Yamagata Prefecture
Sakata rice crackers, popular in Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Sakata City is home to the Sakata Beika rice cracker company, a famous brand of senbei (Japanese for rice cracker) widely popular both in Japan and abroad in Australia and New Zealand.
Their main factory is located right in the downtown area and is open to the public to see the production process from start to finish. The entire factory consists of one very long structure where conveyor belts take in rice on one end and churn out millions of rice crackers on the other.
Quick Info
Cost
Factory entrance fee: 300 yen
Senbei Rice Cracker Experience: 400 yen
Opening Hours
Factory Hours: 9:00am to 4:00pm
Senbei Rice Cracker Experience Hours: 9:00am to 5:30pm
Average Duration
1 hour
Address
〒998-0832 山形県酒田市両羽町2－24
Other tips
Please note that this factory is separate from the downtown area where most of the other tourism attractions in Sakata City are located.
About the Sakata Beika Rice Cracker Factory
The tour of the Sakata Beika factory itself is about 400 meters and lets you see much of the production process. Be sure to visit during the morning or afternoon so you can see the lines and workers making fresh senbei rice crackers. You can even try some of the delicious rice crackers right off the factory line!
At the end of the tour route is a cafe and gift shop where you can buy various types of senbei flavored with dozens of delicious flavors. The cafe also serves food that features their senbei rice crackers including curry and even ice cream.
Visitors may also try grilling their own senbei crackers on small portable grills that they bring out. This involves grilling the base wafers of rice that expand to over twice their size when heated. You may also flavor them with soy sauce of various other flavors.
Even if you have already eaten senbei from the factory floor, it is well worth the chance to grill you own senbei as taste incredibly delicious when freshly grilled and flavored.
