Kasukabe, Saitama

Kasukabe is located in far eastern Saitama Prefecture, divided between the Shimosa Plateau and the Omiya Plateau by the Nakagawa lowlands and the Edogawa River. The eastern portion of the city is still rural, with the largest area of paddy fields in Saitama. Surrounding municipalities • Chiba Prefecture • Noda • Saitama Prefecture • Koshigaya • Matsubushi • Miyashiro • Saitama (Iwatsuki-ku) • Shiraoka • Sugito Climate Kasukabe has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Kasukabe is . The average annual rainfall is with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . ==Demographics==

Per Japanese census data, the population of Kasukabe peaked around the year 2000 and has declined slightly since. ==History==

The area of Kasukabe was part of ancient Musashi Province and has been settled since at least the Jomon period as evidenced by many shell middens and ancient burial mounds. During the Edo period, Kasukabe prospered as a post station on the Nikkō Kaidō highway linking Edo with Nikkō. The town of Kasukabe was created within Minamisaitama District, Saitama with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. On April 1, 1944, Kasukabe annexed the neighboring village of Uchimaki. On July 1, 1954, Kasukabe was elevated to city status after annexing the villages of Toyoharu, Takesato, Komatsu and Toyono. On October 1, 2005, old Kasukabe city and the town of Shōwa (from Kitakatsushika District) were merged into the new and expanded city of Kasukabe. Kasukabe was elevated to special city status on April 1, 2008, giving it increased local autonomy. ==Government==

Kasukabe has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 32 members. Kasukabe contributes three members to the Saitama Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Saitama 16th district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan. ==Economy==

Kasukabe is a regional commercial center with a mixed economy. ==Education==

• Kyoei University • Kasukabe has 22 public elementary schools and 11 public middle schools operated by the city government, and five public high schools operated by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education, including the Saitama Prefectural Kasukabe High School and Kasukabe Girls' Senior High School. In addition, there is one private combined middle/high school. The prefecture also operates one special education school for the disabled. ==Transportation==

Railway Tōbu Railway - Tobu Skytree Line • - - - Tōbu Railway - Tobu Urban Park Line • - - - - Highway • • ==Sister cities==

• Pasadena, California, United States, friendship city since July 3, 1993. Pasadena's Junior Chamber of Commerce does an exchange program each summer, alternating every year with Kasukabe residents going to Pasadena one summer and Pasadena residents coming to Kasukabe the next summer. • Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia, friendship city since April 29, 2007 ==Local attractions==

• Kasukabe Hachiman-gu • Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel has a public entrance in Kasukabe. Also known as G-CANs, this huge underground flood control system was completed in 2009. The monumental main storage chamber, sometimes called the "underground temple", has been the setting for TV shows and commercials. It is open to tours. • Ushijima Wisteria • Uchiaki Park Commerce Close to the west entrance to the station is a shopping mall, known as Lala Garden, housing several chain retail stores as well as a supermarket, 100-yen shop, and more. In March 2013, an Aeon mall opened on National Route 16, which shoppers can either reach by car, or by taking a regularly scheduled bus from the east entrance of the station. This mall, as well as Lala Garden, has a movie theatre. ==In popular culture==

Kasukabe is the setting of the manga and anime series Lucky Star and Crayon Shin-chan. ===Crayon Shin-chan=== Kasukabe City, or called in early manga volumes and anime seasons, is the primary setting of the popular anime series "Crayon Shin-chan" is set, and it's a real-life town in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Many locations from the anime, like department stores and supermarkets, are based on real places in Kasukabe. The creator of Crayon Shin-chan, Yoshito Usui, also lived in Kasukabe. He was inspired by his own childhood in Kasukabe, and many familiar locations in the show are based on real places. Kasukabe is a popular tourist destination for fans of Crayon Shin-chan, with attractions based on the anime and manga. ==References==