Sakata Minato-za

Sakata Minato-za
酒田港座
General information
Address	1 Chome-6-9 Hiyoshichō, Sakata, Yamagata
Country	Japan
Coordinates	38°55′12″N 139°49′57″E / 38.92°N 139.8325°E / 38.92; 139.8325
Opened	1887
Renovated	1954
Other information
Seating capacity	290 in three rooms
Website
http://minatoza.exblog.jp/

The Sakata Minato-za (Japanese: 酒田港座) is a cinema in Sakata, Yamagata, Japan; it was the first to open in the city. Established as a playhouse in 1887, it became a cinema in 1910 and was popular in the 1970s. After a period of decreased patronage, in 2002 it was shut down. After the cinema was used as a filming location for Yōjirō Takita's 2008 film Departures, public interest in the site was revived; the cinema reopened in 2009.