Saga Sightseeing Association official home page：Summary of Saga City

About Saga City

This is the official home page of Saga Sightseeing Association.
We are proud to introduce Saga city in Kyushu.

Saga City is the capital city of Saga Prefecture located in south western Japan, Kyushu.
It is known as a historical and traditional castle city. It has a population of 240,000 and area of about 430 km² with a mild climate.

The northern areas are covered in green mountains with clear streams, ravines and hot springs where you can relax and feel warm. In the center of the city are the remains of Saga Castle and so on, you can see the Saga Clan had influence to establish Japanese modern era (Edo to Meiji). The southern part of the prefecture is spreading pastoral landscapes to the very rich Ariake Sea. From the mountains to the sea there is wonderful diversity in its nature through the year.

The Saga International Hot Balloon Festival is held every November with more than a 100 colorful hot balloons that can be seen in the clear sky. Many tourists visit from all over the world to see, this city is famous for it and called “The city of Air Hot Balloon”.
Please visit Saga City when you come to Japan.

A Message from Saga City

To Travelers Considering Visiting Saga City,

On March 11, 2011 an enormous 9.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Japan, a seismic event on a scale rarely seen in previous history. With the earthquake came a huge tsunami that devastated Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate prefectures in Tohoku (northeastern Japan) and Ibaraki prefecture in the Kanto region. The earthquake and tsunami claimed many lives and there are many people who remain missing. Many individuals were also injured in the disaster and there are many people whose homes were destroyed or lost.

We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami, as well as extend our hopes that those who were injured will recover as quickly as possible and that the lives of those who have evacuated or lost their homes will very soon return to normal.

We believe that among those tourists interested in visiting Saga city there are some people who may be worried or feel unease about traveling here because they are unable to get detailed information pertaining to the earthquake and tsunami in the March 11th Tohoku disaster and the effects of the radiation leakage which resulted from the subsequent incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

To respond to and quell any worries that visitors might have, we would like to give you the latest information on the situation in Saga city in regards to the condition of airborne radiation (or fallout) and the possible occurrence of any earthquakes.

I. Environment Radiation Conditions in Saga City

1. The measured levels of radiation in Saga city are within the limits of normal levels and no abnormalities have been recognized.

2. The airborne radiation levels for Saga city are currently, as of June 28, 2011 (Tuesday), 0.038-0.039 micro-Sieverts per hour, and this level does not differ from the levels recorded prior to the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

You can access the data mentioned above at the Saga Prefecture homepage: http://www.pref.saga.lg.jp/web/kurashi/_1262/kan-sisetu/housyanou.html

II. Earthquake and Tsunami Conditions in Saga City

Saga city did not experience any damage from or effects of the earthquake and tsunami in the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Saga city is over 1,000km (600 miles) from the Tohoku and Kanto regions, and, as stated above, is completely safe. The citizens of Saga city are going about their everyday lives as usual.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you in your travels to Saga city.

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Sightseeing around Saga City / Events / Products / Accommodations etc. / Useful Information