Saitama Prefecture (???, Saitama-ken?) is located on Honshu island, Japan. The capital is the city of Saitama. *************** This prefecture is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, and most of Saitama's cities can be described as suburbs of Tokyo, to which floods of residents commute each day.****************Saitama Prefecture was formerly part of the old Musashi Province, which included Tokyo and other areas as well. The Saitama area was historically known as a fertile agricultural region which produced much of the food for the Kanto region. After World War II, as Tokyo expanded rapidly and modern transportation allowed longer commutes, the lack of available land in Tokyo led to the rapid development of Saitama Prefecture, whose population has nearly tripled since 1960. Most of the cities in the prefecture are closely connected to downtown Tokyo by metropolitan rail, and operate largely as residential and commercial suburbs of Tokyo.**************Chichibu (??? Chichibu-shi) is a city in Saitama, Japan. As of November 1, 2006, the city has an estimated population of 71,721 and density of 124.15 persons per km².[citation needed] The total area is 577.69 km². Chichibu was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1950, although the region had already existed for hundreds of years and had developed many local traditions. Since that time, the area of the city has grown through a series of mergers, the most recent in 2005.************The city is in the westernmost part of Saitama. Unlike other parts of the prefecture, it is largely mountainous and the population is concentrated in river terraces along the Arakawa River. It is Saitama's largest municipality in terms of surface area and shares borders with Tokyo, Yamanashi, Nagano and Gumma prefectures. Most parts of the city belong to Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. Because the region is not suitable for growing rice, many people have depended on sericulture farming. Limestone from Mount Buko, which rises south of the city center, is another major source of income for the region. The city is shifting its focus toward sightseeing, taking advantages of its rich natural environment and relative closeness to the Tokyo metropolitan area. The city is also famous for its brewing industry.******************The city was developed as a marketplace of the district as well as the town around Chichibu Shrine. The city's older name, Omiya ("big shrine"), was derived from the shrine. It is a coincidence that Omiya ward of the prefectural capital Saitama, which houses Hikawa Shrine, has the same name. [edit] Timeline * 708 - Copper was discovered in the region and offered to the Imperial Court. The era name Wado (??, meaning "Japanese copper") was declared as a memorial and the copper was used to mint Wado Kaiho or Wado Kaichin, one of the oldest coins in Japan. * 1884 - The Chichibu Incident: uprising of impoverished peasants under the influence of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement. Seven were sentenced to death and over 4,000 people were punished. * 1889 - Omiya town was founded. * 1914 - Chichibu Railway was opened. * 1916 - Omiya town was renamed Chichibu town. * 1950 - Chichibu town became Chichibu city. * 1954 - The city absorbed Odamaki, Haraya and Kuna villages. * 1957 - The city absorbed Takashino and Ota villages. * 1958 - The city absorbed Kagemori town. * 1969 - Seibu Railway Seibu Chichibu Line was opened. * 2005 - The city was merged with Yoshida town, Arakawa and Otaki villages and formed new Chichibu city. *************************On December 3, Chichibu holds an annual night festival. It attracts crowds from Chichibu, Saitama prefecture, neighboring Tokyo, and the Kanto region. Other attractions of the city include: * Chichibu Muse Park; * Chichibu Shrine; * Hitsujiyama Park; * Okuchichibu Mountains; * Lake Chichibu; * Lake Chichibu Sakura; * Mitsumine Shrine; * Nakatsugawa Gorge; and * Thirty-Four Temples of Chichibu. **********The city considers itself as the inspiration for Gilbert and Sullivan's 1885 comic opera, The Mikado; the name of the opera's setting, "Titipu", is pronounced "Chichipu" in Japanese. Rokusuke Ei, a popular essayist, was convinced that Chichibu, the site of a peasant uprising in 1884, inspired the author, W. S. Gilbert, to set the opera in Japan. Other Japanese researchers have concluded that Gilbert may simply have heard of Chichibu silk, an important export in the 19th Century. A theatre company from Chichibu has presented The Mikado in Japanese in Chichibu and throughout Japan; in August 2006, it travelled with this production to the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Buxton, England.*************Two lines serve the city: Chichibu Railway Chichibu Mainline and Seibu Railway Seibu Chichibu Line. Chichibu Railway was constructed along the Arakawa River and first opened in 1914. Seibu Railway reached the city in 1969 and considerably reduced the travel time to Tokyo. It takes approximately one and half hours to travel from Seibu-Chichibu Station to Ikebukuro Station, one of the major train terminals in Tokyo. These lines carry people as well as limestone from Mount Buko. The two lines were directly connected on April 1, 1989. Chichibu Railway also operates the Mitsumine Ropeway, which carries passengers visiting Mitsumine Shrine. The ropeway is temporarily out of service until May 31, 2007 due to metal fatigue.******************