Saitama

nihongo|Saitama|埼玉, さいたま is an indigenous Japanese place and family name which may often refer to:

* Saitama Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Kantō region.
* Saitama, Saitama is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture incorporating former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki.
* Kitasaitama District, Saitama and Minami Saitama District, Saitama are two districts in eastern Saitama prefecture.

Current place names with Sakitama include:
* Sakitama (埼玉), Gyōda, Saitama was a village in Kitasaitama District, Saitama Prefecture.
* Sakitama (埼玉), Nasushiobara, Tochigi.

Origin

Saitama was originally Sakitama which can be decomposed to saki (top, tip, head or beyond) and tama (precious stone, ball, soul or Tama Area for Western Tokyo), which appeared in a Japanese poetry collection of the 7th and 8th century Man'yōshū. In the collection Chinese characters were used as phonetic characters (Man'yōgana). Prounuciation Saitama appeared in the Heian period (the 9th - 12th centuries CE). The kanjis '埼' (saki: cape or promontry) and '玉' (tama: precious stone, ball) were appropriated later.

Sport clubs

* The Saitama Broncos is a professional basketball club.
* The Saitama Seibu Lions is a professional baseball club.

Railway station

* Saitama-Shintoshin Station is a railway station located in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama.

Tertiary institutions

* :ja:Kokusai Gakuin Saitama Junior College is headquartered in Ōmiya-ku, Saitama.
* :ja:Saitama Gakuen University is headquartered in Kawaguchi, Saitama.
* :ja:Saitama Institute of Technology is headquartered in Fukaya, Saitama.
* :ja:Saitama Junior College is headquartered in Kazo, Saitama.
* :ja:Saitama Junshin Junior College is headquartered in Hanyū, Saitama.
* :ja:Saitama Medical School and its affiliated Junior College are headquartered in Moroyama, Saitama.
* Saitama Prefectural University is headquartered in Koshigaya, Saitama.
* Saitama University is headquartered in Sakura-ku, Saitama, Saitama.
* :ja:Saitama Women's Junior College is headquartered in Hidaka, Saitama.

Mass media

* [http://www.saitama-np.co.jp/] is a paid daily newspaper headquartered in Urawa-ku, Saitama and is serving the prefecture.
* NHK Saitama FM (85.1 MHz, Chichibu relay 83.5 MHz) in Urawa-ku, Saitama serves the prefecture. It is basically a relay station of Tokyo but some programs are regularly produced locally.
* Television Saitama Co.,Ltd is the company name for a free-to-air commercial station Teletama based in Urawa-ku, Saitama and serving the prefecture.
* (Until June 2001 FM NACK5 (79.5 MHz, Chichibu relay 77.5 MHz) 's company name was nihongo|FM Saitama Co.,Ltd.|株式会社エフエム埼玉|Kabushiki-gaisha Efu-emu Saitama)

Astronomical object

* (5618) Sakitama is an asteroid in the major asteroid belt.