Zama City is located almost in the center of Kanagawa Prefecture. Local specialties include Yamato yams, sunflower shochu, donburi tofu, and giant kite monaka (a type of Japanese sweet potato). Zama Park, Himawari Park, Kanigasawa Park, and Serizawa Park are some of the park's attractions. Zama Yatoyama Park is an urban park that opened in 1993 and fully opened in 2002. It is comprised of 11 areas and serves as a natural ecological observation park. The Zama Giant Kite Festival, one of Kanagawa Prefecture's top 50 festivals, is held annually on May 4th and 5th. The characters painted on the giant kites change every year; in 2011, the character "prosperity" was painted on the kites to pray for recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. Other events include the Sagaminono Cherry Blossom Festival in April and the Zama Citizens' Hometown Festival in November.