Saitama

Saitama has been known for a long time (since about 1600) as a city that cares a lot about education, and it's also famous as a hot spot for soccer. During the 30 years between 1952 and 1982, high schools in Saitama Prefecture, mainly in the city of Saitama, won the national high-school soccer tournament 12 times. Two men's pro soccer teams call Saitama home, and Urawa Reinas, a team in the L-League, the top league of women's soccer, are also popular.

World Cup Games to Be Held in Saitama
England vs. Sweden (June 2)
Japan vs. Belgium (June 4)
Cameroon vs. Saudi Arabia (June 6)
Semifinal (June 26)

Fun Facts About the Stadium
Saitama Stadium 2002 is one of Japan's newest soccer stadiums. It holds 63,700 people (including 150 seats for wheelchairs users), and it's one of the largest soccer stadiums in Asia. The front rows of both the main stands and the back stands are just 14 meters (about 46 feet) from the touchline, only half as far away as they would be at a stadium with a running track. This gives spectators a better view of the action.

Famous Local Foods and Products
The nearby city of Iwatsuki is known for its beautiful traditional Japanese dolls called Iwatsuki ningyo, which have been produced there since the early 1700s. Another nearby city, Soka, is famous for its senbei (rice crackers), which are known as Soka senbei. Rice crackers are an extremely popular traditional Japanese snack. They are made by taking rice-flour or flour dough and steaming it, then rolling it into a thin layer. After being coated with soy sauce, the dough is put into iron molds and baked. The result is a salty, crispy snack that tastes a little like potato chips.

Famous Sights
Saitama is the home of the John Lennon Museum. The museum opened on October 9, 2000, which would have been Lennon's sixtieth birthday. It is the world's first permanent exhibition dedicated to John Lennon, the peace activist and former Beatle, who was killed in 1980. Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, gave her support for the opening of the museum. A total of 130 items, including musical instruments, clothes, and manuscripts for song lyrics, are on display.

Festivals
In an area of the city known as Tajimagahara, primroses grow wild. Tajimagahara has been designated by the Japanese government as a Special Natural Monument, and every April for about the past 40 years the city has held a primrose festival here. At the festival, primroses are displayed and offered for sale, and experts answer people's questions about how to grow the flowers. In December, the nearby town of Chichibu hosts the Chichibu Night Festival, where six giant floats decorated with many paper lanterns are pulled through the streets.