The Sand Museum
砂の美術館
The world’s only sculpture museum built with sand as its medium. Each year, sand sculptors from around the world are invited to create giant sculptures on a national theme using sand from the dunes.
The Sand Museum sits right at the entrance to the Tottori Sand Dunes. Guided by the idea of “traveling the world through sand,” it chooses one country or region each year and invites sand sculptors from around the globe to create dozens of giant sculptures using only sand and water. Once the exhibition ends, all of them are torn down and rebuilt from scratch. The indoor galleries let you see the details up close, and the second-floor viewing area overlooks the entire exhibition hall and the distant dunes. Admission is about 800 yen. The museum is closed outside the exhibition period (roughly January–April). It is about a 10-minute walk from the dunes.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:00–18:00 during exhibition; extended Saturdays
Nearby sights
- Tottori Sand Dunes
- Tottori Castle Ruins (Kyusho Park)
- Jinpukaku
- Kannon-in Garden
- Tottori Folkcraft Museum
- Tottori Port Seafood Market Karoichi
- Uradome Coast
- Hakuto Shrine