuro Line's Sayamagaoka Station features in the film. Scenes in the Japanese horror film Ju-on were filmed in Tokorozawa. The area around Tokorozawa Station is identifiable.

References

1. ja:所沢市 2. [1] (https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/1964/SHO/) 3. "Blame pinned on air traffic controllers (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?nn20010203a1.htm)," The Japan Times 4. "US-Japan Sister Cities by State" (http://www.asiamattersforamerica.org/japan/data/sister-cities-state). Asia Matters for America. Honolulu, HI: East-West Center. Retrieved 20 November 2015. 5. "International Exchange" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160104170705/http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=11&n=Saitama%20Pr efecture). List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original (http://www.clair.or.jp/cgi-bin/simai/e/03.cgi?p=11&n=Saitama%20Prefecture) on 4 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015. 6. Totoro (http://apike.ca/anime_totoro.html)

External links

Official Website (http://www.city.tokorozawa.saitama.jp/) (in Japanese)

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