Tottori Sand Dunes

35°32′24″N 134°13′39″E

Tottori Sand Dunes

Video of the dunes

Location of Tottori Sand Dunes

The Tottori Sand Dunes (鳥取砂丘, Tottori sakyū) are sand dunes located outside the city center of Tottori in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. At a length of 9 miles (14 km) and less than 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide, it is the largest sand dune in Japan. The sand dunes are part of San'in Kaigan Geopark, which is part of The UNESCO Global Geoparks.[1]

History

The sand formations were created when sediment deposits carried from the Chūgoku Mountains by the Sendai River were thrown away into the Sea of Japan. Strong winds then shaped the dunes over a span of 100,000 years.[2]

The area of the dunes has been steadily decreasing due to a government reforestation program following World War II. Concrete barriers have been built along the coast to prevent the formations from eroding. Authorities have adopted measures to stop the shrinkage of the dunes, partly because they attract a significant amount of tourism to the area.[3]

Gallery

• 
  View from the biggest dune
• 
  A camel for tourists

See also

• Nakatajima Sand Dunes
• Sarugamori Sand Dunes
• Tourism in Japan

References

1. Petri, Alexandra E. (27 April 2017). "See Japan's Surprising Sand Dunes". National Geographic. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
2. Lagrave, Katherine (16 June 2017). "Japan's Tottori Sand Dunes Look Straight Out of the Sahara Desert". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
3. Onishi, Norimitsu (23 August 2006). "In the Shrinking Dunes, Stalking a Creepy Green Enemy". Tottori Journal – via The New York Times.

External links

• Tottori Prefecture Guidebook