With the 5th largest population in Japan at approximately 7.3 million people, Saitama Prefecture is located ‘just north of Tokyo’. Saitama is rich in nature with large rivers such as the Arakawa River and Tone River, the beautiful mountains of Chichibu, the Minuma rice fields, and the Musashino woodlands.
Saitama is also one of the most important transport hubs in Japan, with six highways and six bullet train lines connecting it to major cities in Eastern Japan. The prefecture attracts many businesses and people as it has both the convenience and liveliness of a large city.
In Saitama, you can enjoy the townscape of the Edo period in Kawagoe, which is nicknamed ‘Little Edo’, as well as the traditional culture of Japan, such as Omiya bonsai, Japanese washi paper, silk fabrics, Japanese sake and soy sauce. You can also experience contemporary culture at places such as Tokorozawa Sakura Town, one of the largest pop culture hubs in Japan. Why not step outside of Tokyo for a little bit and explore Saitama Prefecture?
In October 1984, Saitama Prefecture formed a sister state relationship with Queensland in Australia, fostering a strong friendship over many years through exchanges such as regular visits by delegations and mutual exchange programs for high school students and teachers.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the sister state relationship this year, the Consul-General of Japan to Brisbane kindly hosted an event – An Afternoon Tea Celebrating 40 Years of Sister-State Relations between Queensland and Saitama – when six Saitama high school students visited Queensland on the mutual exchange program. Through this event, the invitees, including the six students, Queensland state government staff and members of the Saitama Kenjinkai Queensland, had the opportunity to network and deepen the friendship between Queensland and Saitama.
Further information about the Saitama Kenjinkai can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/Saitama.Kenjinkai.inQLD/?locale=ja_JP
Saitama Prefecture also promoted the Queensland-Saitama sister state relationship by organising a special booth for the 40th anniversary of the relationship at the soccer match between Japan and Australia for the World Cup qualifying round in Asia held at Saitama Stadium 2002 in October 2024.
In addition, Saitama Prefecture has exchange programs with Southern Cross University, which has a campus on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The prefecture has been sending one scholarship student to the English school affiliated with the university every year.
This year, Saitama Prefecture launched a three day online international exchange program for high school students living in or attending school in Saitama. Through the 2024 program, about seventy students experienced studying at an overseas university online, where they attended a campus tour and mock lectures, and interacted with international students.
Saitama Prefecture hopes that the relationship with Queensland will be further strengthened through exchanges in various areas, and that this wonderful friendship will last for many years to come.
From the 3rd to the 13th of December, eight selected swimmers from the Fukuoka Swimming Association visited NSW, where they participated in joint training sessions with a local school and competed in the 2024-25 Speedo NSW Senior State Age Championships.
