Saitama, Saitama

Saitama
さいたま市
Designated city
Saitama City

From top left: Saitama Stadium 2002, Urawa Parco, Gyokuzouin, Hikawa Shrine, Saitama New City Center, Saitama Super Arena, Musashi urawa

Flag

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 Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
- 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 Official website
Saitama City Hall

Saitama (さいたま市, Saitama-shi, Japanese: [sáꜜìtàmà]) is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture in Japan, situated in the south-east of the prefecture. 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, the city had an estimated population of 1,226,656 and a population density of 5830 persons per km². Its total area was 217.43 square kilometres (83.95 sq mi).

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:

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 (埼玉郡) district 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

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 #1: Japan Meteorological Agency
Source #2: 観測史上1〜10位の値（年間を通じての値）

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.[1] 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.[2] Honda Airport in Okegawa is for general aviation and offers no scheduled transport services. Commuter helicopter flights to Narita Airport are offered from Kawajima.[3]

Railway stations

■ East Japan Railway Company
■ Tōhoku, Akita, Yamagata, Jōetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen
■ Utsunomiya Line
■ Takasaki Line
  • Urawa - Saitama-Shintoshin - Ōmiya - Miyahara
■ Keihin-Tōhoku Line
■ Saikyō Line
■ Musashino Line
■ Kawagoe Line
■ Saitama Rapid Railway Line
■ Tobu Urban Park Line
■ Saitama New Urban Transit ("New Shuttle")

Highways

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.[4] The city assembly of Saitama has 64 elected members.

Elections

Culture

Education

Universities

Junior Colleges

Professional Graduate 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.

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.[5]

Visitor attractions

Saitama Museum of Modern Art

References

  1. ↑ "Company Profile." Calsonic Kansei. Retrieved on January 29, 2015.
  2. ↑ Haneda bus and Narita bus
  3. ↑ Connecting TOKYO and Narita Int'l Airport - NARITA HELI EXPRESS
  4. ↑ "DPJ Triumphs in Saitama Election", The Japan Times, 25 May 2009.
  5. ↑ 姉妹友好都市 [Sister Cities] (in Japanese). Saitama Tourism and International Relations Bureau. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
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