is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 229,517 in 142,803 households in 60804 households and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 1023 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is famous for a variety of

welsh onion ''Allium fistulosum'', the Welsh onion, also commonly called bunching onion, long green onion, Japanese bunching onion, and spring onion, is a species of perennial plant, often considered to be a kind of scallion. The species is very similar ...

s or .

Geography

Fukaya is located on the northern border of Saitama Prefecture, in the flatlands of the

Kantō plain The is the largest plain in Japan, and is located in the Kantō region of central Honshū. The total area of 17,000 km2 covers more than half of the region extending over Tokyo, Saitama Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, ...

, in-between the

Tone River The is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It is in length (the second longest in Japan after the Shinano) and has a drainage area of (the largest in Japan). It is nicknamed Bandō Tarō (); ''Bandō'' is an obsolete alias of the Kantō ...

and the

Arakawa River or Ara River may refer to: * Arakawa River (Kanto), which flows from Saitama Prefecture and through Tokyo to Tokyo Bay * Arakawa River (Uetsu), which flows from Yamagata Prefecture and through Niigata Prefecture to the Sea of Japan. * Arakawa Riv ...

Surrounding municipalities

* Honjō *

Kumagaya is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 195,277 in 87,827 households and a population density of 1200 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Kumagaya is one of the largest c ...

* Ranzan *

Misato Misato may refer to: Places *Misato, Akita, a town in Akita Prefecture *Misato, Gunma, a town in Gunma Prefecture *Misato, Kumamoto, a town in Kumamoto Prefecture *Misato, Mie, a village in Mie Prefecture *Misato, Miyagi, a town in Miyagi Prefectur ...

* Yorii

Gunma Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Gunma Prefecture has a population of 1,937,626 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 6,362 km2 (2,456 sq mi). Gunma Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima ...

* Isesaki * Ōta

Climate

Fukaya has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Fukaya is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1270 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.4 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,Fukaya population statistics
/ref> the population of Fukaya has recently plateaued after a long period of growth.

History

Fukaya was the site of a castle built by the

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries). Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its height, the clan had three main branch ...

in 1456, and later the site of

Okabe Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Musashi Province (modern-day Saitama Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Okabe ''jin'ya'' in what is now part of the city of Fukaya, Saitama. History The Abe cl ...

feudal domain A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. The concept or ...

under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. In the Edo era,

Fukaya-shuku was the ninth of the sixty-nine stations of the Nakasendō highway connecting Edo with Kyoto during the Edo periodpost town A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system.Royal Mail, ''Address Management Guide'', (2004) Including the correct post town in the address increases ...

on the

Nakasendō The , also called the ,Richard Lane, ''Images from the Floating World'' (1978) Chartwell, Secaucus ; pg. 285 was one of the five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto in Japan. There were 6 ...

(中山道) highway, boasting over 80

inns Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accomm ...

. The town of Fukaya was established within Hanzawa District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. Hanzawa District was abolished in 1896, becoming part of Ōsato District. Fukaya merged with the villages of Aketo, Hatara, Oyori and Fujisawa on January 1, 1955, and was elevated to city status. It annexed the village of Toyosato on April 1, 1973. On January 1, 2006, the towns of Hanazono, Kawamoto and Okabe (all from Ōsato District) were merged into Fukaya.

Government

Fukaya has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multic ...

city council of 24 members. Fukaya, together with the towns of Misato and Yorii, contributes three members to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Saitama 11th district , the House of Representatives of Japan is elected from a combination of multi-member districts and single-member districts, a method called Parallel voting. Currently, 176 members are elected from 11 multi-member districts (called proportional r ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

Economy

The economy of Fukaya is dominated by agriculture, with

s and tulips as famous local crops.

Industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

s are located in the eastern portion of the city, and the manufacture of bricks is a major local industry.

Education

Universities

Saitama Institute of Technology is a private university in Fukaya, Saitama is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 229,517 in 142,803 households in 60804 households and a population density of 1023 persons per km². The to ...

(埼玉工業大学) * Tohto College of Health Sciences (東都医療大学)

High schools

* Prefectural Fukaya High School (埼玉県立深谷高等学校) * Prefectural Fukaya Commercial High School (埼玉県立深谷商業高等学校) * Prefectural Fukaya Daiichi High School (埼玉県立深谷第一高等学校) * Private Shōchi Fukaya High School (私立正智深谷高等学校) * Private Tokyo Seitoku University Fukaya High School (私立東京成徳大学深谷高等学校)

Middle schools

* Municipal Fukaya Middle School (市立深谷中学校) * Municipal Kamishiba Middle School (市立上柴中学校) * Municipal Fujisawa Middle School (市立藤沢中学校) * Municipal Hatara Middle School (市立幡羅中学校) * Municipal Aketo Middle School (市立明戸中学校) * Municipal Toyosato Middle School (市立豊里中学校) * Municipal Okabe Middle School (市立岡部中学校) * Municipal Hanazono Middle School (市立花園中学校) * Municipal Kawamoto Middle School (市立川本中学校) * Municipal Minami Middle School (市立南中学校)

Elementary schools

* Municipal Fukaya Elementary School (市立深谷小学校) * Municipal Fukaya West Elementary School (市立深谷西小学校) * Municipal Kamishiba East Elementary School (市立上柴東小学校) * Municipal Kamishiba West Elementary School (市立上柴西小学校) * Municipal Sakuragaoka Elementary School (市立桜ヶ丘小学校) * Municipal Fujisawa Elementary School (市立藤沢小学校) * Municipal Hatara Elementary School (市立幡羅小学校) * Municipal Tokiwa Elementary School (市立常盤小学校) * Municipal Ōyori Elementary School (市立大寄小学校) * Municipal Aketo Elementary School (市立明戸小学校) * Municipal Toyosato Elementary School (市立豊里小学校) * Municipal Yatsumoto Elementary School (市立八基小学校) * Municipal Okabe Elementary School (市立岡部小学校) * Municipal Okabe West Elementary School (市立岡部西小学校) * Municipal Hanzawa Elementary School (市立榛沢小学校) * Municipal Hongō Elementary School (市立本郷小学校) * Municipal Hanazono Elementary School (市立花園小学校) * Municipal Kawamoto North Elementary School (市立川本北小学校) * Municipal Kawamoto South Elementary School (市立川本南小学校)

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

–

Takasaki Line The Takasaki Line ( ja, 高崎線, ) is a Japanese railway line which connects Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) ...

* - 18px

Chichibu Railway The is a small-sector private railway company operating a railway line in northern Saitama Prefecture, Japan. In addition to its railway operations, the company deals in the real estate and tourism industries. It managed the Mitsumine Ropeway (� ...

–

Chichibu Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, owned by the private railway operator Chichibu Railway, linking and , both in Saitama Prefecture. Stations ;Legend * ● - All trains stop * ○ - Some trains stop * ▲ - Some trains pass * ▼ - Trains ...

* - - - -

Highway

* – Hanazono IC * * *

Sister cities

Dalby, Queensland Dalby () is a rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Dalby had a population of 12,719 people. It is on the Darling Downs and is the administrative centre for the Western Downs Regi ...

, Australia *

Fremont, California Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Fremont has a population of 230,504 as of 2020, making it the fourth List of cities and towns in the San Fra ...

, United States, since January 26, 1980Consolidation of Local Governments in Japan and Effects on Sister City Relationships
," ''Consulate General of Japan, San Francisco'' *

Shunyi District Shunyi District () is an administrative district of Beijing, located to the northeast of the city's urban core. As of 2014, the population of the district is around 983,000, of which approximately 601,000 have local residency permits. The Beiji ...

Beijing, China } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, since November 7, 1995

Local attractions

*Site of Fukaya Castle *Birthplace of Shibusawa Eiichi *Shibusawa Eiichi Memorial Museum *Takinomiya Jinja

Mascot

Fukka-chan is the city’s local character (Yuru-chara), as well as a

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

. It was created on June 28, 2010. It is said to be a fictitious life form like a rabbit and a deer. Fukka-chan is widely described as a city’s popular mascot character.

Noted people from Fukaya

Shibusawa Eiichi was a Japanese industrialist widely known today as the "father of Japanese capitalism". He spearheaded the introduction of Western capitalism to Japan after the Meiji Restoration. He introduced many economic reforms including use of double-en ...

, industrialist *

Yasuo Takei Yasuo Takei (武井保雄, ''Takei Yasuo'') (January 4, 1930 – August 10, 2006) was the founder and former chairman of Takefuji (武富士), Japan's number one consumer finance group. On 17 November 2004 he was given a three-year suspende ...

(founder of

Takefuji is a Japanese consumer finance company, or ''sarakin''. On September 28, 2010 it filed a petition for commencement of a corporate re-organisation under the Japanese Corporate Reorganisation Act. Services The Group's principal activity is the pro ...

) * Mimura, actress *

Momoka Muraoka is a woman para-alpine skier, who won five medals for Japan at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. She also served as their flag-bearer at the 2018 Winter Paralympics Parade of Nations. She won the gold medal in the women's downhill, women's Supe ...

(woman

para-alpine skier Paralympic alpine skiing is an adaptation of alpine skiing for athletes with a disability. The sport evolved from the efforts of disabled veterans in Germany and Austria during and after the Second World War. The sport is governed by the Internat ...

)

References

External links

Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Saitama Prefecture Fukaya, Saitama