Tottori (Japan)

Tottori is the capital of Japan’s least populous prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast in the Chugoku region. The city is best known for the sand dunes that stretch about 16 km along the shore, formed over thousands of years by sand carried from the mountains by the Sendai River and returned to the coast by the sea and wind. It is a rare landscape in the country, where almost all coastline is rock or occupied by ports and cities.

In the visitor-accessible area, the highest dune, called Uma-no-Se, rises to about 47 meters, and from the top you can see the sea. Visitors walk barefoot or in boots on the sand, ride camels, practice sandboarding and paragliding. Next door, the Sand Museum displays a yearly exhibition of large sand sculptures about a country or region of the world, created by invited sculptors.

To the east of the dunes, the Uradome coast has rocky islets, pine trees and white-sand beaches, viewable from sightseeing boats. Together with the dunes, it is part of the UNESCO geopark that covers this coast up toward Kyoto. In the city center, the European-style Jinpukaku mansion stands at the foot of the ruins of Tottori Castle, on a hill with stone walls and cherry trees.

Winter brings snow crabs landed at the prefecture’s ports, and autumn brings nashi pears, one of Tottori’s signature fruits. The city is also a gateway to Mount Daisen to the west and to the San’in coast that continues to Matsue and Izumo.

This destination brings together 1 city: Tottori.