Tottori Prefecture

Tottori is Japan's least populous prefecture, but it is anything but short on surprises. A vacation in Tottori Prefecture takes you to the country's largest sand dunes, up Mount Daisen, the "Mount Fuji of the West," and into small towns that have dedicated entire streets to their famous manga artists. In winter, the coast yields some of the best crab in Japan.

Landscape and Location

Tottori lies on the Sea of Japan in the northeast of the Chūgoku region and stretches about 120 kilometers as a narrow strip between the sea and the Chūgoku Mountains. In the west, Mount Daisen, at a good 1,700 meters, dominates the landscape around Yonago and Sakaiminato; Kurayoshi, Yurihama, and Kotoura lie in the center, and the city of Tottori in the east. The San'in Coast, with its bays and rock formations near Uradome, is part of a UNESCO Geopark. Daisen is a popular hiking mountain; the climb from Daisen-ji to the summit takes about three hours and leads through beech forests to above the tree line, and in winter its slopes are used for skiing. You can explore the Uradome Coast east of the dunes by excursion boat or kayak, among rocky islets and clear water.

Sights in Tottori Prefecture

The Tottori Sand Dunes stretch about 16 kilometers along the coast and reach heights of almost 50 meters. You can walk barefoot over the sand ridges, ride a camel, or go paragliding. At the neighboring Sand Museum, artists create new, enormous sand sculptures every year around a theme tied to a different country. Mitokusan Temple near Misasa is home to the Nageire-dō, a hall built into a rock face that can only be reached by a challenging climbing path. On Daisen stands Daisen-ji, an ancient mountain temple surrounded by beech forests. In Kurayoshi, white storehouses with red tile roofs line a canal.

Towns and Manga

Sakaiminato is the hometown of Shigeru Mizuki, creator of the yōkai manga "GeGeGe no Kitarō." Mizuki Shigeru Road is lined with more than 170 bronze figures of ghosts and mythical creatures. Hokuei honors Gōshō Aoyama, the artist behind "Detective Conan," with a museum and statues. Yonago is a seaside resort with Kaike Onsen on the coast, and Misasa Onsen is a radon-rich spring in a valley. The city of Tottori has a castle ruin and the Jinpūkaku, a villa in the French style. In Misasa Onsen there are free foot baths along the river, and Kaike Onsen was the site of Japan's first triathlon in 1981.

Food and Drink

Matsuba-gani, the snow crab, is the star of the cuisine from November to March; the port of Sakaiminato also lands large quantities of fresh bluefin tuna. Nijisseiki pears, a crisp, juicy variety, are the symbol of the prefecture. Gyūkotsu ramen with beef bone broth is a local specialty, as is tōfu chikuwa, a fish paste product made with tofu. Rakkyō, pickled shallots, grow in fields among the dunes.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

The Super Hakuto Express connects Kyoto and Osaka with Tottori in about two and a half hours, and the Yakumo Express links Okayama with Yonago. Tottori and Yonago airports serve Tokyo, and Yonago also serves Seoul. The best times to visit are spring and early summer for hiking on Daisen, fall for the foliage, and winter for crab and snow-covered onsen.