Kasukabe 春日部
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春日部市 · Kasukabe
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Location of Kasukabe in Saitama
Kasukabe
Coordinates: 35°59′N 139°45′E / 35.983°N 139.75°E / 35.983; 139.75Coordinates: 35°59′N 139°45′E / 35.983°N 139.75°E / 35.983; 139.75
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama
Government
- Mayor	Ryozo Ishikawa
Area
- Total	65.98 km2 (25.5 sq mi)
Population (2010)
- Total	236,106
- Density	3,580/km2 (9,272.2/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Paulownia tomentosa
- Flower	Wisteria
- Bird	Black-headed Gull
Phone number	81-(0)48-736-1111
Address	Chuo 6-2, Kasukabe City, Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県春日部市中央６の２) 344-8577
Website	Kasukabe

Kasukabe (春日部市, Kasukabe-shi^?) is a city in eastern Saitama, Japan, approximately 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of Tokyo. It was formerly located in Kitakatsushika and Minamisaitama districts. Kasukabe once prospered as part of the Nikkō Kaidō highway, an important trade route that linked Edo with Nikkō.

Overview

The city was founded on July 1, 1954 and its mayor is Ryozo Ishikawa.

On October 1, 2005 Kasukabe City absorbed the town of Shōwa, from Kitakatsushika District, to form the current Kasukabe City.

As of 2003 before the merger, the city had an estimated population of 204,109 and a density of 5,395.43 persons per km². As of March 1, 2010, the estimated population is of 236,106 and the density of 3,580 persons per km². The total area is 65.98 km². According to the Kasukabe Guidebook for Foreign Residents, more than 1,700 foreign nationals live in the city, and a person who lives in or loves Kasukabe is referred to as a Kasukabian (かすかびあん).

Kasukabe is famous throughout Japan for the production of kiri-tansu (桐箪笥), traditional dressers made from paulownia wood. The cultural and economic value of the paulownia is reflected in its designation as the official town tree. The city's official flower is the fuji (藤) or wisteria.

Kasukabe is also well-known in Japan as the setting of the manga and anime series Lucky Star and Crayon Shin-chan. Shin-chan's creator Yoshito Usui also lived in Kasukabe.

Transport

Kasukabe Station

Kasukabe Station is served by the Isesaki and Noda lines of the private Tobu Railway; they connect to the JR train network at Shin-Koshigaya and Omiya stations, respectively.

Shopping

• Kasukabe is home to one of two Robinsons department stores in Japan. The large, seven-story American-styled store is a landmark for local residents.

Sister cities

• Pasadena, United States
• Jajmau , India
• Elche, Spain

Pasadena, California's Junior Chamber of Commerce does an exchange program each summer, alternating every year with Kasukabians going to Pasadena one summer and Pasadena residents coming to Kasukabe the next. This exchange has continued for 26 years.

• 

  Picture of the Pasadena representatives holding the Pasadena and Kasukabe banners side by side

• 

  Banner of The 2007 exchange program between Kasukabe and Pasadena

See also

• Kasukabe High School
• Crayon Shin-chan

Saitama Prefecture Saitama (capital city) Wards: Chūō-ku | Iwatsuki-ku | Kita-ku | Midori-ku | Minami-ku | Minuma-ku | Nishi-ku | Ōmiya-ku | Sakura-ku | Urawa-ku Cities Ageo | Asaka | Chichibu | Fujimi | Fujimino | Fukaya | Gyōda | Hannō | Hanyū | Hasuda | Hatogaya | Hidaka | Higashi-Matsuyama | Honjō | Iruma | Kasukabe | Kawagoe | Kawaguchi | Kazo | Kitamoto | Koshigaya | Kōnosu | Kuki | Kumagaya | Misato | Niiza | Okegawa | Saitama (capital) | Sakado | Satte | Sayama | Shiki | Sōka | Toda | Tokorozawa | Tsurugashima | Wakō | Warabi | Yashio | Yoshikawa Districts Chichibu | Hiki | Iruma | Kita-Adachi | Kita-Katsushika | Kodama | Minami-Saitama | Ōsato Former districts Kitasaitama See also: Towns and villages by district