Omiya Station is the main transport hub serving the north-east side of Tokyo and is also a gateway to Saitama. This sophisticated station opened in 1885 and is the biggest station in Saitama Prefecture, serving 11 lines of JR East, Tobu Railway, and Saitama New Urban Line.
More than 200,000 people depart from this station everyday. It makes Omiya Station a very busy but convenient station. You will not only find convenience stores here, but also big shopping arcades, cafes, and restaurants. Actually, these facilities helped me a lot when I was waiting for my next train. I could window shop or just have a cup of coffee in the cafe. Have a lot of luggage? Don’t worry! I also had the same problem but Omiya Station provides coin lockers in various sizes. It really helped me when I wanted to explore the city.
There is also a JR ticketing and travel service on the main ground, so you can ask directions and buy reserved seats. Don’t forget to grab a tourism information brochure or local map to help you explore the city.
For those of you who want to stroll around Saitama City, Omiya Station will be the very best way for you to start the journey. Located in the heart of the city, you will not only find the business district or main shopping arcade, but also it’s really close to the famous railway museum, Hikawa Jinja as one of the main Shinto shrines in the Kanto area, the historical Omiya Koen, and also Saitama Super Arena. For your next step, Omiya can connect you to many other places like Kawagoe, Kumagaya, Takasaki, and Yokohama. Even the shinkansen can take you as far as Nagano, Niigata, Yamagata and Aomori, all direct from Omiya Station.
