Saga (佐賀市, Saga-shi) - The capital of Saga
Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.
Every fall Saga holds the "Saga International Balloon
Fiesta" in the dry riverbed of the Kase River. A quarter of
the visitors are from Saga. The number of all visitors was
about 15 million in 2005. Balloonists from many countries
enter this event.
On October 1, 2005, the city merged with the towns of
Morodomi, Yamato and Fuji (all from Saga District) and the
village of Mitsuse from Kanzaki District to form the new
city of Saga. With this creation, the city became neighbors
with the city of Fukuoka in Fukuoka Prefecture. On October
1, 2007 the towns of Higashiyoka, Kawasoe, and Kubota were
incorporated into Saga, further expanding its borders.
Although it is the capital of Saga Prefecture, it can be
said to be within the Fukuoka metropolitan area.
Geography
Saga City is located in the southeast portion of Saga
Prefecture. After the 2005 merger the city became very long
north to south. It now borders the Ariake Sea to the south
and Fukuoka Prefecture to the southeast and north. The
northern half of the city contains the Sefuri Mountains.
Climate
The annual average precipitation ranges from about 1800 mm
(71 in) in the city center to about 2400 mm (94 in) in
Mitsuse. The annual average temperature ranges from about 13
°C (55 °F) in Mitsuse to 17 °C (63 °F) in the city center.
Saga Castle
Standing out from many cultural assets is the plains castle
within the city, Saga Castle. It is one of the rare castles
in Japan surrounded by a wall rather than built on one.
First built between 1591 to 1593, there was a fire in 1726.
Renovated in 1728, there was yet another fire in 1835.
Naomasa Nabeshima of the Nabeshima clan renovated it within
two years and moved in. In 1874 it was a court building and
a prefectural office. 1883 saw it become a junior school.
The buildings were eventually replaced by modern school
buildings. The castle is divided into two main buildings,
Honmaru and Ni no Maru.
Information source: “Saga, Saga.” wikipedia.org. Article
date: 26 Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Mar. 2008 <Saga, Saga>. |
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