Tottori
Japan's most famous coastal sand dunes and the Sand Museum, plus Uradome Coast boat cruises, Mount Mitoku's Nageiredo Hall and snow crab, with an easy side trip to Hokuei, the hometown of Detective Conan.
Tottori City is the hub of eastern Tottori Prefecture, facing the Sea of Japan with a population of around 180,000, and serves as the capital of Japan's least populous prefecture. Its headline sight is the Tottori Sand Dunes about 5 km north of the city, with the Sand Museum right next door. To the east, in Iwami Town, boat cruises along the Uradome Coast take you past striking rock formations; the coast is part of the San'in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark, and the historic Iwai Onsen hot spring is nearby. In the city itself you'll find the ruins of Tottori Castle, Jinpukaku, the Kannon-in Garden and the Tottori Folk Crafts Museum, while the western outskirts are home to Hakuto Shrine and the Karo Port seafood market. In the central part of the prefecture (about 40–50 km from the city) lie Kurayoshi's white-walled storehouses, the Nijisseiki Pear Museum, Misasa Onsen, Mount Mitoku's Nageiredo Hall, Lake Togo and Conan Town in Hokuei; these are usually visited as a day trip or with an overnight stay at Misasa Onsen or Hawai Onsen. Seasons: spring and autumn are the best times to visit the dunes; in summer the sand gets very hot; winters bring plenty of rain and snow, but snow crab season starts in November. Getting there: the JR Super Hakuto limited express from Osaka takes about 2.5 hours, and there are flights from Tokyo Haneda to Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport. Around the city, use the Kirin Jishi weekend loop sightseeing bus or a one-day pass; for central Tottori and Uradome, JR plus bus or a rental car is recommended. Plan on 2–3 days.
Top sights
- Tottori Sand Dunes – Japan’s most famous coastal sand dunes, about 16 km long from east to west. Climbing the “horseback” sand ridge, about 47 m high, gives a v…
- The Sand Museum – The world’s only sculpture museum built with sand as its medium. Each year, sand sculptors from around the world are invited to create gian…
- Uradome Coast – A granite coast about 15 km east of the Tottori Sand Dunes, with odd rock islets and turquoise water, known as 'Sanin's Matsushima' and bes…
- Hakuto Shrine – The setting of the 'White Hare of Inaba' myth from the Kojiki and a shrine for matchmaking; the White Hare Coast in front of it looks out t…
- Jinpukaku – A white French Renaissance-style Western-style mansion built in 1907 to welcome the crown prince, a National Important Cultural Property se…
- Tottori Castle Ruins (Kyusho Park) – A castle site on Kyusho Mountain with rare 'spherical stone walls'; the honmaru at the summit overlooks Tottori city and the distant sand d…
- Tottori Port Seafood Market Karoichi – A seafood market beside Karo Port where you can buy matsuba crab and dried fish and eat seafood bowls in the canteen; crab season in winter…
- Iwai Onsen – One of San'in's oldest hot springs, said to have been opened about 1,300 years ago, with a distinctive custom of bathing with a wooden buck…
- Tottori Folkcraft Museum – A museum in Tottori, a hub of Japan's folk craft movement, founded by Yoshida Shōya, with domestic and foreign pottery, woodwork and dyed a…
- Kannon-in Garden – An early Edo-period pond garden designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty; from the study hall you can sip matcha while admiring a pond…
Where to eat
- Taiki – A small eatery next to the Tottori Sand Dunes Chairlift, serving a limited run of about 50 seafood bowls daily; the off…
- Takumi Kappo – Opened in 1962, this folk-art style kappo restaurant serves Wagyu shabu-shabu—considered the origin of the dish—in hand…
Itineraries
- San'in Sea of Japan Railway Traverse – From Kyoto to Shin-Yamaguchi, travel along the Sea of Japan to visit hot springs, sand dunes, Izumo, Iwami Ginzan, and…
- Chugoku Region San'in & Sanyo Grand Loop Self-Drive – Depart from Okayama to loop around western Honshu, covering both the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea sides in one…