---
title: "Sakata Cruise Port"
url: https://cruisello.com/destinations/japan-korea-china-taiwan/sakata
description: "Japan's historic rice-shipping port of samurai gardens"
---

# Sakata

🇯🇵 · Japan · Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan

> "Japan's historic rice-shipping port of samurai gardens"

## At a Glance

- **Avg. Ships/Day:** 1
- **Avg. Time in Port:** 9.7h
- **Visiting Sailings:** 28
- **Cruise Lines:** 3

## Peak Season

Busiest months: Apr (13 sailings), Jun (6 sailings), Nov (6 sailings)

## About Sakata

Sakata is a port city on the Sea of Japan coast in Yamagata Prefecture. During the Edo period, it was a key stop for kitamaebune trading ships carrying rice and goods between Osaka and Hokkaido. The Sankyo Warehouses, a row of black-walled rice storehouses backed by zelkova trees, are the most recognisable sight and still partly in use today. The Honma Museum of Art, founded by the wealthy Honma merchant family, has a collection of local art and a traditional Japanese garden.

Mount Haguro, one of the three sacred Dewa Sanzan mountains, is about an hour away by car and has a famous stone stairway through old-growth cedar forest leading to a hilltop shrine. Sakata's seafood is fresh and affordable, with sashimi, grilled squid, and rice bowls at the shops near the port. The city is compact and quiet. Yamagata sake, brewed with local mountain water, is easy to find and worth tasting.

## Quick Facts

- **Currency:** JPY (Japanese Yen)
- **Language:** Japanese
- **Timezone:** Asia/Tokyo (UTC+9)
- **Tipping:** Not customary; can be considered rude

## Location

Coordinates: 38.9335, 139.8045

- [Open in Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/cruise+terminal+Sakata/@38.93351,139.80446,13z)
- [Open in Apple Maps](https://maps.apple.com/?q=cruise%20terminal%20Sakata&ll=38.93351,139.80446&z=13)

## Things to Do in Sakata

Top-rated shore excursions that fit a typical ~10h port call. Prices are starting prices per person.

| Tour | Rating | Duration | Fits Port Day | From | Provider |
|------|------|------|------|------|------|
| [Sacred Mt Haguro Pilgrimage with a Local Guide](https://cruisello.com/gogogo/excursion/acaf24e5-65ce-435b-8c00-d2fb4e79b305.md?via=markdown) | – | 3h | ✓ | €17 | Viator |

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews.

## Nearby Ports

- [Akita](https://cruisello.com/destinations/japan-korea-china-taiwan/akita.md): 49 nm
- [Sendai](https://cruisello.com/destinations/japan-korea-china-taiwan/sendai.md): 70 nm
- [Niigata](https://cruisello.com/destinations/japan-korea-china-taiwan/niigata.md): 71 nm

## Cruise Lines Serving This Port

- [Holland America Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/holland-america-line.md)
- [Norwegian Cruise Line](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/norwegian-cruise-line.md)
- [Princess Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/princess-cruises.md)

## Cheapest Available Sailing

**[View this cruise →](https://cruisello.com/cruises/gilded-pagoda-hakodate-busan-kanazawa~PCL-SA-20270627-10.md)**

- **Price:** €1,227 per person (€2,454 total for 2 guests)
- **Cruise Line:** [Princess Cruises](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/princess-cruises.md)
- **Ship:** [Sapphire Princess](https://cruisello.com/cruise-lines/princess-cruises/sapphire-princess.md)
- **Duration:** 10 nights
- **Departure:** 2027-06-27
- **Itinerary:** Gilded Pagoda – Hakodate, Busan & Kanazawa

## Featured Cruises from Sakata

Prices are per person, two sharing, in the fare's own currency.

| Cruise | Ship | Line | Departure | Nights | Price |
|------|------|------|------|------|------|
| [Lacquer & Tide – Hiroshima, Kanazawa & Busan](https://cruisello.com/cruises/lacquer-tide-hiroshima-kanazawa-busan~NCL-JADE-20261029-14.md) | Norwegian Jade | Norwegian Cruise Line | 2026-10-29 | 14 | €1,752 |
| [Imperial Archipelago – Busan, Kyoto & Hakodate](https://cruisello.com/cruises/imperial-archipelago-busan-kyoto-hakodate~PCL-DI-20270327-24.md) | Diamond Princess | Princess Cruises | 2027-03-27 | 24 | €3,557 |
| [Samurai Shrines – Hiroshima, Busan & Hakodate](https://cruisello.com/cruises/samurai-shrines-hiroshima-busan-hakodate~HAL-WESTERDAM-20270328-14.md) | Westerdam | Holland America Line | 2027-03-28 | 14 | €2,554 |

## Browse Cruises

- [All cruises visiting Sakata](https://cruisello.com/cruises.md?stopoverPorts=sakata) (28 sailings)

## Browse

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