5 Photogenic Gourmet Treats and Souvenirs in Tottori

Not just the sand dunes, Tottori is full of gourmet treats packed with "photogenic" appeal! We have picked out the Tottori foods drawing attention right now from a photo-worthy perspective. A must-see for anyone who wants to record their travel memories even more cutely.

① Pear Soft Serve | Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum "Nashikko-kan" (Kurayoshi City)

A museum dedicated to Tottori's iconic fruit, the "Nijisseiki Pear" (Twentieth-Century Pear). The museum's parlor serves "pear soft serve" (small ¥300 / large ¥400) — a flavor you can only taste here. There are also hands-on activities like pear tastings and a pear garden, giving you plenty of photo opportunities.

• Best shooting time: Natural light is at its softest between 10 a.m. and noon
• Shooting angle: Hold the soft serve in your hand and shoot from a slightly upward angle with blue sky in the background
• Access: Located inside Kurayoshi Park Square / Open 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:40); closed on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Mondays; admission ¥300

② Blessings of the Hojo Sand Dunes | Roadside Station Hojo (Hokei Town)

Renovated in April 2025, the "Roadside Station Hojo" is themed around "the blessings of the Hojo Sand Dunes." Local products such as nagaimo yam, nebarikko, and sand-dune grapes are on display, and the station houses a sweets shop "Suna-tori-dori Sweets" (10:00–16:00), a bakery, and a cafeteria. The light-filled station building, making generous use of natural wood, makes for travel-feeling Instagram-worthy photos!

• Best shooting time: After the sweets shop opens at 10:00, in the bright, well-lit interior
• Shooting angle: Shooting horizontally with the warm wooden station building as part of the composition creates a pleasing sense of depth
• Access: 1525-92 Kunisaka, Hokei Town (about 5 minutes by car from JR Yura Station) / Open 9:00–17:00, open year-round, 254 parking spaces

③ Utsubuki Koen Dango | Kurayoshi / Ishitani Seikado

The signature sweet of Kurayoshi, crafted by Ishitani Seikado — a shop with over 120 years of unbroken dedication to dango. The neatly arranged rows of small skewered dango are practically a textbook of tabletop food photography. The main store has an attached café where you can sit and relax on the spot.

• Best shooting time: Lunchtime, in soft natural light by a window
• Shooting angle: Shoot the entire wooden box from directly above (flat lay)
• Access: Ishitani Seikado main store (459-1 Sachimachi, Kurayoshi) / Open 8:00–17:30; café 8:00–17:00; open year-round except New Year's Day; 30 parking spaces

④ Yokai Manju | Sakaiminato / Mizuki Shigeru Road

Along Mizuki Shigeru Road, the approximately 800-meter stretch from Sakaiminato Station to the Mizuki Shigeru Museum, there are shops selling "yokai manju" — buns shaped like yokai characters. With their cute, whimsical looks, the collaborative photo of the manju alongside the yokai bronze statues lining the road is hugely popular.

• Best shooting time: Weekday mornings, when the crowds are smaller
• Shooting angle: With one of the bronze statues in the background, shoot the manju up close for a storytelling feel
• Access: Steps from JR Sakaiminato Station

⑤ Sunaba Coffee | A Local Café Right Outside Tottori Station

The Tottori-born local café that became nationally famous with the tagline "No Starbucks, but we have Sunaba." The "Shin" (New) Tottori-ekimae store, right in front of Tottori Station, opens at 8 a.m. and serves morning sets, coffee, and sweets. Photographing with the distinctive shop name sign or cup instantly captures the Tottori experience.

• Best shooting time: Afternoon café hours, when the store's ambient lighting creates great atmosphere
• Shooting angle: Tilt the parfait slightly toward the camera and shoot at a 45-degree angle with the background blurred
• Access: "Shin" Tottori-ekimae store (706 Sakaemachi, Tottori City) is about 4 minutes on foot from JR Tottori Station / Weekdays 8:00–16:00, weekends and holidays 8:00–19:00, closed Wednesdays

Tottori's food is the best of both worlds — delicious to eat and Instagram-worthy to photograph. Make sure to leave plenty of room in your photo roll

Practical Information for Your Visit

• Opening hours / closing days: Nashikko-kan 9:00-17:00 (last admission 16:40) / closed on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Mondays (the following weekday when Monday is a public holiday) and from 12/29 to 1/3. Roadside Station Hojo 9:00-17:00, open all year round (Suna Toridori Sweets and the Nebarikko Shokudo eatery are open 10:00-16:00, and Toridori Bakery 9:00-17:00). Ishitani Seikado Main Store 8:00-17:30 (cafe 8:00-17:00), open all year round (except New Year's Day). Sunaba Coffee "Shin" Tottori Station Front branch is open 8:00-16:00 on weekdays (last order 15:30) and 8:00-19:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (last order 18:30), closed on Wednesdays.
• Budget and price guide: Admission to Nashikko-kan is 300 yen for adults, 150 yen for elementary and junior high school students, and free for preschool children; pear soft-serve ice cream is 300 yen for a small and 400 yen for a large.
• Access: Nashikko-kan = inside Kurayoshi Park Square (Kurayoshi City). Roadside Station Hojo = 1525-92 Kunisaka, Hokuei-cho, Tohaku-gun, about 5 minutes by car from JR Yura Station. Ishitani Seikado Main Store = 459-1 Saiwaicho, Kurayoshi City. Sunaba Coffee "Shin" Tottori Station Front branch = 706 Sakaemachi, Tottori City, about a 4-minute walk from JR Tottori Station. Mizuki Shigeru Road = right by JR Sakaiminato Station, about 800 m to the memorial museum.
• Parking: Roadside Station Hojo has space for 254 ordinary cars (including 7 spaces for visitors with disabilities and 2 EV spaces) and 36 large vehicles. Ishitani Seikado Main Store has 30 spaces.
• Photography rules: At roadside stations and confectionery shops, photographing the products and the interior may require permission. Have a word with a member of staff before you shoot. You may photograph the bronze yokai statues along Mizuki Shigeru Road, but cars use the road, so do not stray onto the roadway. Always ask before photographing goods displayed in front of shops as well.
• Points to note: Nashikko-kan is closed on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Mondays, but open on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. Sunaba Coffee "Shin" Tottori Station Front branch is closed on Wednesdays and shuts at 16:00 on weekdays.

* Opening hours and prices are subject to change. Please check each official website before visiting.

(Sources: Roadside Station Hojo official website, Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum Nashikko-kan / Kurayoshi Tourist Information, Ishitani Seikado official website, Sunaba Coffee official website, Sakaiminato Tourist Guide)