Sakaiminato, Tottori
History. An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Sakai as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom. Sakaiminato was founded on April 1, 1956. A merger with Yonago and other neighboring municipalities was proposed, but the majority of the citizens voted against this, and Sakaiminato remained an autonomous municipality. Sakaiminato was the only Japanese municipality to have a twin town agreement with a North Korean city from 1992 to 2006. In 2006, Mayor Katsuji Nakamura revoke the agreement in response to North Korea's announcement of a nuclear test along with the  Japanese government's decision to impose economic sanctions. Actual twin town activities had already come to an end by 2002, after which the cities had only sent each other a letter once per year. Geography. At the northern end of Yumigahama Peninsula, it is surrounded by the Miho Bay on the Sea of Japan to the east, Lake Nakaumi to the west and the Sakai Channel in the north, which also makes up the border with Shimane Prefecture and its capital Matsue. In 2008, Sakaiminato had an estimated population of 35,710 and a population density of 1,240 persons per km . The total area is . Climate. Sakaiminato has a Humid climate (Köppen "Cfa") characterized by warm, wet summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Sakaiminato is . The average annual rainfall is with July as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . Its record high is , reached on 22 August 2018, and its record low is , reached on 27 January 1904. Economy. The seaport of Sakaiminato has a long history as a seaport for the San'in Region. Following World War II the city has served  as the base of the fishing industry for all of Western Japan. Consequently, marine product processing is also a major industry in the city. Administration. The current Mayor of Sakaiminato is Kentarō Date, serving since July 25, 2020. City Council. The Sakaiminato City Council meets four times a year (March, June, September, and December) and special meetings take place if required. The mayor convenes the city council meetings, but the mayor must call a special meeting when requested by one-fourth or more of the fixed number of council members . The City Council members are citizens who are at least  25 years of age, and are elected every four years. In Sakaiminato City, the number of council members is set at 15 by ordinance. Transportation. Yonago Airport is in Sakaiminato and is the busiest airport in Tottori Prefecture. Nearby Miho Airbase, next to the airport, is run by the Ministry of Defence. Asiana Airlines operates a sales office in Sakaiminato. Sakaiminato is linked to the Japanese railway network by the Sakai Line branch, which runs between Sakaiminato Station and Yonago Station on the San'in Main Line. The port at Sakaiminato serves the DBS Cruise ferry "Eastern Dream", which connects Japan  to Donghae, South Korea, and Vladivostok, Russia. Twin towns – sister cities. Sakaiminato is twinned with: Notable residents. 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.