Ōmiya-ku, Saitama

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Ōmiya (大宮区, Ōmiya-ku^?) is a ward of Saitama city. Until May 1, 2001 it was a city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It then merged with the neighboring cities of Urawa and Yono to form the city of Saitama. The area of the original Ōmiya city now comprises the Kita, Minuma, Nishi, and Ōmiya wards of Saitama.

For many, Ōmiya indicates the northernmost reach of the Greater Tokyo area. It's still the name of its main train station.

Ōmiya is somewhat famous because many bonsai nurseries are located there. The place is a must-see for bonsai enthusiasts travelling to Japan.

[edit] History

In Japanese, the two kanji making up the name of Ōmiya are 大 (Ō, meaning large) and 宮 (miya, meaning a shinto shrine), named after the Hikawa Shrine. The town on a national main road Nakasendō in the feudal Edo Era, the predecessor of National Highway Route 17 and the Takasaki Line had the name derived from the famous shrine. The town of Ōmiya as a modern municipality was founded in 1899. In 1940, the town merged with several surrounding villages to form the city of Ōmiya. The city existed up until the 2001 merger with Urawa and Yono to form Saitama.