Sakai, Fukui

This article is about the city. For the town, see Sakai, Fukui (town). For the district, see Sakai District, Fukui.

Sakai 坂井市
City
View of Maruoka Castle, one of famous for sightseeing spot in this city
Location of Sakai in Fukui Prefecture
Sakai Location in Japan
Coordinates:
Country	Japan
Region	Chūbu (Hokuriku)
Prefecture	Fukui Prefecture
Government
• Mayor	Norio Sakamoto
Area
• Total	209.91 km2 (81.05 sq mi)
Population (June 1, 2011)
• Total	94,472
• Density	450.06/km2 (1,165.7/sq mi)
Symbols
• Tree	Cherry blossom
• Flower	Lilium
• Bird	Larus canus
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Hall Address	1-1 Shimoshinjō, Sakai-chō, Sakai-shi, Fukui-ken 919-0592
Website	www.city.fukui-sakai.lg.jp

Sakai (坂井市, Sakai-shi) is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It lies to the north of Fukui City.

The modern city of Sakai was established on March 20, 2006, from the merger of the former town of Sakai, absorbing the towns of Harue, Maruoka and Mikuni (all from Sakai District). Therefore, Sakai District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

As of June 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 94,472, with 29,747 households and a population density of 450.06 persons per km². The total area is 209.91 km².

The population of the city is the second largest in Fukui Prefecture. Harue and Maruoka, in the southern part of the city, function as commuter towns of the city of Fukui. Accordingly, its population growth rate is much higher than any area in Fukui Prefecture.

Places of interest

• Tōjinbō—a place of scenic beauty along the coast
• Maruoka Castle—the oldest standing castle in Japan

Education

Senior High Schools

• Harue Technical Senior High School
• Maruoka Senior High School
• Mikuni Senior High School
• Sakai Agricultural Senior High School
• See also: List of high schools in Fukui Prefecture

Junior High Schools

• Harue Junior High School
• Maruoka Junior High School
  • Takeda Branch School of the Maruoka Junior High School
• Maruoka Minami Junior High School
• Mikuni Junior High School
• Sakai Junior High School

Transportation

Airport

• Fukui Airport (There are no regular flight services.)

Railroad

• The Nearest Station to City Hall: Maruoka Station
• Connection to Adjacent Area
  • JR West (West Japan Railway Company)
    • JR Hokuriku Main Line: (Fukui-shi) - Harue Station - Maruoka Station - (Awara-shi)
  • Echizen Railway
    • Mikuni Awara Line: (Fukui-shi) - Tarōmaru Station - Nishi-Harue Station - Nishinagata Station - Shimohyōgo Station - Ōzeki Station - (Awara-shi) - Mizui Station - Mikuni-Jinja Station - Mikuni Station - Mikuni-Kō Station

Road

• Expressway
  • Hokuriku Expressway: Maruoka Interchange
• National Highways
  • Highway 8, Fukui Bypass
  • Highway 305 (overlapped with Highway 365)
  • Highway 364

Notable people

• Chosei Komatsu (from Mikuni) - Artistic Director of Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica
• Ai Takahashi - Former leader of Japanese idol group Morning Musume.

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Sakai travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Sakai City official website (Japanese)