Saitama borders Tokyo but offers its own array of outdoor adventures and living Edo history
A major transportation hub and a stop on the way to Nikko during the Edo period, Saitama is now an urban commuter area. The Edo atmosphere remains, however, in many of its historic towns such as Kawagoe. Close enough to Tokyo to offer a quick getaway to the beauty of nature, mountainous areas like Chichibu offer easy hiking and seasonal flowers, while semi-rural Sayama is dotted with emerald-green tea fields.
How to Get There
Many parts of Saitama are just 30 minutes by train from Tokyo’s major stations, with express trains to Omiya and beyond.
Home to many commuters who work in Tokyo, Saitama is easy to reach by train. Omiya Station is a major hub for the area. The JR Takasaki and Utsunomiya lines connect Saitama with major Tokyo stations such as Shinagawa, Tokyo and Ueno. From Shibuya and Ikebukuro, you can take the JR Shonan-Shinjuku or Saikyo lines. These options all take about half an hour. Once you’ve reached Saitama, local trains criss-cross most of the prefecture.
Don’t Miss
• Outdoor adventures at Nagatoro in the mountains and rivers of Chichibu
• The “Little Edo” of Kawagoe with its historical warehouse district
• Fields of spring flowers at Hitsujiyama Park and autumn vistas in the Nakatsu Valley
• The cavernous interior of the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel in Kasukabe
