Tottori prefecture is the least populated of Japan's 47 prefectures. Its main claim to fame is a small pocket of sand dunes near Tottori city, which is on the east side of the prefecture (Yonago's on the west), about an hour away or so. We went there Saturday. The drive is really scenic, along the coast of the Sea of Japan. Along the way, on the north, you can see a few lone islands off the coast, and in the opposite direction are rising hills and mountains.
It's crazy to see the sand dunes right up against the green of pretty much everything else. I guess it could almost be thought of as just an overgrown beach, since the dunes area is pretty small and right next to the water. (I would have guessed maybe a square mile, but Wikipedia informs me that the area is about 30 km sq. We only saw part of it after all.)
After the dunes, we visited an exhibit of sand sculptures. Obviously, the theme was Africa. Sculptors from around the world participated. The exhibit goes till next January! I'm amazed they can depend on sculptures to last that long.
