This newly-created city of over 1 million people lies in the north-west of Tokyo. It's basicly a huge suburb of the capital with a newly-developed area which is worth the trip from Tokyo.

In & out Omiya station, a very important hub for railways in northern Kanto area:

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/6918/1100292xw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/7546/1107450tu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/5204/1108374ms.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/8473/1108561fc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/2739/1110525dq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/296/1111066ge.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

South of Omiya station you find Saitama Shintoshin, a new quarter for governmental agencies in an attempt to decentralize downtown Tokyo. The station is quite interesting compared to what you usually see in Japan:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6033/1127541nr.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img365.imageshack.us/img365/5269/1131200mw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2245/1134339uf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4571/1135152px.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4750/1135559ov.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

On this picture you get to see the Saitama Super Area, venue for next year's world's basketball championship final game:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/851/1136424yr.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4967/1137298vh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/2811/1139198ib.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4156/1140043bk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Land Axis Tower (168m/2002)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/5411/1139359gu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6061/1144378jl.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8336/1146218tb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

From this point you can see the shinkansen bound for north and central Japan. I posted those at the "Trainspotting in Tokyo" thread.

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9498/1150338xr.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

National Government bldgs (154m&138m/2000)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/3541/1212073ta.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/504/1214228tx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/4928/1214396cx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NTT Docomo on the left (99m/2001)

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/2681/1215296oh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/290/1215367po.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/891/1216146rk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/5710/1221582zj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/9602/1222156xm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/9423/1224171vb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

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http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/854/1229591wb.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Japan Post bldg (130m/)
I liked this one a lot

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/666/1230246be.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/6364/1235087mu.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hotel

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/5958/1232081oj.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Land of railways

http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/3329/1241165xf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

I love this city ^__^ I go last summer and was amazing!

IT'S SO CLEAN O_O

Very nice city!! Looks so new and so clean. :D

Interesting photos.Ive been through Saitama a few times but have never stopped.Infact these are the first pictures ive seen of the city.Like you said Vapour,its always been viewed as a huge suburb of Tokyo,much like Chiba and Kawasaki and to a lesser degree Yokohama(which has a very strong seperate identity).

Great pics.I might stay there on my next tour of Japan.I could do some touring around Kanto,Ibaraki and other areas and base myself in Saitama city.It would be cheaper than Tokyo to stay I would imagine.Although I know two very cheap Ryokans in Tokyo,one in Shibuya and the other in Ueno,however they have no parking for the skywave.