Where I Live ( 埼玉県）

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, that 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.

Saitama Prefecture is blessed with abundant flora and fauna, and also with the beauty of the landscape caused by seasonal change.

Sightseeing:

Saitama Super Arena (さいたまスーパーアリーナ) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Chūō-ku, Saitama City, Saitama, Japan. Its spectator capacity is 37,000 at maximum settings. This main arena capacity is between 19,000-22,500 when events such as basketball, volleyball, tennis, ice hockey, gymnastics, boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling take place there. It is also the only Japanese arena equipped especially for American football. The arena features a gigantic moveable section of seating which can reduce capacity for smaller events and create a more intimate setting.
Its permanent attractions include the John Lennon Museum which displays John Lennon memorabilia.
It is one of two home arenas to Japan Professional Basketball League team the Saitama Broncos.
It is a favorite venue for puroresu (Japanese professional wrestling) and mixed martial arts (MMA).

Saitama Stadium 2002 (埼玉スタジアム2002), often called Saitama Stadium (埼玉スタジアム) or simply Saisuta (埼スタ), is a football stadium located in Midori-ku, Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.
Currently J. League football clubs Urawa Red Diamonds and Omiya Ardija use this stadium for home games.
The stadium is a 15 to 20 minute walk from Urawa-Misono Station on the Saitama Railway Line.
Built by Azusa Sekkei to host matches of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, construction was completed in September 2001. The stadium holds 63,700 people, although for segregation reasons league games hosted at the ground have a reduced capacity of 62,300. The Saitama Studium hosted four matches during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, including co-host Japan's first match against Belgium.

John Lennon Museum (ジョン・レノン・ミュージアム) is a museum located inside the Saitama Super Arena in Chuo-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It was established to preserve knowledge of John Lennon's life and musical career. It permanently displays Lennon's widow Yoko Ono's collection of his memorabilia as well as other displays. The museum opened on October 9, 2000, the 60th anniversary of Lennon’s birth. A tour of the museum begins with a welcoming message and short film narrated by Yoko Ono (in Japanese with English headphones available), and ends at an avant-garde styled "reflection room" full of chairs facing a slide show of moving words and images. After this room there is a gift shop with John Lennon memorabilia available.
The museum is scheduled to close at the end of September 2010 when its exhibit contact with Yoko Ono expires.

Omiya Bonsai Village (大宮盆栽村), is the general name for the area on the north side of Omiya Park enclosed within the Tobu Noda Line and JR Utsunomiya Line. Known as one of the most outstanding bonsai cultivating areas in Japan, visitors take delight in the bonsai in all seasons as they change from one season to the next.
The Omiya Bonsai Festival is held on May 3-5 every year, when it bustles with the many bonsai lovers who gather there from throughout the country. It is also visited by many bonsai lovers from overseas as the worldwide mecca of bonsai.

Hikawa shrine (氷川神社) is a major Shinto shrine in the Omiya district of Saitama. Surrounding the shrine is a large park in which there are many cherry blossom trees, a zoo and a museum.Omiya itself, literally 'Great Shrine', derives from the special favor shown by Emperor Meiji, who raised Hikawa above all other shrines in the Kantō region.
Standing behind three torii gates in a wood with many ancient Japanese elms, it claims to have a 2400-year history.
According to shrine's tradition, the shrine was established during the reign of Emperor Kōshō in 473 BC. A legend recounts that Yamato Takeru, who injured his leg during his crusade to the East, visited the shrine following directions of an old man who appeared in his dream. After worshiping, he was able to stand on his own. It is known that the old name of the region, Ashidate (足立), literally meaning "leg stand", was named after this incidence. The pond within the grounds of the shrine is a remnant of Minuma and considered to have roots in enshrining the water god of Minuma.
From 1871 (Meiji 4) through 1946 (Shōwa 21), the Hikawa shrine was officially designated one of the Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), meaning that it stood in the first rank of government supported shrines. The main shrine structure was renovated in 1882 (Meiji 15). In 1940 (Shōwa 15), a project financed by the government reconstructed the main shrine structure, the gate tower, and other structures.
Entrance torii at Hikawa Shrine.
In 1976 (Shōwa 51), the Large Torii of Meiji Shrine which had been damaged by lightning in 1966 (Shōwa 41) was repaired and relocated to Hikawa Shrine.

The Railway Museum (鉄道博物館) is a railway museum in Saitama, which opened on 14 October 2007. It was built and is operated by the East Japan Railway Culture Foundation, a non-profit affiliate of the East Japan Railway Company. It consists of a 19,800 m² building on a site covering 42,500 m², with a display area 9,500 m² in size.
The museum features about 30 railway cars, train cab simulators, railway model dioramas, mini trains, storage for artefacts and books, video booths, a multi-purpose hall, a gallery balcony, a cafeteria, a museum shop, and a research room.
The museum places emphasis on learning through interactive experiences and is mainly divided into two zones: the history zone and the learning zone. The history zone recounts the history of railway technology with the help of trains that were in service in the past. In the learning zone, visitors can gain knowledge of the principles and mechanisms of railway with the use of actual parts and models. The tour of the museum takes roughly two hours with extra time for interactive exhibits.
The present Railway Museum is the successor to the Transportation Museum (交通博物館) in Chiyoda, Tokyo. This museum also opened as the Railway Museum under the elevated railway track near Tokyo Station celebrating the beginning of the 50th year of the railways in Japan on 14 October 1921. In 1936, the Railway Museum was relocated to the new facility built in the place of former building of Manseibashi Station, which station continued to operate until 1943 as an accessory of the museum. The museum was renamed to the Transportation Museum in 1948 to cover various means of transportation while the railway was still the main exhibit of the museum. On 14 May 2006 the museum was closed pending a move to the new Railway Museum in Saitama.
The museum features driving simulators that allow visitors to experience being drivers of a D51 steam locomotive, a Shinkansen train, and trains on the Tokaido Line, the Keihin Tohoku Line, and the Yamanote Line. The D51 simulator requires a reservation through a reservation terminal installed in the museum and costs 500 yen, but the other simulators are all free.