The Tottori Sand Dunes: a unique natural view in Japan

I recently wrote about one of my most unique nature-based experiences in Japan, which was the incredible drift ice in Monbetsu, Hokkaido. I highly recommend visiting there in winter if you get the opportunity to, as it’s such a breathtaking natural phenomenon to see. Another one of my favorite nature experiences here involved a very different kind of landscape, which can be found at the Tottori Sand Dunes.

Some of Japan’s most jaw-dropping natural views can be found at the Tottori Sand Dunes, a place that I'd highly recommend visiting.

The sand dunes span a length of around 14 kilometers and are almost 2.5 kilometers wide, and they’ve been formed over a period of 100,000 years which is amazing to think about. They attract over a million visitors yearly, but they’re still relatively unknown by many people – especially for folks outside Japan. I think once travel opens up again for international visitors, this is a place to recommend to your family and friends if they’re looking for a bit of an off the beaten path, unique place to explore.

There are camel rides available on the dunes for a small fee – a little kitsch, maybe, but we did it anyway. You can also take sandboarding lessons at the dunes if you’d like to try that, and you can find more information about pricing and scheduling on this website. 

It may be a little kitsch, but there are camel rides available at the dunes if you’d like to add to the unique experience!

Another thing we found really enjoyable during our visit here was taking a trip to the Sand Museum. It’s a venue filled with a variety of different sand sculptures, and they take on a new theme each year. The level of detail and the sheer scale of these sculptures is so impressive that I’d rate it as a must-see for those visiting the area.

You can see just some of the sand sculptures in this picture – the venue is incredible and it really does make you think about just how skilled these sand artists are!

How to get there:

The Tottori Sand Dunes are located a 10 minute taxi ride from the Tottori Airport. The Sand Museum is also conveniently located right by the dunes. Flights are available from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Tottori Airport via ANA, and the flight time is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.