Saitama
Discover Saitama
Saitama (さいたま) is the capital of Saitama prefecture in the Kanto region of Japan. It came into existence after the merging of 4 former cities, including Urawa, the former capital, in 2001. Upon its creation, it became the tenth most populous city in the nation and the only capital city with its name written in hiragana instead of Chinese characters. If Tokyo is New York, then Saitama is New Jersey, a bland commuter town that's half industrial, half suburban. Being composed of a bunch of towns agglomerated by bureaucratic fiat doesn't help: in Gertrude Stein's words, "there's no there there", and Tokyo wags joke about Dasai-tama ("Uncool-Tama"). But while you'd hardly plan a vacation touring Saitama, there are a number of sights of interest well worth a day trip, most notably the spectacular Railway Museum near Omiya.
What to Experience in Saitama
Taste of Saitama...
Jūmangoku Manjū (十万石まんじゅう) is a famous brand of cake from Gyōda, Saitama. Manjyū is a Japanese-style bun stuffed with red bean paste. Some department stores and souvenir stores such as Sogo department in Omiya station always sell it. One manjyū is ¥105.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe closest major international airport is Narita (NRT). A tiny number of JR Narita Express trains serve at Omiya Station—as of this writing, the 17:16 and 18:48 NEX departures from NRT T1 terminate at Omiya, and Omiya has two originating NEX services at 6:21 and 9:09. When it is available the NEX is fairly fast, taking around 110 minutes. At other hours, you can make it to Ōmiya station by taking the Narita Express to Tokyo and changing to the Tohoku/Joetsu Shinkansen; either route is covered by the Japan Rail Pass or JR East Pass. JR Kanto Bus runs limousine bus service, the O N Liner, every hour from Narita Airport to and from the Saitama Shintoshin and Ōmiya train stations. The trip takes about two hours and costs ¥2750 each way. The cheapest way to travel from Narita Airport to Omiya is to take a Narita Sky Access commuter train to Shin-Kamagaya station and change to the Tobu Urban Park Line. This takes about the same amount of time as the bus but only costs ¥1580....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Most of the attractions are within walking distance of one of the city's train stations, but there are Community Buses with routes throughout the city. The Omiya Bonsai Village (大宮盆栽村) is home to a handful of bonsai nurseries which moved here from central Tokyo following the great Kantō earthquake in 1923, they moved to this leafy suburb due to the easy access to fresh water. It's considered to be the 'Bonsai Capital' of the world. Visitors can roam around and visit each of the nurseries. Some bonsai can also be purchased. Pictures are not permitted. Jūmangoku Manjū (十万石まんじゅう) is a famous brand of cake from Gyōda, Saitama. Manjyū is a Japanese-style bun stuffed with red bean paste. Some department stores and souvenir stores such as Sogo department in Omiya station always sell it. One manjyū is ¥105.
Money & Budget
Jūmangoku Manjū (十万石まんじゅう) is a famous brand of cake from Gyōda, Saitama. Manjyū is a Japanese-style bun stuffed with red bean paste. Some department stores and souvenir stores such as Sogo department in Omiya station always sell it. One manjyū is ¥105.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Saitama
city with high rise buildings near mountain under blue sky during daytime
a group of colorful lanterns
a busy street with people and cars
a group of tassels hanging from a beam
a group of people walking down a street with a building in the background
a group of light posts
Railway Museum
Railway Museum
a man riding a bike across a street
an abandoned building in the middle of a lake
city with high rise buildings near mountain under blue sky during daytime
a group of colorful lanterns
a busy street with people and cars