Sai-no-Kuni in Japanese means the Land of Colour, a name that reflects the rich historical heritage and bright development in and around Saitama, the venue city of one of the 2002 FIFA World Cup semi-finals.

Saitama Prefecture, on the northern fringe of the greater Tokyo metropolitan area, is a pacesetter in industry, culture, and the arts.

But at the same time, the Land of Colour label also reflects the colours that change with the seasons in the fields and forests of the region, an area known for its fertile countryside, forests and rivers, where different flowers bloom throughout the year.

Visitors can see here the legacy of a traditional culture that can be traced far back to ancient times, and feel the atmosphere of the ancient Musashino area that lingers in the beautiful nature that has survived even in the urban area.

But Saitama's past has not prevented it from embracing the future, and it has forged links with such diverse regions as Mexico, Shanxi (China), Queensland, Ohio and Brandenburg (Germany), as well as having active exchanges in culture and sports with other cities.

Saitama Prefecture is currently promoting a new urban development project called the Saitama New Urban Centre, covering a total area of nearly 50 hectares and including the cities of Urawa, Omiya and Yono.

The project aims to create a bustling, integrated city with easy access and mobility for people, goods and information alike. This exciting new project ultimately aims at creating a new urban centre with a surface area of some 1,800,000 square meters, where almost 60,000 people will go about their daily work.

Urawa is the capital of Saitama prefecture, some 24 kilometres north of Tokyo, and can rightly claim to be one of Japan's most football-crazy cities.

The football tradition here owes much to its role as the hometown of one of the most popular Japanese League clubs, the Urawa Red Diamonds.

Japanese football fans consider the Red Diamonds fans to be the most enthusiastic in the entire country, and they certainly have a local hero to get excited about: Shinji Ono, the Red Diamonds' young star midfielder, is sure to be one of the key players in the Japanese national team at the World Cup.

But the Red Diamonds are not the only team in the region, as Omiya City is home to Omiya Ardija, who play in the Second Division of the Japanese League.

The semi-final in Saitama will be played in the brand new Saitama Stadium 2002.

Its 63,700 seats make it Japan's biggest stadium to be used exclusively for football.

As well as the semi-final, there will also be three first round matches, including the first match for the Japanese national team. Construction on the elegant, futuristic new stadium was completed in July 2001.

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