Sakaiminato, Tottori

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**Sakaiminato**
**境港市**
Sakaiminato's location in Tottori, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Chūgoku (San'in)
Prefecture	Tottori
Physical characteristics
Area	28.79 km² (11.12 sq mi)
Population (as of May 2008)
Total	35,710
Density	1,240 /km² (3,212 /sq mi)
Location	35°32′N, 133°14′E
Symbols
Tree	Japanese Black Pine
Flower	Chrysanthemum
Flag
Sakaiminato Government Office
Mayor	Katsuji Nakamura
Address	〒684-8501 3000, Agarimichichō, Sakaiminato-shi, Tottori-ken
Phone number	0859-44-2111
Official website: Sakaiminato City

Aerial view of part of Sakaiminato

Sakaiminato (境港市, Sakaiminato-shi^?) is a city in the northern Tottori Prefecture, Japan. At the northern end of Yumigahama Peninsula, it faces the Sea of Japan, another sea Nakaumi and Sakai channel.

As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 35,710 and the density of 1,240 persons per km². The total area is 28.79 km².

The seaport of Sakaiminato is one of the most famous fishery ports in Japan and is the major port of Tottori prefecture. Nearby Miho airbase is run by the Ministry of Defence but is also used for civilian national and international flights, being generally referred to as 'Yonago Airport'.

The city was officially founded on April 1, 1956. Recently a merger with Yonago and other neighboring municipalities was proposed but the majority of the citizenry voted against this, and Sakaiminato is set to remain an autonomous municipality.

Sakaiminato is the home of Shigeru Mizuki, the creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro, a character seen in many forms throughout Japan. The spirit of Kitaro can be found in Sakaiminato, on Kitaro Road, a street dedicated to all the characters that appear in Mizuki's stories. One hundred bronze statues of the story’s characters line both sides of the road.

Sakaiminato was also where the photographer Shōji Ueda was born and ran a studio.