Kumagaya City is located in the northern part of Saitama Prefecture, approximately 50 to 70km from central Tokyo. Two major rivers, the Arakawa and Tone Rivers, flow through the city. Surrounded by fertile land, rich water resources and an abundance of greenery, Kumagaya has prospered as a transport hub since ancient times and the city’s agricultural, commercial and industrial sectors have developed simultaneously over the decades.
Kumagaya is also a city with attractive culture and history. A famous site in the city is Kangiin shoudendo, a designated national treasure temple. Kumagaya Uchiwa Festival, the best Gion festival in Kanto, and the Kumagaya Fireworks Festival are major annual events in the city. Kumagaya also has international connections. In 1993, Kumagaya formalised a sister city relationship with the City of Invercargill in New Zealand.
In spring, the cherry blossoms, which is Kumagaya’s city flower, bloom spectacularly across the city. In particular, Kumagaya Sakura-tsutsumi, a famous area with about 500 Somei Yoshino cherry blossom trees that stretches 2km in length, has been selected as one of the 100 Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Japan. Besides the cherry blossoms, the contrast of colours between the yellow rape blossoms and the clear blue sky also attracts many visitors during spring.
Kumagaya, which has declared itself a ‘City enthusiastic about sports’, is working on community development through sports. Kumagaya was one of the host cities of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and in 2021, the Japanese powerhouse rugby team, the Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, relocated its base to Kumagaya. The city is now drawing attention as ‘Rugby Town Kumagaya’. With the slogan “SKUMAM! Kumagaya!”, which is based on the rugby concept of ‘scrum’, Kumagaya is taking action to further develop itself as an attractive city by bringing all citizens together in a ‘scrum’, and promoting itself as a sustainable city that is full of appeal.
