Saitama Prefecture is Tokyo's underrated northern neighbor — a landlocked prefecture where the Edo-period streets of Kawagoe, the world's largest railway museum collection, bonsai gardens tended for a century, and the moss-phlox hills of Chichibu sit within an hour of the capital, all at a fraction of Tokyo's crowds and prices.
Historical timeline
Key moments that shaped Saitama.
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1
Region forms the core of Musashi Province; Izumo-clan officials introduce Susanoo-no-Mikoto worship, later enshrined at what becomes Hikawa Shrine
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2
Hikawa Shrine designated Musashi Ichinomiya (the province's highest-ranked shrine); Kita-in Temple founded around 830 as a Tendai Buddhist institution
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3
1457: Ota Dokan builds Kawagoe Castle as a strategic northern defense point for the growing Edo domain
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4
Kawagoe Castle changes hands repeatedly among regional warlords contesting the Kanto plain; Chichibu's mountain shrines serve as spiritual centers largely removed from the fighting
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5
Kawagoe flourishes as a castle town and river-trade hub, earning the nickname Koedo ('Little Edo'); 1638: Kita-in rebuilt using relocated sections of the actual Edo Castle after a fire; 1661 onward: Chichibu Shrine's Kanbun-era grand festival develops into today's Chichibu Night Festival; 1848: current Honmaru Goten built by lord Matsudaira Naritami
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6
1871: Saitama Prefecture formally established from former Musashi Province domains; 1911: Tokorozawa Airfield opens as Japan's first airfield, and Japan's first domestically built aircraft flies there that October
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7
Omiya Bonsai Village established after Tokyo bonsai artisans relocate following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake; postwar U.S. military use of Tokorozawa airfield, later returned to Japanese control
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8
Saitama City formed in 2001 from the merger of Urawa, Omiya, and Yono; Chichibu Night Festival recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage; Kawagoe's Koedo district draws over five million visitors annually
Historical sites
Places where Saitama's past comes alive.
Kita-in Temple (Edo Castle Remnants)
Where: Kawagoe City
Admission: Adult: ¥400 ($2.67) | Child: ¥200 ($1.33)
Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Goten
Where: Kawagoe City
Admission: Adult: ¥100 ($0.67) | Child: Free (junior high school and under)
Hikawa Shrine (Musashi Ichinomiya)
Where: Omiya, Saitama City
Admission: Adult: Free | Child: Free
Chichibu Shrine
Where: Chichibu City
Admission: Adult: Free | Child: Free
Mitsumine Shrine
Where: Chichibu City (Mount Mitsumine)
Admission: Adult: Free (donations welcome) | Child: Free
Tokorozawa Aviation Memorial Park
Where: Tokorozawa City
Admission: Adult: Park free; museum ¥820 ($5.47) | Child: From ¥260 ($1.73)