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Home , Fuefuki River, Gyoda, Honda Airport, Saitama Prefecture, Sayama

Coordinates: 35°57′N 139°33′E

Saitama Prefecture

埼玉県 [1] Prefecture ( Saitama-ken) is a prefecture of located in the Kantō region. The capital is the city of Saitama.[2] 埼玉県 This prefecture is part of the Greater Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which Prefecture a large number of residents commute each day. Japanese transcription(s) • Japanese 埼玉県 • Rōmaji Saitama-ken Contents History

Geography Cities Towns and villages Flag Symbol Mergers Transportation Roads Railways People movers Airports Waterways Culture Mass media Sister relationships Sports Football (soccer) Baseball Basketball Rugby Coordinates: 35°57′N 139°33′E Tourism Country Japan Visitor attractions Region Kantō Mascot Island See also Capital Saitama References Citations Government Sources • Kiyoshi Ueda External links Area • Total 3,798.08 km2 (1,466.45 sq mi) History Area rank 39th

According to Kuji Hongi (Kujiki), Chichibu was one of 137 provinces during the reign of Emperor Sujin.[3] Chichibu Population (March 1, 2018) • Total 7,308,198 Province was in western Saitama. • Rank 5th Saitama Prefecture was formerly part of the old .[4] • Density 1,924.18/km2 (4,983.6/sq mi) In the fifth year of the era (7 08), deposits of copper were reported to have been found in the Chichibu District of what ISO 3166 JP-11 is now Saitama Prefecture. code Districts 8 The Saitama area was historically known as a fertile agricultural region which produced much of the food for the Kantō Municipalities 63 region. During the , many fudai daimyōs ruled small domains within the Saitama area. Flower Primrose (Primula After World War II, as Tokyo expanded rapidly and modern transportation allowed longer commutes, the lack of available sieboldii) land in Tokyo led to the rapid development of Saitama Prefecture, where the population has nearly tripled since 1960. Most Tree Keyaki (Zelkova serrata) of the cities in the prefecture are closely connected to downtown Tokyo by metropolitan rail, and operate largely as Bird Eurasian collared dove (Streptopelia decaocto) residential and commercial suburbs of Tokyo. Website www.pref.saitama.lg.jp (h ttp://www.pref.saitama.l Geography g.jp/)

Saitama Prefecture is bordered by Tokyo, , Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Nagano, and Y amanashi Prefectures. It is located central-west of the Kanto region, measuring 103 km from east to west and 52 km from north to south. At 3,7 98 km2 , it ranks as the ninth-smallest prefecture. The eastern border with is defined by the . The northern and north- western border lines with are marked by the and the Kanagawa River and the drainage divides of the and Kanagawa River. The southwestern border is defined by the drainage divides of the Arakawa River, , and River. The eastern section of the southern border line, however, does not overlap with any geological feature.

The topography of Saitama Prefecture is largely divided by the Hachiōji Tectonic Line, which runs through Kodama, Ogawa, and Map of Saitama Prefecture Hannō, into the western mountain area and the eastern lowland area. The altitude, highest on the western side, gradually lowers Government Ordinance Designated eastward from mountain ranges to hills to plateaus to lowlands. The eastern lowlands and plateaus occupy 67 .3% of the area.[5] City City Town Village

The eastern side, part of the Kantō Plain, can be further divided into nine separate expanses of hills and ten plateaus. The former occupy small areas neighboring the Kantō Mount Range, including the Hiki Hills and Hills. The latter are mainly surrounded by alluvial flood plains. In the southeastern portion of the prefecture, the Ōmiya Plateau stands in a southeastward direction, sandwiched by the Furutone River to the east and the Arakawa River to the west.[6] The western side of the prefecture belongs to the Kantō Mountain Range with Chichibu Basin located in its center. The area to the west of the basin features high peaks such as Mount Sanpō (2,483 m) and Mount Kōbushi (2,47 5 m), in which the Arakawa River has its source. Most of the land is contained in Chichibu Tama Kai National Park. The area to east of the basin consists of relatively low mountains.

Cities

Forty cities are located in Saitama Prefecture:

Ageo Fukaya Hidaka Kawagoe Okegawa Shiki Asaka Higashimatsuyama Kawaguchi Kuki Saitama (capital) Shiraoka Chichibu Hannō Honjō Kazo Sakado Sōka Fujimi Hanyū Iruma Kitamoto Misato Satte Toda Fujimino Hasuda Kasukabe Kōnosu Niiza Sayama Tokorozawa

Towns and villages

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Chichibu District Hiki District Iruma District Kodama District Higashichichibu Hatoyama Miyoshi Kamikawa Minano Kawajima Moroyama Kamisato Nagatoro Namegawa Ogose Misato Ogano Ogawa Kitaadachi District Minamisaitama District Yokoze Ranzan Ina Miyashiro Tokigawa Yoshimi Kitakatsushika District Ōsato District Matsubushi Yorii Sugito

Mergers

Transportation

Radial transportation to and from Tokyo dominates transportation in the prefecture. Circular routes were constructed as bypasses to avoid congestion in central Tokyo.

Roads

The Jōban, Kan-etsu, Shuto, Tōhoku, and Tokyo-Gaikan expressways form parts of the nationwide expressway network. National highway Routes 4, 16, and 17 are important routes in Kantō region.

Railways

Ōmiya Station in Saitama City forms East Japan Railway Company's northern hub station in the , offering transfers to and from high-speed lines. The serves as a freight bypass line as well as a passenger line. Chichibu Railway the northwestern, the southwestern, the midwestern and the eastern, the and Saitama Railway the southeastern parts of the prefecture respectively. The line crosses the southeastern corner of the prefecture.

East Japan Railway Company Line (Tōhoku Main Line) Line Shōnan-Shinjuku Line Keihin-Tōhoku Line Hachikō Line Tobu Line Tojo Line Nikko Line Noda Line Skytree Line Shinjuku Line Chichibu Line Sayama Line Fukutoshin Line Yurakucho Line Tsukuba Express Saitama Rapid Railway Line Chichibu Railway Chichibu Mainline Mikajiri Line

People movers

Saitama New Urban Transit (New Shuttle) Seibu Yamaguchi Line (Leo Liner)

Airports

Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport are the closest major civil airports. Commuter helicopter flights from Kawajima to Narita Airport are offered.[7]

Honda Airport for general aviation and the JASDF's Iruma Air Base,[8] and Kumagaya[9]

Waterways

Rivers and canals, including those developed in the Edo period (17 th – 19th centuries) in the east of the prefecture, are largely disused following the introduction of motorised land transport. Traces of water transport are found on the Tone River, which forms the border between Saitama and Gunma Prefecture, and on the Arakawa River, which includes a tourist attraction in Nagatoro.[10]

Culture

Mass media

See Mass media in Saitama Prefecture.

Sister relationships

Saitama Prefecture has a number of sister city relationships with states and a province as listed below (in chronological order).[11]

Mexico State, Mexico, affiliated on October 2, 1979 Shanxi province,China, affiliated on October 27, 1982 , Australia, affiliated on October 27, 1984 , United States, affiliated on October 22, 1990 Brandenburg, Germany, affiliated on August 26, 1998

Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Saitama.

Football (soccer)

Urawa Red Diamonds (Saitama) (Saitama)

Baseball

Saitama Seibu Lions (Tokorozawa)

Basketball

Saitama Broncos (Tokorozawa)

Volleyball

Takefuji Bamboo (Kitakatsushika District)

Rugby

Secom Rugguts (Sayama)

Tourism

Most of the popular tourist sites in Saitama are located in the northwestern part of the prefecture, which is known as the Chichibu Region. This region mostly consists of a hilly and moderately mountainous area, and is situated in a rich natural environment. The region is very popular among residents of Saitama and neighboring prefectures for short trips, as it is easily accessible via the railroad network.

Visitor attractions

Chichibu 34 Kannon Sanctuary Kitain Temple Omiya Bonsai Village Gyoda City Provincial Museum Saitama New Urban Center Iwatsuki Doll Museum (Saitama) Sakitama Hill Mascot

Kobaton (コバトン) is the prefectural mascot, a Eurasian collared dove, which is also the prefectural bird. Kobaton was made originally as the mascot of the fifty-ninth annual national athletic meeting held in the prefecture in 2004, and was inaugurated as mascot of the prefecture in 2005 with an inauguration ceremony and a letter of appointment from the governor. A wheelchair-using version of Kobaton also exists.[12]

See also

Saitama Bank Saitama gubernational election, 2007 Sayama Tea, a tea variety grown in Saitama prefecture Thirteen Buddhas of Chichibu

References

Citations 1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Saitama prefecture" in (https://books.google.com/ 7. "Connecting TOKYO and Narita Int'l Airport - NARITA HELI EXPRESS" (http://www.heli books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA808)Japan Encyclopedia, p. 808 (https://books.google.c -express.com/index.html?lan=en). Heli-express.com. Retrieved 2010-12-07. om/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA808), p. 808, at Google Books; "Kantō" in p. 479 (h 8. "航空自衛隊入間基地" (http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/iruma/). Mod.go.jp. Retrieved ttps://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA479), p. 479, at Google Books. 2010-12-07. 2. Saitama City Profile, overview (https://web.archive.org/web/20080319103602/http:// 9. "航空自衛隊熊谷基地" (http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/kumagaya/). Mod.go.jp. Retrieved www.city.saitama.jp/en/profile/e_profile.html) 2010-12-07. 3. Enbutsu, Sumiko. (1990). Chichibu: Japan's hidden treasure, p. 13 (http://www.google.co 10. [1] (http://www.nagatoro.gr.jp/sisetu/kaiin/line_kudari/index.htm) as of 2007-06-20. m/search?tbm=bks&hl=en&q=kujiki+%2B+chichibu&btnG=). 11. "Sister States and Provinces of Saitama Prefecture" (https://archive.is/20121219034 4. Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780 (https://books.google.com/books?id= 846/http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/page/sister-states-and-provinces.html). Saitama p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA780), p. 780, at Google Books. Prefecture. 1 July 2011. Archived from the original (http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/page/ 5. 埼玉県総務部広聴広報課 (2008-02-06). "埼玉県／彩の国わくわくこどもページ／県のあ sister-states-and-provinces.html) on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2012. らまし／土地・気象" (https://web.archive.org/web/20080206034809/http://www.pref.s 12. 埼玉県総務部広聴広報課 (2008-02-21). "埼玉県／埼玉県のマスコット コバトン" (http aitama.lg.jp/kodomo/ken/kisyoh.htm). Web.archive.org. Archived from the original (htt s://web.archive.org/web/20080221101816/http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/what/what_ko p://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/kodomo/ken/kisyoh.htm) on 2008-02-06. Retrieved baton.html). Web.archive.org. Archived from the original (http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/w 2010-12-07. hat/what_kobaton.html) on 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2010-12-07. 6. "地形と歴史" (https://web.archive.org/web/20040928022615/http://www.pref.saitama. lg.jp/A08/BG00/kasen/koumoku/kasen2.html). Web.archive.org. 2004-09-28. Archived from the original (http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/A08/BG00/kasen/koumoku/kasen2.htm l) on 2004-09-28. Retrieved 2010-12-07.

Sources

Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. (https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&client=firefox-a) Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128 (http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/58053128?referer=di&ht=edition)

External links

Saitama Prefecture Official Website (http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/) (in Japanese) Saitama Prefecture Official Website (http://www.pref.saitama.lg.jp/english/index.html) (in English)

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