Sakata

Sakata (酒田) is a city in Yamagata (prefecture). Due to its location on the Sea of Japan, the city has a large fishing industry. There is a fish market and many seafood restaurants, where one can enjoy freshly caught fish from the Sea of Japan.



Understand
Sakata is the third most populous city in Yamagata prefecture. It lies at the mouth of the Mogami River. This location allowed it to flourish thanks to a thriving safflower trade with the Kansai region during the Edo Period (1603-1868). During this time the city ranked among the most important port towns in all of Japan. An international port remains in the city, though its national importance has since diminished.

The city has been the shooting location for a number of film productions, most notably in 2008, when the Oscar winning film "Departures" (おくりびと, okuribito) was filmed here.

Tourist Information Site
The city has an official multilingual guide site.

By plane
The nearest airport is Shonai Airport, from which shuttle buses run to Sakata (30 minutes, ¥740). There are four daily flights from Tokyo Haneda International Airport.

By train
Sakata is on the JR Uetsu Line which runs along the Sea of Japan. From Tokyo, Sakata is reachable in approximately four and a half hours by taking a Joetsu Shinkansen Toki or Max Toki service, and then changing in Niigata to one of several daily Inaho limited express trains. The Rikuu Main Line connects Sakata with Shinjo, the is the terminus for the Yamagata Shinkansen. From Shinjo, it takes approximately one hour.

By bus
Shonai Kotsu runs an overnight bus, the Yuhi Express, from Shibuya and Ikebukuro in Tokyo to Sakata. It takes about 8 hours from Shibuya to Sakata. Shonai Kotsu also provides a daily bus service to Sendai. There are twelve daily departure times between 6:00am and 18:45pm. The journey lasts approximately 3 hours.

Get around
Many of the local sites can easily be visited on foot. Bicycle rentals (Rentacycles) are available at the Tourist Information Center at Sakata Station.

Go next

 * Tsuruoka - The nearest city, located 24km away and connected by Expressway, Route 7 and Uetsu Main Line.
 * Yuza
 * Nikaho
 * Yurihonjo - Explore Yurihonjo, a city in SW Akita Prefecture.
 * Mamurogawa
 * Tozawa
 * Mikawa
 * Sakegawa
 * Shinjo
 * Murakami - Largest city in northern Niigata