Heading to Japan? You’d better visit Tottori!

So we’ve covered some great tips for your initial weeks in Japan. From predeparture, your first week there, and even that “going through the motions” slump, which, believe me, is real. I hope that you found those tips at least useful.

But how about we dive into some of the good stuff. My trips while abroad in Japan! I really emphasized making sure you travel - see the cool stuff in the country you’re studying abroad in. Not doing more of it was certainly one of my biggest regrets even though I saw so many cool things and did equally as many fun things!

One of the biggest highlights of my trip was visiting one of Japan’s least populated prefectures: Tottori! Firstly, it was surprisingly difficult to reach!

Much of Japan is very well connected with public transit, but the coastal side of Japan facing Korea (aptly named the Sea of Japan), where Tottori prefecture is located, is a bit tricky to access if you live on the coast facing the Pacific Ocean. I lived right outside of Osaka which is very much right on the east coast of Japan, so when I decided to go to Tottori, I was surprised just how long the train ride would be!

The train trip out to Tottori! (Sorry for the reflection)

At about six hours long, it was certainly the longest train trip I took, but gosh was it worth it! The views were amazing as we rode through the countryside, passing villages, farms, smaller towns, and tons of mountains! As a train nerd who honestly couldn’t get enough of the public transit in Japan, this was such an amazing trip.

But once I got to Tottori, and stepped off the train, I was greeted with Tottori’s mascot: the Pokémon Sandshrew! In Japan, many towns and tourist spots have various Pokémon as their mascot! And it was very fitting to have the sand mole Pokémon be the mascot for a prefecture renowned for its sand dunes!

Sandshrew! Tottori’s mascot. This little guy was everywhere.

The scent of the salt in the air from the nearby ocean hit me immediately and I could already tell I couldn’t wait to explore the prefecture.

As mentioned, Tottori’s premier attraction is the Tottori sand dunes, a massive, and I mean massive area hugging the Sea of Japan that is covered with mountains of sand that may sound like a beach, but is nothing but. You’ll simply have to look at the pictures on this blog to see what I’m talking about. A lot of my trips and adventures in Japan were to explore natural sites, and I can safely say that the Tottori sand dunes were one of the most beautiful sites I’d seen in the country.

Tottori Sand Dunes

The people there were also extremely nice! I remember heading out for dinner one night, stomach grumbling, and just deciding to meander into a spot that I had no idea was open or not. Right as I walked in, it was warm faces and greetings from people surprised to see a foreigner! They were excited to converse with someone new who came to their prefecture and were even more excited that I spoke to them in Japanese. Suffice it to say that my meal was paid for that night. The people in Tottori were some of the kindest I’d met in Japan.

Tottori Sand Dunes (again)

There were countless other things I did during my three days there! I visited Hakuto Shrine, famous for its relation to the vastly popular folk tale of the “White Hare of Inaba.” I, of course, did plenty of shopping, and there was even a seasonal festival going on the morning I was due to head back to Osaka.

For a prefecture that continues to unfortunately suffer from a dropping population, I couldn’t help but feel that Tottori was one of the most vibrant and full of life places I visited while in Japan.

Next week, keep an eye out for another blog about my travels! I’m still deciding whether I want to talk about my time in Kyoto or my time in Beppu, both of which were a blast in and of themselves.