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Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Sakata Pier, Diamond Princess

Sakata Sembei Confectionery

Baking Our Own Rice Crackers

Kaikoji Temple, Main Hall

With Maiko Dancers

Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Shore Excursion

Joined 2017

Kuniaki S.

4.89 / 5

(9 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Yamagata

English

6 hrs 30 mins

Private tour (only you and Kuniaki S.)

Up to 8 people

This tour can give you chances to enjoy both Japanese traditional cultures and modern ones. We can visit a sembei rice cracker firm, rice storehouses, rice museum, Zen-sect Buddhist temple and a maiko teahouse. What makes this tour so special is that you can dive deep into ricce-related Sakata cultures, one of Japan's biggest rice production sites from long ago. You can't miss this amazing and unforgettable tour!

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

09:00 AM

Meeting Point

Sakata Pier

- Your guide is waiting for you to appear at the very exit with a welcome board. You can take a taxi or a shuttle bus from here.

09:20 AM

Sakata Sembei (Rice Cracker) Confectionery

We can observe all tha marvellous production lines.

We bake our own soy sauce flavored sembei for 400 yen.

Souvenirs are available at the end of the line.

10:40 AM

Sankyo Rice Storehouses

We walk along the path of zelkova trees, which protect the rice

from strong wind and sunshine. (Must scenic spot)

Visit the Rice History Museum and learn about the past and present of rice cultivation.

Admission Fee: 300 yen (Cash only)

Enjoy a traditional Japanese lunch cooked with local ingredients at Hokotei Restaurant. (Reservation needed, From 3,000 yen)

12:40 AM

Kaiko-ji Temple

First visit a 1,000-year old Zen temple main hall.

Leanrn a history of the building from the priest.

Then must-see two self-mummified living Buddhas in the small hall,

who sacrified thier lives for salvation of the locals. (No photographing!)

Admission Fee: 500 yen

01:40 PM

Somaro Teahouse

10- minute walk from Kaikji Temple

Once a restaurant, now a sightseeing spot open to the public.

We can see amazing works of the late painter, Takeshita Yumeji (1884-1934).

Enjoy gorgeous kimono-clad maiko's dancing on the tatami room.

Admission Fee: 2,500 yen ( Entrance: 1,000, Maiko Dance: 1,500)

We can take a picture with them after the performance.

Take a taxi at 3: 15 pm to Sakata Pier (3:30 pm)

Ending Point

Sakata Pier

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

Guide Fee, Including Guide's Transportation and Pick-up Fees

What‘s not included

Transportation Fees : About 5,000 yen (per person)

Admission Fees to the Facitities: About 4,000 totally (per person)

Lunch : Around 3,000 yen or more (per person)

It depends.

Tour Important Information

To optimize this tour, you might want to a use public tranport (taxi or shuttle bus) from Skata Pier. It is very reasonably priced. Also to avoid congestion lunch reservations are highly recommended. Only the number of seats is okay, and the specific menu can wait until you clarify your dietary restrictions if you have.

On Mondays Sakata Sembei (Rice Cracker) Confectionary is usually closed. In that case we can visit Honma Residence, 250-year-old sumurai- and merchant-style architecture.

We can enter all the rooms in there and enjoy the architectural differences of each room. The iconic garden is another must-see, designed with huge stones brought from the Kansai areas by Kitamae ship during the 18 century. Honma Residence opens at 9:30 am. Admission fee: 900 yen

You can choose from between Sakata Sembei Confectionery and Honma Residence as your destination. The others are just about the same as initially planned!

Important message from the supplier

I'm available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Saturday.

Transportation fee and lunch of you and a guide will be paid by the customer.

If you book me before making inquiries, please note that you may be requested to pay extra guide fee for hotel pickup (about 5,000 yen) depending on the location. So, please ask me first.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2017

Kuniaki S.

4.89 / 5

(9 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Kuniaki S.

I've been involved in English education at public junior high school and prefectural board of education for more than 40 years as a teacher, teachers' consultant and a principal.Now retired, I’m very interested in introducing many places of historical interest and scenic beauty in my hometown to international visitors to Japan.My motto in life is ”once-in-a-lifetime encounter”. I'm more than happy to help make your trip the most impressive one.

Why don't you get off the beaten track and visit Shinjo and Mogami regions? Shinjo City is now world-famous for its Shinjo Festival, registered by UNESCO as an Intangible World Cultural Heritage, December in 2016. I’m sure that you can definitely enjoy both the festival and the subtle harmony between man and nature in this area.

Reviews

Ann C.

5 / 5

Jan 27, 2026

Ann's Spiritual Visit to her Ancestral Homeland, Oishida

Jan 27, 2026

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

Customized

“Family Heritage Tour”

Our guide Kuniaki S was exemplary in connecting us with lost relatives, helping us track down historical documents, and locating our ancestral burial site and temple, all the while teaching us about local customs and stories. He created a tour that was transformative for our family. I still marvel at how he made this happen as it is not the usual kind of tour, and think it is because he has a deep ethic to make a visitor’s wishes come true. And to that end, he persists, overcoming hurdles and challenges and thinking creatively to ensure a memorable and tailored experience. He is also fun and energetic, delighting in storytelling and easy to talk with. Our family feels blessed to have found Kuniaki S, and indeed, we hope to be guided by him again. Ann Curry

Kuniaki S.

Thank you so much indeed for writing me such a fantastic review! What's so special about this tour is that it was a literally unique "family heritage tour" dedicated to you and your folks, which is far from an ordinary sightseeing one. To achieve this aim, we repeatedly discuss the schedule to create the best itinerary ever. Based on your information, I got in touch with , or even visited the relatives, temple, local facilities, and the municipal offices to smooth the path. Thanks to your great cooperation, it all bore fruit. Now I'm more than happy that you all are satisfied with this tour. I do hope to see you all again on your next trip to Oishida. Wishing this tour will hold a special place in your treasure box of memories. Kuniaki S (Guide Name: Pure Water)

Julieta V.

5 / 5

Apr 14, 2025

Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Apr 14, 2025

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

“Wonderful Tour of Sakata”

Our guide Pure Water gave us an excellent experience around Sakata, taking us to multiple interesting sites including the Oranda Senbei Factory, Sankyo Rice Storehouses, Kaikouji Temple, and Somaro. He gave lots of interesting historical and cultural context while inviting us to interact and participate, treated us to a delicious lunch featuring iconic foods of the Shonai region, and secured front row seats for us to watch an incredible maiko dance and performance.

Kuniaki S.

Thank you so much for writing a review for me while you are still enjoying a journey on the Diamond Princess. I'm genuinely glad that you all had the time of your life taking a full-day tour in Sakata area with me. Your family members are always amiable and considerate of each other throughout our trip, which did make a deep impression on me! I simly can't say thank you enough for choosing me as your private tour guide this time. When our paths cross again in the future, why don't we delve more deeply into the Shonai region and make another round of fantastic tour with me? I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing you all again. Have a lot of fun reading my translated folk tales. Safe travels back to the States! Kuniaki (AKA: Pure Water)

Robert O.

5 / 5

Apr 8, 2025

Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Apr 8, 2025

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

“Great tour with Kuniaki S.”

We had a wonderful Sakata day visit with Kuniaki. After meeting at the port, we reviewed the itinerary and started our tour. The timetable was very well managed. We had sufficient time at each itinerary stop. Kuniaki shared interesting information at each location. He selected a terrific restaurant for lunch and we enjoyed exchanging personal background and travel experiences.

Kuniaki S.

A huge thank you for writing a review for me. I'm genuinely happy that you both had the time of your life through our customized tour. From our conversation I learned that we are just about the same age and that we have a lot in common. I simply can't say thank you enough for choosing me as your private tour guide. While you have time, why don't you enjoy reading "Once Upon a Time in Shinjo", which my fellow English teachers including me translated. I'm sure you will have a fun time. Please treasure the rest of your fabulous tour. I do hope that our paths will cross again in the very near future. Safe travels! Kuniaki ( AKA: Pure Water)