Toda, Saitama

Toda (戸田市, Toda-shi) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2016, the city had an estimated population of 136,652, and a population density of 7510 persons per km². Its total area is 18.19 square kilometres (7.02 sq mi).

Toda 戸田市
City
Toda City Hall
Flag Seal
Location of Toda in Saitama Prefecture
Toda Location of Toda in Saitama Prefecture
Coordinates: 35°49′3.4″N 139°40′40.5″E
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Saitama Prefecture
Area
• Total	18.19 km^2 (7.02 sq mi)
Population  (February 2016)
• Total	136,652
• Density	7,510/km^2 (19,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
- Tree	Osmanthus
- Flower	Primula sieboldii
Phone number	048-441-1800
Address	1-18-1 Kamitoda, Toda-shi, Saitama-ken 335-8588
Website	http://www.city.toda.saitama.jp/

Geography

Toda is located in far southeastern Saitama Prefecture, separated from Tokyo by the Arakawa River. The Sasame River also flows through the city before joining the Arakawa.

Surrounding municipalities

• Saitama Prefecture
  • Saitama
  • Asaka
  • Kawaguchi
  • Wakō
  • Warabi
• Tokyo Metropolis
  • Itabashi
  • Kita

History

The villages of Niizo, Kamitoda and Shimotoda were created within Kitaadachi District, Saitama with the establishment of the municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The villages merged on June 1, 1941 to form the town of Toda. The town annexed the village of Misasa on July 20, 1957. The rowing competition of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics took place in Toda near to where the present day Toda-Koen Station is located. The rowing area which is adjacent to the Arakawa River is still in use today. Toda was elevated to city status on October 1, 1966.

Economy

Much of the residential and commercial development in Toda is due to its proximity to the city of Tokyo and the efficient commuter rail links available. This has enabled Toda to act as a bedroom community of Tokyo and is thus an apt location of residence for those who wish to work in the Tokyo Metropolis. There has been a continuous increase in population since the construction of the three Saikyo Line stations in the 1980s and this has had a positive effect on the economy and development of the city.

There are a significant number of transportation/logistics and printing-based enterprises in Toda. Large companies that have their headquarters in Toda-shi include Okazen Transportation (Haulage/Logistics), Khobho (IT services), Chiyoda (Food Manufacturing). Other large companies that have significant operations in Toda are Yamato Transportation, Meiji Dairy, Jomo, Mainichi Newspaper, Chunichi Newspaper, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, Sanyo Electric, Japan Restaurant Enterprise, and Hayakawa Publishing.

Education

Toda has 12 elementary schools, six middle schools and two high schools.

Transportation

Railway

An arrangement of the Toda City song has been used as the departure melody for trains departing from the up platform (platform 1) of the three Saikyo Line stations in Toda since 1 August 2007.[1]

• JR East - Saikyo Line
  • Toda-Kōen - Toda - Kita-Toda

Highway

• Tokyo Gaikan Expressway
• Shuto Expressway – No.5 Ikebukuro Line
• Shuto Expressway – Saitama-Omiya Line
• Japan National Route 17
• Japan National Route 298

Bus services

There are various bus services in the city. Most of the routes are run by Kokusai Kogyo bus company. In addition there is a distinctive low cost mini-bus service known as Toco. This stands for Toda Community bus. The Toco service serves routes within the city limits unlike the regular Kokusai Kogyo bus routes which usually bring commuters to and from train stations on the Saikyo and Keihin-Tohoku train lines.

Bus Routes	Departure	Destination
Nishi-Kawa 61	Nishi-Kawaguchi sta.	Shimo-Sasame
Nishi-Kawa 62	Nishi-Kawaguchi	Kita-Toda sta.
Warabi 50-2	Warabi sta.	Toda Shako
Warabi 54	Warabi sta.	Shimo-Sasame
Warabi 55	Warabi sta.	Toda-Koen sta.
Warabi 80	Warabi sta.	Toda Shako
Warabi 81	Warabi sta.	Toda Shako
Narimasu 14	Shimo-Sasame.	Narimasu sta.
Minami-Ura 01	Minami-Urawa sta.	Aeon Kita-Toda S.C.
Minami-Ura 06	Musashi-Urawa sta.	Shimo-Sasame.
Minami-Ura 07	Minami-Urawa sta.	Toda Shako
Minami-Ura 80	Minami-Urawa sta.	Toda Shako
Minami-Ura 84	Minami-Urawa sta.	Toda Shako
Musashi-Ura 01	Musashi-Urawa sta.	Shimo-Sasame
Musashi-Ura 80	Musashi-Urawa sta.	Toda Shako
Kawa 50	Kawaguchi sta.	Kawaguchi sta.
Kawa 52	Kawaguchi sta.	Shimo-Sasame
To 52	Toda-Koen sta.	Shimo-Sasame

Community Bus (Toco) Routes	Departure	Main stops
Eastern Circuit	Toda-Koen sta.	Toda City hall, Toda Welfare Center
Western Circuit	Shimo-Sasame	Toda-Koen sta., Toda sta., Library/museum
Misasa Circuit	Shimo-Sasame	Sasame community center, Kita-Toda Sta
Nansai Circuit	Shimo-Sasame	Toda-Koen sta.

Sister city relations

• Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia, [2] since October 1, 1992
• Kaifeng, Henan, China, [2] friendship city since August 21, 1984

Local attractions

• Toda Rowing Course

Noted people from Toda

• Tomoya Ugajin, professional soccer player
• Natsuna Watanabe, actress

References

1. 戸田市歌「ああ　わが戸田市」の発車メロディーが駅で流れます！ [Toda City Song used as station departure melody]. Official website (in Japanese). Japan: Toda City. 26 July 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
2. "International Exchange". List of Affiliation Partners within Prefectures. Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR). Archived from the original on 4 January 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2015.

External links

• Official Website (in Japanese)