Michelin-Starred Sakata: A Two-Star Tour Built on the Wealth of the Kitamae Ships

Sakata is a port town at the mouth of the Mogami River, where it meets the Sea of Japan.

In the Edo period it thrived as a port of call for the kitamae-bune, the great cargo ships that linked Osaka to Hokkaido, and was even called Japan’s second port, after Sakai.

Rice, sake, safflower oil for dye: the region’s goods shipped out from here, many bound for Kyoto, and that wealth still lingers in the town’s merchant mansions, gardens, and museums.

The Michelin Green Guide, Michelin’s book for travelers, has awarded Sakata a cluster of stars too.

★★★ … Worth a special journey

★★ … Worth a detour

★ … Interesting

Happily, the sights are compact. Rent a bicycle and you can loop the town in half a day. Here is every spot from the guide, in order.

*Star ratings follow the Michelin Green Guide (English edition, Northern Honshu) that we referenced. Ratings can change between editions and may differ from the online Green Guide Japon.

Domon Ken Museum of Photography ★★: A Two-Star Building That Floats on Water

Sakata gave Japan one of its great photographers, Domon Ken (1909–90). The country’s first museum devoted solely to photography was built to hold the complete works of this master of realist photography, and it is a two-star (★★) sight.

The draw is not only the photographs; the building itself is a work of art. Architect Yoshio Taniguchi designed it to look as though it floats on a man-made pond. Taniguchi would later redesign New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and win worldwide renown. Simply gazing at its quiet reflection on the water is worth the trip.

Getting there (approx.): About 20 min from Sakata Station on the Run-Run bus (¥100), get off at the Domon Ken Kinenkan stop. Open 9:00–17:00, ¥440 (daily Apr–Nov; Tue–Sun Dec–Mar).

Official site: Domon Ken Museum of Photography — https://www.domonken-kinenkan.jp/

*Source: the guide. Confirm the latest at the official site.

The Former Honma Residence ★★: A Merchant Mansion Richer Than a Lord

You will never match the Honma, but you might at least aspire to be a lord. So went the old saying about the Honma, a merchant house said to have wielded more power than most of Tohoku’s feudal lords. The two-star (★★) former Honma Residence shows how they lived.

Built in 1768, the house has one unusual feature. Because it was also meant to lodge the domain lord on his tours of inspection, it combines a formal shoin-style exterior fit for a samurai with an elegant interior fit for a merchant. Move from room to room and the quality of the wood, the decoration, even the height of the floor all change. The class hierarchy of the Tokugawa age is written into its every detail.

Getting there (approx.): About 20 min on foot from Sakata Station, or 7 min on the Run-Run bus to the Nakamachi stop. Open Mar–Oct 9:30–16:30, Nov–Feb 9:30–16:00, ¥800.

Official site: Former Honma Residence — http://hommake.sakura.ne.jp/

*Source: the guide. Confirm the latest at the official site.

Honma Museum of Art ★: Japan’s First Private Museum and a Two-Star Garden

In 1947 the Honma family opened Japan’s first private art museum (★). It began with pieces tied to the Sakai family and, over time, grew into a collection that mirrors the region’s culture.

Here, though, the garden may be the real star. The strolling garden Kakubu-en (★★) earns two stars: ponds, islets, artificial hills, stones, and lanterns arranged so the scene shifts as you walk. At its far end stands Seienkaku (★), a wooden building that was once the domain lord’s summer villa, built in 1813 at the same time as the garden.

Inside, there is also the studio of a potter, Mr. Ikeda, who makes tea bowls called Honma-yaki, after a technique developed by former museum director Yusuke Honma. Each bowl weighs exactly 600 grams, engineered for perfect balance in the hand. The studio is not usually open to visitors, but Honma-yaki is sold in the museum shop. A fine souvenir of the trip.

Getting there (approx.): About 5 min on foot from Sakata Station. Open Apr–Oct 9:00–17:00, Nov–Mar 9:00–16:30 (closed Tue–Wed Dec–Feb), ¥1,000.

Official site: Honma Museum of Art — https://www.homma-museum.or.jp/

*Source: the guide. Confirm the latest at the official site.

Sankyo Rice Warehouses: No Star, but Unmissable in Any Story of Sakata

To be honest, the guide gives Sankyo Warehouses no star. But you cannot tell the story of Sakata and skip this place, so here it is.

Built in 1893 by a rice merchant, these twelve wooden warehouses line the bank of the Niida River. A row of large zelkova trees on the river side softens the summer sun and the icy winter wind, keeping the rice at an ideal temperature. The line of black warehouses seen through the green zelkovas is a signature image of Sakata, a perfect photo stop between the starred sights.

One update: the Shonai Rice History Museum, which occupied one of the warehouses, has been closed since February 2024, after management of the warehouses passed to the city of Sakata. The warehouses and the zelkova avenue can still be enjoyed, but if the museum is your aim, check its current status before you go.

Getting there (approx.): About 8 min from Sakata Station on the Run-Run bus to the Sankyo Higashi-machi stop (about 20 min on foot).

Official site: Sankyo Rice Warehouses (City of Sakata) — https://www.city.sakata.lg.jp/bunka/bunkazai/bunkazaishisetsu/sankyosouko.html

*Source: the guide (partly updated via the city of Sakata). Confirm current opening or closure at the city’s official site.

Sakata City Museum of Art ★: On a Hilltop with Views of Mount Chokai

Opened in 1997 on a hillside, the Sakata City Museum of Art (★) has architecture by Yoshiro Ikehara that seems to merge with the surrounding garden, Mount Chokai, the Mogami River, and the town itself. The view out the windows feels like part of the exhibition.

Its core holdings are works by two artists with Sakata ties: the Western-style painter Shigeru Morita and the sculptor Go Takahashi. Art and scenery, side by side, at an easy pace.

Getting there (approx.): Open Apr–Nov 9:00–16:30, Dec–Mar (Tue–Sun) 9:00–17:00, ¥550.

Official site: Sakata City Museum of Art — https://www.sakata-art-museum.jp/

*Source: the guide. The artists’ dates differ between the guide and the museum’s own materials; please confirm. See the official site for the latest.

Eat and Play: Port-Town Hospitality

Sakata Kaisen Ichiba (Seafood Market)

A market beside Sakata’s harbor, in Funaba-cho. The ground floor is a fresh-fish shop lined with the day’s catch (8:00–18:00, approx.); upstairs, the restaurant Kaisen-don-ya Tobishima serves seafood rice bowls with a view over the port (7:00–19:00, approx.). A taste of the port town’s morning bustle.

*Official site: Sakata Kaisen Ichiba — https://www.kaisen-ichiba.net/

Kitamae Yokocho (Sakata Yanagi-koji Yatai-mura)

A little yatai village on Yanagi-koji in central Sakata. Born in 2015, it gathers small, characterful places: a local-sake izakaya, a charcoal grill, a dining bar, and more. The name nods to the kitamae ships; it is made for bar-hopping.

*Reference: Kitamae Yokocho (Sakata Tourism & Products Association) — https://sakata-kankou.com/spot/30646 Hours vary by shop; check the latest above or at each place.

Somaro

Sakata’s best-known Edo-era restaurant. In a nationally registered historic building, you can watch performances by Sakata maiko (apprentice geisha). Meal-and-performance plans are available, a rare chance to touch the old port town’s glamour.

*Official site: Somaro — https://www.somaro.net/ Performance times, prices, and closing days (e.g., Wednesdays) can change; confirm and reserve via the official site.

A Half-Day Route (Bicycle Recommended)

The art and photography museums sit about 5 km southwest of the station (about 20 min by bus), but the other sights are close together and pleasant to cover by bicycle. Sakata Station even lends bicycles free of charge (10:00–17:00, approx.).

A half-day example: Honma Museum of Art → Somaro → former Honma Residence → Sankyo Warehouses → back to Sakata Station. To add the Domon Ken Museum and the City Museum of Art, take the bus and allow another half-day.

*Rental hours and terms change from year to year; confirm at the tourist information center in Sakata Station.

In Closing

The wealth the kitamae ships once carried lives on in Sakata’s two-star mansions, its gardens, and its port-town hospitality. Because it is so walkable, it is a town to savor slowly, one sight at a time. Rather than a day trip, stay in Shonai and pair it with Tsuruoka at an unhurried pace. Make Guesthouse Watausagi your base.

Make Guesthouse Watausagi your base for exploring Shonai. Book here → https://wata-usagi.com/reservation/