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Today is our last day staying in Tottori City (not Tottori Prefecture).
After having breakfast at the hotel and enjoying one more hot spring
bath, we checked out and set off for the day's itinerary. |
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Today's breakfast was actually very similar to yesterday's. The biggest
difference was that the fried noodle dish was a difference type.
Yesterday it was yakisoba (焼きそば, soy sauce fried
ramen), while today it was the classic Japanese-Western fusion dish –
spaghetti Napolitan (ナポリタン). But my favourite was
still the coffee made with Daisen 'White Rose' milk. Even without sugar,
it naturally had a slight sweetness. |
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The first stop of the day is the Tottori Sand Dunes, followed by lunch
at Karoichi (fish market), then a visit to the Kurayoshi Shirakabe Dozôgun
(倉吉白壁土蔵群, Kurayoshi White Wall Warehouses)
in the afternoon, and finally staying overnight at a hot spring ryokan
in Misasa Onsen. Overall, it is quite a relaxed schedule and not too
rushed. |
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The Tottori Sand Dunes are
a rare large-scale desert landscape in Japan, and one of the most
representative attractions in Tottori. Located in the northern part of
Tottori City facing the Sea of Japan (日本海), it is
the largest sand dunes area in Japan. It take about 15 minutes by car
from
Hotel Monarque Tottori (ホテルモナーク鳥取)
to the sand dune car park. The car park is open 24 hours, and the fee is
JP¥500 per entry for regular vehicles. |
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The sign of Tottori Sand Dunes |
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Tottori Sand Dunes Visitor Centre, with the
Tottori Sand Dunes Park Service Centre behind it |
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There are two buildings within the car park. One is the Tottori Sand
Dunes Visitor Centre (鳥取砂丘ビジターセンター), which
provides tourist and educational information, including models and
videos explaining the formation, landscape, and ecology of the dunes. It
also provides walking routes and safety information, functioning as a
small 'musuem'. The other building is the Tottori Sand Dunes Park
Service Centre (鳥取砂丘パークサービスセンター),
which serves as the management and administrative office. |
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Across the road from the car park is Tottori Sakyû Kaikan (鳥取砂丘会館),
a complex with souvenir shops and restaurants. Next to it is the popular
photo spot Takahama Café (タカハマカフェ), which we
would visit shortly. |
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Tottori Sakyû Kaikan (souvenir shop and
restaurant) |
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Takahama Café under the sunlight across the
road |
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There is a staircase next to the visitor centre leading directly into
the sand dunes. As soon as you step onto the sand, the first sign you
see reads 'No writing or drawing on the sand'. There have been many
incidents of writing or drawing on the dunes. Initially, enforcement
relied on the Natural Parks Act under the rule of 'no advertising
displays', but it was difficult to prove whether content counted as
advertising. As violations continued, a local ordinance was introduced
in 2009, and offenders can now be fined up to fifty thousand Japanese
Yen. |
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Today, the dunes are an important tourism resource for Tottori, bringing
in significant income. One might assume that local residents value this
'natural asset', but in the past, the dunes were actually a major
nuisance. The sands in strong winds and typhoons would damage farmland
and even bury houses. Before WWII, locals not only disliked the dunes,
but even wanted to eliminate them and turn the land into something
'useful'. This led to the creation of afforestation for sand prevention
and control (windbreak forests). |
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No writing and drawing on the sand dunes |
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Windbreak forests today are used to protect against blowing sand, but
originally they were intended to eliminate and reclaim the dunes. Dr
HARA Masaru (原 勝) of Tottori Higher Agricultural
School (now Tottori University Faculty of Agriculture) proposed setting
up a grid of bamboo fences on the dunes, planting black pine along with
broadleaf plants such as
silverberry as fertiliser trees. This successfully reduced the size
of the dunes significantly. |
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During the period of rapid economy growth in the 1960s and 70s, with improved
transport and wider access to information, large numbers of domestic
visitors came to see Japan's largest sand landscape. This brought
considerable economic benefits, and local residents gradually began to
recognise the value of the dunes and learned to coexist with them. The
windbreak forests were reduced in scale, leaving only the outer areas to
prevent sand from spreading. The dunes gradually recovered their former
extent. Around the year 2000, prolonged summer heat caused parts of the
windbreak forest to wither, allowing sand to spread again. The current
windbreak forest was re-established around 2019-2020. |
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Oigo Suribachi and Awasegatani Suribachi |
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The Tottori Sand Dunes are now designated as a Special Protection Zone
within the San'in Kaigan National Park (also part of the UNESCO Global
Geopark), designated as a Natural Monument in 1955, and selected as one
of Japan's Top 100 Geological Sites in 2007. Together with Mount Daisen,
it is one of the symbols of Tottori Prefecture. It is also counted among
Japan's three major sand dunes, along with Fukiagehama (吹上浜)
in Kagoshima and Hamaoka Sand Dunes (浜岡砂丘) in
Shizuoka (or sometimes Shônai Sand Dunes (庄内砂丘)
in Yamagata), though the others are much smaller in scale. |
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The formation of the dunes dates back around a hundred thousand years.
Granite from the Chûgoku Mountains (中国山地)
weathered into sand, was carried by the River Sendai (千代川)
into the Sea of Japan, deposited along the coast, and then blown inland
by prevailing winds, forming the dunes we see today. The Chûgoku
Mountains divide the Chûgoku Region into San'in and Sanyô – 'San'
meaning mountain, 'in' (陰) meaning sunless, and 'yô'
(陽) meaning sunny. In the northern hemisphere,
the southern side of mountains receives more sunlight and is known as 'Sanyô',
while the northern side receives less and is known as 'San'in'. |
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Horseback Dune (the second ridge) |
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The faint 'Sand Curtains' on the Horseback,
with the darker area below being an oasis |
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One of the most prominent feature is 'Horseback Dune' (馬の背), the second
of three dune ridges. The first ridge is located at the north-western
corner of the dunes, while the third ridge is the area where you stand
after climbing up the steps from the visitor centre. Todd asked, 'Why
doesn't this big pile of sand just get blown away?' It is actually a
very good question, closely related to a phenomenon called 'Sand
Curtains' (砂簾). At first, I though that the Horseback might originally
have been a solid hill that was later covered by sand, but that is not
actually the case. |
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Sand accumulates at this point simply because the wind is not strong
enough to carry it further. Over time, sand builds up. When it becomes
too heavy, it collapses down the slope, forming vertical streaks known
as 'sand curtains'. The sand that falls down accumulates at the base,
helping stabilise the ridge. This is why the Horseback can remain standing
in the centre of the dunes. |
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The contrast between the sea and the dunes |
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Sand Curtains are not a fixed feature – sometimes they are very visible,
and at other times they may not be visible at all. In fact, there are
many similar non-fixed features within the Tottori Sand Dunes, such as
Sand Pillars (砂柱) and Wind Ripples (風紋). |
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Of course, there are also fixed landforms like the Horseback, including
exposed volcanic ash areas, suribachi, and oases. The exposed volcanic
ash appears as a reddish-brown area, formed from volcanic desposits
dating back approximately 50,000 to 100,000 years. Most of the volcanic
ash visible within the dunes originates from Mount Daisen (大山),
and dates back around 55,000 years. |
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Areas where sand accumulates are called ridges, while areas where sand
is continuously blown away form what are knows as 'suribachi' (スリバチ),
which can be described in English as 'bowl-shaped basins'. As sand
continues to be carried away, certain areas are more prone to erosion
due to the terrian. |
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At present, the more stables ones include Awasegatani Suribachi
(合せヶ谷スリバチ)
and Oigo Suribachi (追後スリバチ).
Once a small depression forms, wind creates vortices within it. As
erosion intensifies further, the depression deepens, and when it reaches
the groundwater level, groundwater begins to seep out, forming an oasis
(オアシス). |
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Looking back towards the car park from the
dunes |
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There has even been a 'mysterious' incident at the sand dunes. In June
2011, a local resident carrying out plant observation on the western
side of the dunes discovered what appeared to be a human arm bone and
reported it to the police. |
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Further excavation by the police uncovered four sets of human remains,
all arranged in a straight line with their heads facing west. Forensic
examination by the Faculty of Medicine at Tottori University determined
that three individuals were aged between 30 and 40 (both male and
female), while one was a male aged between 20 and 30. The estimated time
of death was around the 19th century. |
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The possibility of a criminal case was ruled out, and both the police
and researchers tended to believe that these were dead by shipwrecking,
bodies that had washed ashore and were then buried together. Another
theory suggests a connection to the cholera outbreak in Tottori in 1886.
However, given the large number of deaths at the time, if it were
related to the epidemic, there should have been far more than just four
bodies. |
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This discovery illustrates how the sand dunes area a dynamic landscape –
as sand accumulates and erodes, it can both bury things and bring
long-hidden traces of human activity back into view. |
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Foot-washing facility outside the visitor
centre |
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We did try walking on the dunes, but gave up after less than five
minutes because it was genuinely exhausting. Each step sinks into the
sand, making it even harder than climbing stairs, and your shoes quickly
fill with sand. The visitor centre also offers
free guided
tours if you're interested. |
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Besides walking, there are activities such as
camel rides,
sandboarding,
off-road cycling, and
paragliding.
There is also a chairlift (return JP¥500, one-way JP¥300) to the Sakyû
Centre Observation Terrace (砂丘センター眺望テラス)
and the Sand Museum (砂の美術館, JP¥800).
However, the Sand Museum is closed during the first part of the year and
only reopens on 24 April this year, so we skipped it and went to
Takahama Café instead. |
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My coffee milkshake and Todd's Americano |
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Takahama Café (タカハマカフェ)
opened in 2022 and was designed by the renowned Japanese architect KUMA
Kengo (隈 研吾). His works
include the Japan National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, V&A
Dundee in the UK, Prostho Research Center in Kasugai (春日井市, Aichi
Prefecture), FRAC Marseille in France, and others. The café combines
architecture, a viewing platform, and a café space, and has become a
popular spot near the dunes. |
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The building uses a mix of timber and concrete, with cedar sourced
locally from Tottori. It has a three-level structure – ground floor for
the counter, second floor for indoor seating, and rooftop as an outdoor
viewing terrace. Natural light fills the space, blending the interior
with the surrounding environment. I ordered a coffee milkshake, while
Todd chose an Americano. |
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After resting at the café for a while, we did not head straight to our
next stop – Karo Market. Since we still had some time, we decided to
stop by AEON Mall Tottori Kita first... |
Click here for English Version 正一非常喜歡自駕遊。要合法在外國駕駛，首先需要「國際駕駛許可證...