Saitama New Urban Center埼玉新都心

A harmony of past and future come together in Saitama's new and exciting downtown area, combining attractions perfect for all.

The Saitama New Urban Center (Saitama Shin-toshin), situated in the prefectural capital, Saitama City, in the southeast of Saitama Prefecture, celebrated its opening on 5 May 2000. It uses the site where a switchyard of the former Japan National Railway once stood, and now is the core area for the government and culture of Saitama in the 21st century.

The Saitama New Urban Center is a megalopolis that houses national government agencies, the Saitama Super Arena, restaurants, and shopping. Curved white tube-like roofs welcome you when you leave the station. Boardwalks with no stairs link all corners of downtown. Unique statues stand here and there, creating a futuristic atmosphere. Among those ultra-modern structures, the greenery of 220 zelkova trees heals your eyes in Keyaki-hiroba Park, created especially to convey the image of a Musashino copse.

The Saitama Super Arena can transform itself from a hall with a capacity of 5,000 to a stadium for 37,000 spectators with the world's largest moving blocks. The world's first John Lennon Museum opened in October 2000 on the 4th and 5th floors, attracting worldwide attention.