 Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県, Saitama-ken) - A
prefecture of Japan located on Honshū island. The capital is
the city of Saitama.
This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most
of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to
which floods of residents commute each day.
Saitama Prefecture is bordered by Tokyo, Chiba, Ibaraki,
Tochigi, Gunma, Nagano, and Yamanashi.
 Saitama Prefecture was formerly part of the old Musashi
Province.
In the fifth year of the Keiun era (708), deposits of copper
were reported to have been found in the Chichibu District of
what is now Saitama Prefecture.
The Saitama area was historically known as a fertile
agricultural region which produced much of the food for the
Kantō region. During the Edo period, many fudai daimyo ruled
small domains within the Saitama area.
After World War II, as Tokyo expanded rapidly and modern
transportation allowed longer commutes, the lack of
available land in Tokyo led to the rapid development of
Saitama Prefecture, whose population has nearly tripled
since 1960. Most of the cities in the prefecture are closely
connected to downtown Tokyo by metropolitan rail, and
operate largely as residential and commercial suburbs of
Tokyo.
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 Greater Tokyo Area,
offering transfers to and from Shinkansen high-speed lines.
The Musashino and Hachikō Lines serve as freight bypass
lines as well as passenger lines. Chichibu Railway the
northwestern, Seibu Railway the southwestern, Tobu Railway
the midwestern and the eastern, the New Shuttle and Saitama
Railway the southeastern parts of the prefecture
respectively. The Tsukuba Express line crosses the
southeastern corner of the prefecture.
Airways
Haneda Tokyo International Airport and Narita International
Airport are the closest major civil airports. Commuter
helicopter flights from Kawajima to Narita Airport are
offered.
Honda Airport for general aviation and the JASDF's Iruma Air
Base, and Kumagaya Air Bases offer no scheduled transport
services.
Waterways
Rivers and canals including those developed in the Edo
period (17th - 19th centuries) in the east of the prefecture
are largely disused following the introduction of motorised
land transport. The traces of water transports are found on
the Tone River Kumagaya - Chiyoda, Gunma border and on
Arakawa River a tourist attraction in Nagatoro, Chichibu
District and petroleum tankers from Tokyo Bay to Wakō[6].
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.
Forty cities are located in Miyazaki Prefecture:
Ageo
Asaka
Chichibu
Fujimi
Fujimino
Fukaya
Gyōda
Hannō
Hanyū
Hasuda
Hatogaya
Hidaka
Higashimatsuyama
Honjō
Iruma
Kasukabe
Kawagoe
Kawaguchi
Kazo
Kitamoto
Kōnosu
Koshigaya
Kuki
Kumagaya
Misato
Niiza
Okegawa
Saitama (capital)
Sakado
Satte
Sayama
Shiki
Sōka
Toda
Tokorozawa
Tsurugashima
Wakō
Warabi
Yashio
Yoshikawa
Information source: “Saitama Prefecture.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 2 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Saitama Prefecture>. |
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