Sakata 酒田市
—  City  —
Flag
Location of Sakata in Yamagata
Sakata
Coordinates: 38°55′N 139°50′E / 38.917°N 139.833°E / 38.917; 139.833Coordinates: 38°55′N 139°50′E / 38.917°N 139.833°E / 38.917; 139.833
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Prefecture	Yamagata
Government
- Mayor	Juichi Abe
Area
- Total	602.74 km2 (232.7 sq mi)
Population (December 31, 2006)
- Total	116,883
- Density	193.92/km2 (502.3/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Zelkova
- Flower	Hemerocallis
- Bird	Aquila chrysaetos
Phone number	0234-22-5111
Address	2-2-45, Honchō, Sakata-shi, Yamagata-ken 998-8540
Website	City of Sakata

Sakata (酒田市, Sakata-shi^?) is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 116,883 and the population density of 193.92 persons per km². The total area is 602.74 km².

History

The city was founded on April 1, 1933. On November 1, 2005, the towns of Hirata, Matsuyama and Yawata from Akumi District merged into the city of Sakata.

The movie Okuribito (Departures) (Best Foreign Language Oscar 2009) was filmed in Sakata.

Economy

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Demographics

Health

• Prefectural Nihonkai Hospital
• Municipal Sakata Hospital
• Municipal Yawata Hospital
• Homma Hospital

Education

University

• Tohoku University of Community Service and Science

High School

Junior High School

Elementary School

Culture

The city of Sakata was the shooting location for two recent movies:

• Okuribito (English title Departures), 2008, winner of the Oscar for best foreign film. Set in present time, a newly unemployed cellist takes a job preparing the dead for funerals.
• Silk, 2007, a film set in the 19th century, about a silkworm merchant and his love life, based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco.

Transportation

Airports

• Shonai Airport (Tokyo,Osaka,Sapporo by ANAGroup)

Train stations

• JR East
  • Uetsu Main Line: Sagoshi - Higashi-Sakata - Sakata - Mototate - Minamichōkai
  • Rikuu West Line: Sakata

Major roads

• Yamagata Expressway: (Sakata, Sakata Minato, and Shōnai Airport interchanges)
• Route 7, Route 47, Route 112, Route 344, Route 345

Bus

Tourism

Art and historical museums

• Domon Ken Photography Museum
• Honma Art Museum
• Sakata Museum of Art
• Dewa-yushinkan
• Soumaro
• Sake Museum

Famous and Historical Sites

• The Historical Abumiya Residence
• Sankyo Storehouse
• Hiyoriyama Park
• The Historical Honma Residence
• The Kinowa Wall Site
• The Historical Shirasaki Clinic

Leisure

• Kanpo No Sato Sakata
• Shonai Yuuhi Oka
• Auto Camp Area
• Mogami River Swan Park

Shrines and Temples

• Gate of Jofuku Temple
• Kaikou Temple

Media

Newspaper

Shonai Nippo (荘内日報)

Television

• NHK Sakata Broadcast Station
• TV-U Yamagata Sakata Station
• Sakata Cable Television Station

Radio

Sakata FM Radio

Notable people

• Haruo Nakajima, actor
• Jiro Abe, philosopher
• Ken Domon, photographer
• Kenji Kobayashi, baseball player
• Koki Mitsuura, music producer
• Kinnosuke Ogura, mathematician
• Kumiko Ikeda, long jumper
• Makoto Sataka, financial analyst
• Mikio Narita, actor
• Seiko Shimakage, volleyball player and golfer
• Shūmei Ōkawa, nationalist
• Yoko Kishi, singer
• Hiroshi Yoshino, poet

Sister cities

• Delaware, Ohio, United States
• Zheleznogorsk-Ilimsky, Irkutsk Oblast, Russia

Yamagata Prefecture Cities Higashine | Kaminoyama | Murayama | Nagai | Nan'yō | Obanazawa | Sagae | Sakata | Shinjō | Tendō | Tsuruoka | Yamagata (capital) | Yonezawa Akumi Yuza Higashimurayama Nakayama | Yamanobe Higashiokitama Kawanishi | Takahata Higashitagawa Mikawa | Shōnai Kitamurayama Ōishida Mogami Funagata | Kaneyama | Mamurogawa | Mogami | Ōkura | Sakegawa | Tozawa Nishimurayama Asahi | Kahoku | Nishikawa | Ōe Nishiokitama Iide | Oguni | Shirataka