Kasukabe, Saitama

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Kasukabe (Japanese: 春日部市; -shi) is a city located in eastern Saitama, Japan, approximately 30 kilometers north of Tokyo. Formerly located within Kitakatsushika and Minamisaitama Districts (former town of Kasukabe area was located in Minamisaitama). Kasukabe once prospered as part of the Nikkō Kaidō highway, an important trade route that linked Edo with Nikkō.

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 204,109 and the density of 5,395.43 persons per km². The total area is 37.83 km². According to the Kasukabe Guidebook for Foreign Residents, more than 1700 foreign nationals live in the city; and a person who lives in or loves Kasukabe is referred to as a Kasukabien (かすかびあん).

The city was founded on July 1, 1954 and its current mayor is MIEDA Yasushige.

On Oct 1, 2005, Kasukabe-shi and Showa-mati merged together and new Kasukabe City was born.

Kasukabe is well-known in Japan as the setting of the manga and anime series Crayon Shin-chan. Shin-chan's creator Yoshito Usui also lives in Kasukabe.
Kasukabe is famous throughout Japan for the production of kiri-tansu (桐箪笥), traditional dressers made from the wood of the paulownia tree. The cultural and economic value of the paulownia tree is reflected in its designation as the official town tree. The leaves and blossoms of the paulownia tree appear on the obverse side of the 500 yen coin.
the city's official flower is the fuji (藤), or wisteria.
Kasukabe is serviced by the privately-owned Tobu Noda and Tobu Isesaki train lines, connecting respectively to the JR train network at Omiya and Shin-Koshigaya at their nearest transfer points.
Kasukabe is home to 1 of 3 Robinson Department Stores opened in Japan. The large seven-story American-styled department store serves as a landmark for local residents.