Niiza, Saitama

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Niiza (Japanese: 新座市; -shi) is a city located in Saitama, Japan, and is essentially a suburb of the Tokyo conurbation. Niiza is located at the southernmost part of Saitama, and is crossed by three train lines: the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line, the JR Musashino Line and the Tōbu Tōjō Main Line. The city was founded on November 1, 1970.^[1]

As of 2004, the city has an estimated population of 151,775 and the density of 6,602.19 persons per km². The total area is 22.80 km². About 1% of the population are foreign residents, and Niiza is known for a unique curriculum approach to English in both primary education and middle schools, where students are required to take English conversation class in addition to the nationally required English language class.^[2]

Niiza is home to Heirin-ji(平林寺), a large Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple. The temple is located in Nobidome, close to Niiza City Hall. There is a very large stone gate (野火止大門 "Nobidome Daimon") along National Road 254, which runs through the middle of the city. On April 7, 2003, Niiza gave the anime character Astro Boy an honorary citizenship to mark the date given as his birthdate in the original manga.