Sakai, Japan
坂井市
Sakai is a town of 92,210 people in Fukui, Japan, founded in March 20, 2006.
Why visit Sakai
Townapedia lists 64 museums and landmarks, 29 parks and trails, 190 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 5 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Fukui Prefectural University, Fukui University of Technology, Maruoka Castle and Brief Messages from the Heart Museum.
Weather in Sakai
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Sakai
Sakai (坂井市, Sakai-shi; Japanese pronunciation: [saꜜ.kai, sa.kaꜜi.ɕi]) is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. As of 1 February 2026, the city had an estimated population of 87,744 in 34,042 households and a population density of 418 persons per km2. The total area of the city was 209.67 square kilometres (80.95 sq mi).
From the Wikipedia article Sakai, Fukui (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Sakai on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do5
Fukui Prefectural University
School · 8.6 km
Higher education institution in Fukui Prefecture, Japan
Fukui University of Technology
School · 8.7 km
Higher education institution in Fukui Prefecture, Japan
University of Fukui
School · 8.0 km
Higher education institution in Fukui Prefecture, Japan
Museums and landmarks64
Brief Messages from the Heart Museum
Museum · 7.3 km
Museum in Sakai, Fukui prefecture, Japan
Fukui Prefectural Museum of Cultural History
Museum · 7.6 km
Prefectural museum in Fukui, Japan
52 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds29
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17 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes190
178 more on the map.
History
Sakai is part of the ancient Echizen Province. The semi-legendary Kofun period Emperor Keitai is said to have come from the area that is now the Maruoka neighbourhood of Sakai. During the Edo period, the area was divided between the holdings of the Maruoka Domain, Fukui Domain and tenryō holdings directly under control of the Tokugawa shogunate. Following the Meiji restoration, the area was organised into part of Sakai District in Fukui Prefecture. The epicentre of the 1948 Fukui earthquake was in Maruoka. The towns of Mikuni and Maruoka were created with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. The village of Harue was raised to town status on April 3, 1942. The village of Sakai was created on March 1, 1955, by the merger of the villages of Higashi-Jūgō, Hyōgo and Ōseki. It was raised to town status on April 1, 1961. The modern city of Sakai was established on March 20, 2006, from the merger of the former town of Sakai with the towns of Harue, Maruoka and Mikuni. Sakai District was dissolved as a result of this merger.
From the History section of Sakai, Fukui on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship128
Shopping37
Gas and EV charging22
Schools, colleges and libraries46
Healthcare38
Map of Sakai
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
福井空港 (FKJ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 km away.
- Maruoka 7 km east, about 7 min by car
- Awara 8 km north, about 8 min by car
- Mikuni 9 km northwest, about 9 min by car
- Fukui-shi 10 km south, about 10 min by car
- Kaga 21 km northeast, about 21 min by car
- Sabae 22 km south, about 22 min by car
- Takefu 27 km south, about 27 min by car
- Katsuyama 29 km east, about 29 min by car
- Ono 32 km southeast, about 32 min by car
- Komatsu 37 km northeast, about 37 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- 081101 Tojinbo Sakai Fukui pref Japan01bs11, 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fukui Prefectural Road Route 20 Mikuni Harue Line (Sakaicho Kiyonaga, Sakai City), 小石川人晃, CC BY-SA 4.0
- PLANT-2 Sakai headoffice, 藤谷良秀(Fujitani Yoshihide), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sakai cable TV, 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fukui Shinkin Bank Sakai Branch, Suikotei, CC BY 4.0
- Fukui Prefectural Road Route 106 Mikuni Maruoka Stop Line (Ikemi, Mikunicho, Sakai City), 小石川人晃, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fukui Prefectural University, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fukui university, Bakkai at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Japanese best is short 201512, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fukui Fine Arts Museum, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fukui prefectural museum of cultural history, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Maruoka Castle 20100529-01, baku13, CC BY-SA 2.1 jp
- Technoport Fukui 20140504, Waka77, Public domain
- Gonkyoji temple, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jyoinji temple, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Angelland-Fukui, 京福バス, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shonenji Temple at SakaiCity, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fukui general hospital, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Harue hospital, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tsukushino hospital, 藤谷良秀, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kunigami Shrine, Maruoka, Yasuhiro Kojima, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Byakudoji Temple(Main hall) in Sakai City, 藤谷良秀(Fujitani Yoshihide), CC BY-SA 4.0
- FUTTOWER, TN93 at Japanese Wikipedia, Public domain
- Maruoka Castle Keep Tower, Maruoka-cho Sakai 2013, Tomio344456, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Technoport2, Waka77, Public domain
- Shonenji Temple at SakaiCity 2020, 藤谷良秀(Fujitani Yoshihide), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Byakudoji Temple in Sakai City, 藤谷良秀(Fujitani Yoshihide), CC BY-SA 4.0
- YURINOSATO PARK, 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani), CC BY-SA 4.0
- 新布施田橋 架橋工事現場 - panoramio (1), クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 布施田橋東詰 - panoramio, クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 新布施田橋 架橋工事現場 - panoramio, クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Cosmos field, Nyankosensei12, CC0
- 布施田橋東詰 九頭竜川（Cthulhu river） - panoramio, クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fukui.airports.over, ブルーノ, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Heartopia Harue1, Fukui-SoundStaff, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Shimohyogo-Kofuku Station 260124 02, Aspere, CC0
- 布施田橋西詰 - panoramio (2), クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 布施田橋西詰 - panoramio, クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 布施田橋西詰 - panoramio (1), クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 布施田橋架橋記念碑 - panoramio, クハ４１９－５, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Page built November 5, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.