Saitama.Saitama City

Saitama is an inland prefecture in the center of the Kanto region to the north of Tokyo. Historically, Saitama was part of Musashi-no-kuni with most of the areas in contemporary Tokyo. The prefecture became a major food supplier to metropolitan Tokyo beginning in the 17th century, and has long maintained a close relationship with Tokyo. All areas of the prefecture are within 100 kilometers of Tokyo, and Saitama’s geographic location is advantageous in business, living, and cultural events.

Saitama celebrates the Chichibu-yomatsuri Night Festival where six floats mounted with a decorative halberd march with lively and soul-stirring Chichibu Yatai-Bayashi music. This is one of the three major float parades in Japan along with the famous Gion-matsuri Festival in Kyoto. There is also the Saibara-Kagura Festival at Washinomiya-jinjya Shrine, which has been designated an important intangible folk cultural property, as well as many other historical performing arts for public entertainment.

There are also a number of other must-see scenic sights, such as Nagatoro with rock formations along the river, Kuroyama-santaki Falls or the solemn Mt. Kuro-yama’s Three Falls, and the castle town Kawagoe where you can enjoy a classic, bus tours through the 19th-century buildings and streets lined with traditional buildings in the style of storehouses.