Sakata is a harbourside city set on the Sea of Japan. Edo period villas, Buddhist temples and handsome 19th-century warehouses showcase the city’s multifaceted past. Venture deeper into the Yamagata Prefecture to discover a landscape of rice fields, cedar forests and volcanic mountains.
Things to do in Sakata
Tour the historic Sankyo Warehouses and learn about the city’s booming rice industry. The site features more than a dozen 19th-century warehouses, most still used to store rice. One is reimagined as a local history museum with exhibits on the unique terroir of the Shonai Plain. Learn about how the fertile soil, sunshine and plenty of water spring snowmelt make it a prime rice-growing region.
The serene Japanese garden is the main draw at the Honma Museum of Art. It was laid out in the 1800s and features winding trails set around an emerald-green central pond. A beautiful Edo period villa houses a café where you can enjoy green tea and sweet cakes filled with “anko” bean paste. The main collection is housed in a modern concrete building and features masterpieces from throughout the centuries.
The Ken Domon Museum of Photography showcases works by one of Japan’s most famous photographers. It’s housed in a striking contemporary building and charts the life and legacy of Ken Domon, from his roots as a post-war photojournalist to the religious works that made him a household name in the 1960s.
Enormous cedar trees frame cascading Tamasudare Falls. Set at the end of a lush valley, the falls tumble more than 60 metres down a rocky cliff. A short, forested trail leads to the falls. Visit in spring to see the cherry blossoms in full bloom.
Getting around Sakata
Sakata is pedestrian-friendly and easy to get around on foot or by bicycle. The city is on the north-west side of Honshu Island, a two-hour drive from Yamagata and three hours by train. Yamagata Airport is a two-hour drive away.