Tottori 鳥取県 my #24th
(All places have google map links if you click on them)
July 13, 2024– Before checking-in to my driving school in Shimane, my friend Alysa and I decided to stop by Tottori Prefecture to see the famous Sand Dunes. At first, I was worried there wouldn’t be much to do for the full two days since only the sand dunes and the Sand Museum initially caught my attention. But after doing more research, we discovered several interesting places to visit — and honestly, we ended up wishing we had stayed for at least four days.
We flew from Haneda Airport (7:00 AM departure) to Tottori Airport (8:00 AM arrival) via ANA, then took a bus from the airport to Tottori Station (about 45 minutes).
Detective Conan fans will be excited upon arriving at this airport because you’ll see lots of Detective Conan displays everywhere. I used to watch it when I was in grade school, so I got a little excited too. (I actually had a crush on him when I was younger because he was so smart.)
To be honest, I didn’t plan this trip very well, so I completely forgot to figure out our transportation upon arrival. Imagine my surprise when I realized there’s no railway station at the airport! Good thing the bus was available right after we landed.
You have to purchase the bus ticket from a machine in the arrival area, and the bus stop is located just outside the main entrance. I wasn’t able to take many photos of the airport because we were in a hurry to catch the bus.
Personally, I think the best option is to rent a car upon arrival to save time. Public transportation can be quite limiting if you want to maximize your time in this prefecture, especially since some routes — like the loop bus from Tottori Station to the Sand Dunes area — only run once or twice an hour.
If you choose to take the bus instead, it will drop you off in front of Tottori Station. You can also purchase your return ticket to the airport at the bus terminal located just outside Tottori Station, near the loop bus stop that goes to the sand dunes.
We stayed at Y Pub&Hostel TOTTORI close to Tottori station (about 3min walk). The hostel was very nice. We arrived around 10:00 am, super hungry and too early for check-in but the lovely staff told us they can keep our bags even before checking-in.
We ordered lunch at the hostel café on the first floor, ate there, and rested for a bit. After that, we headed to the station to catch the bus to the sand dunes — but we missed it by just a few minutes. That’s why renting a car is really a better option, because the next bus wouldn’t arrive for another hour.
While waiting, we went to the Tourist Information counter inside the train station to ask if there was another way to get there. We even considered renting a car, but unfortunately, nothing was available that day. The staff at the tourist counter kindly gave us a map and explained where we should get off so we could go around without having to walk too much.
13:00 – Our first stop was at the Sand Dunes to take pictures with a camel and explore the area. During weekends, you’re not allowed to take the camels out for a walk, but the staff told me you can do it at certain times on weekdays. Good thing we did this first, because right after us they stopped letting people take photos with the camels since they needed a break for feeding.
It looks like there’s a LOT of activities here, like paragliding and ATV riding, but you have to book them in advance. Since we didn’t book anything, we had to call each place one by one to ask if they accept walk-ins.
15:00 – Then we went to Takahama Cafe/ observatory to get some refreshments. We got strawberry shake and a drink and went to the top floor overlooking the Sand Dunes. I really like the architectural design of that building.
15:30 – We took the lift to go to the Sand Museum. I really enjoyed this museum, it’s France theme this year and while I do like France, I really wanted to see the Egypt theme. There are sand sculptures inside and outside too which was so cool. I still would recommend this place 100%.
17:00 – After exploring the Sand Museum we took the bus and went back to our hostel near Tottori station and then took a taxi to go to Chanko Ishiura / ちゃんこ石浦, a restaurant owned by a former sumo wrestler.
This was the first time I tried Chanko Nabe, or sumo stew — commonly eaten by sumo wrestlers as part of a weight-gain diet — and I was in a full-on food coma afterwards. I also highly recommend their wings because they were really good! We even ordered more to take back to the hostel.
We took a taxi again going back to the hostel and I really wish we just rented a car upon arrival but the moment we realized it, most taxi rental places are all booked up. We did however managed to find an available rental car with Toyota the next day and the price was reasonable for a full day rental with insurance. (I would use my Times Car-share card next time though because I feel like it’s more convenient than the usual car rental places..)
Then we had lunch at KAEN – one of the best pizza I’ve had in Japan, and I’ve had really good pizzas here but I really like this one. The staff here were really nice and the service was great. You really won’t regret eating here even if you came to Japan to eat authentic Japanese foods.
After lunch, we explored the mall where the restaurant was located and bought some omiyage for my coworkers (which — I’m gonna be honest — some of them ended up in my belly 😂). Omiyage culture is a big thing in Japan, and I really have fun picking out treats for my friends whenever I travel.
Next time, maybe I’ll start taking photos of what I buy and even do little reviews — especially since I end up eating some of my omiyage anyway.
14:00 – After shopping we drove to Tottori Deaino Mori / とっとり出合いの森 to go see the Mystery House / ミステリーハウス. Finding the parking lot was kind of tricky and we went the wrong way first because we put in the Mystery house on google maps but I think it’s better if you put in this parking lot instead. Then you can walk to go inside the park. This park is massive and I think kids and adults can enjoy it, especially the Mystery House. It really is full of mystery.
It started to rain but we were already set on going to the beach so we drove to Uradome Coast. It’s a long stretch of beach and we didn’t know where to park so we just parked here , it says free on google maps but when we got back to the car after swimming they closed the entrance to the parking lot so I don’t know if we were supposed to park there.
There is an observation deck nearby overlooking the Torii in a small island but getting there is hard because of the stones. I suggest you bring an aqua shoes especially if you’re not a fan of foot reflexology.
Then we ate Ramen at Tonraku Ryomitsuyanagi. We ordered Gyukotsu Ramen (Beef bone) since we are in Tottori. Gyukotsu is a specialty ramen from Tottori and you don’t see it a lot all over Japan. I liked it, but honestly at that point, I would be so glad to eat anything because I was so hungry.
21:00 After dinner, we finally reached our last stop- Mizuki Shigeru Road– AT NIGHT. I’ve never seen the anime and it was my first time hearing it but I really enjoyed this area. It was a little spooky, especially when the lights keep on turning off on us. I wish we went a little earlier so we can go to the shops.. They were already closed by the time we got there. We didn’t see a lot of tourist…nor regular people. Just us and the ghosts.
Places I wish I went:
–Lake Koyama
–Eshima Bridge (Famous steep bridge in Japan)
–Mt. Daisen
–Sanbutsu-ji
–三徳山三佛寺奥院 (国宝投入堂)/みとくさんさんぶつじおくのいん（こくほうなげいれどう) /Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Okunoin (Kokuhou Nageiredou) or NageireDou for short -a hanging buddhist hall built in a cliff in Mt. Mitoku as the inner sanctum of Sanbutsu Temple. It is nicknamed “Japan’s most dangerous national treasure” because it is literally built into a cliff.
Many others on my google maps saved (https://maps.app.goo.gl/fLeHEvy1ZauWeGxY8)
Thank you always for reading till the end!
I appreciate all the comments and love hearing feedbacks.
I organize trips in Kanto area and joiners are always welcome so feel free to send me a message if you want to join us.
EAT, SLEEP, TRAVEL, REPEAT =)
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