The name "Saitama" originally comes from the Sakitama (埼玉郡) district of what is now the city of Gyōda in the northern part of what is now known as Saitama Prefecture. "Sakitama" has an ancient history and is mentioned in the famous 8th century poetry anthology Man'yōshū. The pronunciation has changed from Sakitama to Saitama over the years.
With the merger of Urawa, Ōmiya, and Yono it was decided that a new name, one fitting for this newly-created prefectural capital, was needed. The prefectural name "Saitama" (埼玉県) was changed from kanji into hiragana, thus Saitama City (さいたま市) was born. It is the only prefectural capital in Japan whose name is always written in hiragana, and belongs to the list of hiragana cities.
However, Saitama written in hiragana (さいたま市) actually finished in second place in public polling to Saitama written in kanji (埼玉市). Despite this, government officials decided to name the new city Saitama in hiragana, not kanji. In third place in the poll was Ōmiya (大宮市). In fourth was Saitama (彩玉市), written with an alternative kanji for "sai" (彩) which means "colorful". The "sai" (埼) used in the prefectural name is a rare form of a common character (崎) that means cape or promontory.
Saitama has six sister cities.
Eino Tamberg
Eino Tamberg (May 27 1930— December 24 2010) was a composer and musician from Estonia. He was famous for the variety of works he wrote including symphonies, concertos, operas and ballets. he was a student of the Tallinn Conservatory, where he later taught composition.
He was given many awards including:
These are some of the works written by Tamberg:
Marilu Henner
Mary Lucy Denise Henner (born April 6, 1952), better known as Marilu Henner, is an American actress, author and producer. She is best known for her role in the television sitcom "Taxi". Henner was born in Chicago.
Henner has been a contestant in two seasons of "The Celebrity Apprentice". She was married to actor Frederic Forrest.
Danny Woodhead
Danny Woodhead (born January 25, 1985 in North Platte, Nebraska) is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Woodhead made his NFL debut with the New York Jets in 2008 and was signed by the New England Patriots on September 18, 2010.
Andean condor
The Andean condor ("Vultur gryphus"), is a vulture-like bird species found in the Andes mountains and adjacent Pacific coasts of western South America. It is the largest flying land bird in the Western Hemisphere and the heaviest member of the order Accipitriformes. The condor is primarily a scavenger, feeding on carrion, and belongs to the New World vulture.
Although about 5 cm shorter (beak to tail) on average than the California condor, the Andean condor is undoubtedly larger in wingspan: 108-122 in (274–310 cm). It is also heavier: up to 24-33 lb (11–15 kg) for males and 16-24 lb (7.5–11 kg) for females. Overall length can range from 46 to 53 inches (117 to 135 cm). Measurements are usually taken from specimens reared in captivity.
Lost Horizon (novel)
Lost Horizon is a 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. In this book, Hilton imagined a special place high in the mountains of Tibet. It was a utopian city where people could live to be hundreds of years old. This perfect place was called Shangri-La.
Hugh Conway is a member of the British diplomatic service. He finds inner peace, love, and a sense of purpose in Shangri-La. People there live a very long time. One theme of the book is the possibility of another world war and war preparations. This was actually happening at the time. The story is similar to travel stories in the Tibetan borderlands by Joseph Rock in the "National Geographic" magazine. The remote communities he visited, such as Muli are similar to Hilton's fictional Shangri-La. The Muli town of Zhongdian has its name to Shangri La (Chinese: Xianggelila).
The book describes how war on the ground would move into the air. Life and all special things could be lost, even history. Maybe Shangri-la would protect these important things for later when the world was tired of war. That was the real purpose of the city.
Conway survived the trench warfare of WWI. This strongly affected his emotions. He was exhausted and felt older than he really was. He is strongly attracted to life at Shangri-La because the monks understood him.
The origin of the eleven numbered chapters of the novel is explained in two opening and closing sections. The narrator is a neurologist.
This neurologist friend named Rutherford were eating dinner at Tempelhof, Berlin with their old school-friend Wyland. The topic of Hugh Conway comes up in conversation. He was a British consul in Afghanistan, who disappeared mysteriously. Rutherford tells the narrator later that evening that he met Conway in a French mission hospital in Chung-Kiang (probably Chongqing), China. Conway had amnesia, but recovered his memory. He told Rutherford his story, then disappeared again.
Rutherford wrote down Conway's story and gave it to the neurologist. That story became the main part of the novel.
In May, 1931, during the British Raj in India, 80 white residents were evacuated to Peshawar because of a revolution. Conway, the British consul, age 37; Mallinson, his young vice-consul; an American, Barnard; and a British missionary, Miss Brinklow are in an airplane. The plane is hijacked and flown over the mountains to Tibet. After a crash landing, the pilot dies. But, he told the four to get help at the nearby lamasery of Shangri-La. They do not know where they are, but Conway thinks they passed the Himalayas and are near the Kuen-Lun (i.e. Kunlun).
Chang lives at Shangri-La and speaks English. He takes the four to the lamasery. It has modern conveniences, like central heating; bathtubs from Akron, Ohio; a large library; a grand piano; a harpsichord; and food from the valley below. Above is Karakal, a mountain more than high. Karakal mean "Blue Moon".
Mallinson wants to hire help and leave, but Chang stops him politely. The others eventually decide they are happy to stay. Miss Brinklow will teach the people a sense of sin. Barnard wants to hide form the police and look for gold. Conway likes the quiet life of study.
Lo-Tsen is a Manchu woman at the lamasery. She seems very young. She does not speak English but plays the harpsichord. Mallinson falls in love with her. Conway does too.
Conway meets the High Lama. He learns that the lamasery was built by a Catholic monk named Perrault from Luxembourg in the early eighteenth century. The lamasery has since then been joined by others who have found their way into the valley. Once they enter the valley, they age slowly. If they leave the valley, they age quickly and die. Conway guesses that the High Lama is Perrault, now 300 years old. He is correct.
Later, the High Lama says that he is finally dying. He wants Conway to lead the lamasery. Meanwhile, Mallinson has arranged to leave the valley with Lo-Tsen and workers to carry their food and belongings. They are waiting for him outside the valley, but Mallinson cannot cross the dangerous route by himself. He convinces Conway to go along. This ends Rutherford's story.
The last time Rutherford saw Conway, it seemed he was preparing to return to Shangri-La. Rutherford tells the neurologist that he tried to follow Conway and check his stories of Shangri-La. He found the Chung-Kiang doctor who had treated Conway. The doctor said Conway had been brought in by a Chinese woman who was ill. She soon died. The doctor told Rutherford the woman was very old. Rutherford thought the old woman was Lo-Tsen. She had aged quickly after leaving Shangri-La.