Rainy Day in Tottori: Best Indoor Spots & Activities

The Sand Museum

Right next to the sand dunes, an art space that astonishes the world spreads out. "The Sand Museum" is one of the world's largest indoor sand sculpture museums, crafted by famous sand sculptors from various countries around the world. Because the exhibition is completely renewed each year with a different theme, fresh emotion awaits no matter how many times you visit.

What is stunning is its intricate formative beauty. Delicate expression so refined it is utterly unbelievable it was produced by only human hands and sand is exhibited as if towering before you. Why does sand, such an ephemeral material, speak to you so eloquently here—the time spent looking up while losing your words lightly transcends the very concept of a museum space. Quietly facing art while hearing the sound of raindrops tapping the roof in the distance will surely become a moist, special experience different again from a sunny day.

Best Season & Recommended Time Slot: It can be enjoyed throughout the year, but spring (around April), when the new exhibition starts, is especially worth seeing. Works just created have outstanding freshness in their details, with a power only those who visit can feel. Weekday mornings have little crowding and let you view each work thoroughly, so they are recommended.

Ways to Enjoy It Unique to Locals: Touring while renting an audio guide and listening to the creation background of each work and episodes about the sculptors completely changes how the sand sculptures appear. Just imagining "how much time went into the way this shadow is applied?" makes the emotion swell many times over. The in-building shop is also full of original goods with sand-sculpture motifs, perfect as a memento of your trip. Items that shine with taste are available, such as postcards and writing pads.

Access: About 20 minutes by "Sakyu Liner" bus from JR Tottori Station, right at the "Sand Museum" bus stop. The bus runs several times an hour, so checking the timetable before boarding makes it smooth. The guideline for required time is about 1 to 1.5 hours. Since you can access it by the same bus as the Tottori Sand Dunes Visitor Center mentioned later, visiting them as a set is a wise plan.

Tips for Travelers: The peak of crowding is around midday on weekends. Photography is possible except in some areas, but flash photography is prohibited. This is also a rule to prevent the influence of light on the works, so enjoy it with good manners. Tickets can also be purchased in advance on the official website, so it is recommended to prepare so you can enter right after getting off the bus on a rainy day.

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The Mizuki Shigeru Memorial Hall

Mizuki Shigeru, the great manga artist Sakaiminato City takes pride in. The place where you can experience his one-of-a-kind worldview in its entirety is "The Mizuki Shigeru Memorial Hall," which reopened after renovation in 2023. The moment you step into the building, you are smoothly drawn into that nostalgic yet mysterious world of "GeGeGe no Kitaro."

The exhibition is configured to trace Mr. Mizuki's life full of upheaval, from his harrowing war experiences to his days of struggle as a manga artist, and his deep, pure love for yokai—the figure of Mizuki Shigeru as a single human being is depicted carefully and powerfully. Of course for those who became familiar with the anime in childhood, but even for those encountering it for the first time, the richness of the exhibition that deeply shakes the heart is exceptional. You'll surely want to tell someone on the way home, "I never knew there was such a humane story of a man who loved yokai."

Best Season & Recommended Time Slot: It can be enjoyed all year round, but visiting timed to dusk is especially recommended. When the sun begins to sink, the yokai of Mizuki Shigeru Road, which you walk after leaving the memorial hall, are lit by street lamps and show an eerie expression completely different from the daytime. The memorial hall itself is relatively empty in the morning right after opening, letting you savor the exhibition leisurely.

Ways to Enjoy It Unique to Locals: After visiting the memorial hall, stroll the "Mizuki Shigeru Road," which spans a total length of 800 meters. This street, where as many as 177 bronze statues of yokai are dotted along the way, truly demonstrates its worth on rainy days. The sight of yokai shadows floating on the cobblestone path with mist faintly hanging over it has an atmosphere you can never taste on a sunny day, just like wandering into a real world of yokai. Walking while searching for "Kitaro goods" at distinctive local shops is also one of the pleasures of the trip.

Access: About 5 minutes on foot from JR Sakaiminato Station. Walking along Mizuki Shigeru Road, you naturally arrive. From Tottori Station, transfer to the JR Sakai Line, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Since yokai decorations greet you the moment you exit Sakaiminato Station, the extraordinary begins from the moment you step off at the station.

Tips for Travelers: Weekends and public holidays tend to be crowded with families, so if possible a weekday visit is recommended. Strolling the road on a rainy day makes your footing slippery, so be sure to prepare easy-to-walk shoes and a folding umbrella. The memorial hall's cafe also offers yokai-motif sweets, so drop by for a break after viewing.

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The Tottori Prefectural Museum

"I want to know more about Tottori." The place that quietly yet powerfully answers such intellectual curiosity of travel is "The Tottori Prefectural Museum," adjacent to the Tottori Castle ruins. It systematically houses and exhibits the history and culture spanning from ancient to modern times etched into the lands of Inaba and Hoki, rich nature, and art works, making it an ideal place to settle down and face thoroughly on a rainy day. You intended to drop by midway through your trip, but before you knew it you were absorbed, forgetting the time—it is a fine space of knowledge where you can have such an experience.

Especially worth seeing is the nature exhibition zone. The panels and specimens that visually explain the formation of the Tottori Sand Dunes and the ecosystem of San'in make your outdoor sightseeing from the next day onward richer. Just adding the knowledge "so that's how that sand dune was born" makes each grain of sand look different—it's mysterious. Also, the special exhibitions often feature programs that draw nationwide attention, so it is well worth checking the official website before visiting.

Best Season & Recommended Time Slot: During the periods when special exhibitions are held (several times a year), there is twice as much to see. Checking the holding schedule in advance and planning your itinerary is the connoisseur's way of enjoying it. On weekday afternoons there are few visitors, and you can sometimes spend a luxurious time almost monopolizing the exhibition rooms.

Ways to Enjoy It Unique to Locals: The surroundings of the museum are wrapped in the greenery of the Tottori Castle ruins, and strolling around the castle ruins during a break when the rain lets up a little is also recommended. Walking between the stone walls and trees, the time of gradually feeling the weight of history gains even more depth by savoring it as a set with the museum's exhibition. The in-building museum shop also stocks books and folk crafts related to Tottori, so you may find a souvenir you can only encounter here.

Access: About 15 minutes on foot from JR Tottori Station, or get off right at the "Jinpukaku / Prefectural Museum-mae" bus stop. On rainy days, using the bus is comfortable. The guideline for required time is about 1.5 to 2 hours. If you also add a stroll through the castle ruins, securing 2 to 3 hours lets you enjoy it with room to spare.

Tips for Travelers: The admission fee is relatively reasonable, with the permanent exhibition at 200 yen for general admission (as of 2024)—outstanding cost performance. Since the interior is larger than expected, it is smart to be sure to obtain an audio guide or in-building map at the entrance before touring. If you enjoy both the special exhibition and the permanent exhibition, plan a schedule with time to spare.

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The Tottori Sand Dunes Visitor Center

To you who are about to give up thinking "Since it's raining, maybe the sand dunes are impossible...", there is a place we definitely want you to drop by. "The Tottori Sand Dunes Visitor Center," located at the entrance of the Tottori Sand Dunes, is a free-admission facility that explains the nature, ecology, and formation of the sand dunes in an easy-to-understand way. At first glance it may sound plain, but just visiting here completely changes how the sand dunes appear—it's mysterious. It is no exaggeration to call it a place to obtain a "new lens" called knowledge.

Though compact, the content is substantial, with specimen exhibits of plants and insects living in the sand dunes, panels explaining the mechanism of sand dune formation, and a video corner reflecting the four seasons of the sand dunes. Simple questions such as "Why do oases form?" and "Where on earth does the sand of the dunes come from?" are cleanly resolved, and both children and adults can't help raising their voices with "Wow!" On a rainy day, a plan of inputting plenty of sand dune knowledge here and heading to the dunes anew the next clear morning is actually the wisest way to enjoy it. The emotion of "that thing I learned at the center yesterday—this is it!" is an experience that cannot be exchanged for anything.

Best Season & Recommended Time Slot: It can be used year-round and is handy as a stopover spot before and after strolling the dunes, or in rainy weather. Since it opens from early morning, it is also ideal for preparation before walking the dunes first thing in the morning. If you head out to the dunes with the information gained at the center, discoveries double even without a guide.

Ways to Enjoy It Unique to Locals: Casually call out to the staff within the center. They can sometimes tell you about the state of the dunes' wind ripples that day and hidden gem spots known only to those in the know. Since you can also obtain information here about sand dune tours by local guides, this is a place those seeking a deeper sand dune experience definitely want to drop by. The restrooms and rest space attached to the center are also valued by locals as a base for sand dune sightseeing, and are a reassuring presence for travelers too.

Access: About 20 minutes by "Sakyu Liner" bus from JR Tottori Station, just a short walk from the "Tottori Sand Dunes" bus stop. Since you can access it by the same bus as the Sand Museum, touring the two spots as a set is recommended. The number of buses is limited, so checking the return time in advance gives peace of mind.

Tips for Travelers: Since admission is free, the greatest charm is being able to casually drop by on a whim. Temporarily storing your rain gear at the center before viewing makes it smooth. Souvenir shops are also dotted around the dunes, so if you get a little hungry, by all means try gourmet food using Tottori's specialty "sand dune rakkyo" (shallots). The sharp spiciness and crunchy texture will be etched into your tongue along with the memory of traveling in Tottori.

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Kurayoshi Park Square (Experience Facility)

For family trips, "how to spend a rainy day" is a pressing problem for travelers. The place that completely solves such a family's worry is the complex facility "Kurayoshi Park Square" in Kurayoshi City. Within the spacious grounds, hands-on learning facilities, a library, and a space where children can play to their heart's content all gather in one place, so substantial that you can spend not just half a day but a whole day. You can almost picture the smiling face of a child begging "Again!"

At the children's experience corners, there are plenty of programs that use the head and hands, such as science experiments and crafts. Content that parents too can become absorbed in together is available, and a stream of parents unintentionally mutter "Maybe it was good that it rained." The library zone also has a substantial read-aloud space, providing peace of mind for families with small children too. It is a place that turns it into a memory of not "the rainy-day trip was a failure" but "that rainy day was the most fun."

Best Season & Recommended Time Slot: During long holidays such as summer and winter vacations, it bustles with families. The good target is a weekday morning. You can use the experience corners leisurely, and you can often participate in popular programs without lining up.

Ways to Enjoy It Unique to Locals: Around the facility there are also the white-walled storehouse clusters of Kurayoshi, and strolling around during a break when the rain lets up a little is also recommended. The townscape of white walls and namako walls retaining the vestiges of the Edo and Meiji periods kills two birds with one stone as a travel educational experience if you walk while telling your children "people long ago lived in places like this." Tasteful local bakeries and cafes are also dotted nearby, so for lunch, savor Kurayoshi gourmet food.

Access: About 10 minutes by Hinomaru bus from JR Kurayoshi Station, right at "Park Square-mae." From Tottori Station, it is about 30 to 40 minutes to JR Kurayoshi Station on the JR San'in Main Line. The transfer is also simple, and you can access it without getting lost even with children. The guideline for required time is 2 to 3 hours, but depending on the children's pace, it is not unusual to stay all day.

Tips for Travelers: Since some experience programs require advance reservation, it is safe to check the holding schedule and reservation status on the official website before visiting. There is also a dining space within the facility, so even a family trip with a lot of luggage can settle down and spend time there. So you don't panic if you get wet or dirty, slipping in a full change of clothes lets you enjoy the experiences freely.

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Access Information

The base point for Tottori sightseeing is JR Tottori Station. To the Sand Museum and the Tottori Sand Dunes Visitor Center, access is excellent at about 20 minutes by "Sakyu Liner" bus from the station. The bus runs several times an hour, but since the number of users can increase on rainy days, check the timetable in advance and head to the boarding point with time to spare.

To the Mizuki Shigeru Memorial Hall and Mizuki Shigeru Road, transfer to the JR Sakai Line and get off at Sakaiminato Station. The required time from Tottori Station is about 1 hour 15 minutes including the transfer. The yokai mood begins to drift from the moment you exit Sakaiminato Station, and you arrive at the memorial hall in about 5 minutes on foot. The journey of walking from the station to the memorial hall is itself already part of the trip.

To Kurayoshi Park Square, starting from JR Kurayoshi Station, it is about 10 minutes by bus. From Tottori Station to Kurayoshi Station it is about 30 to 40 minutes on the JR San'in Main Line.

Planning Tip: Since the Tottori Sand Dunes area and the Sakaiminato area are about 1 hour apart by car, using a rental car is recommended to tour both without strain in one day. There are multiple rental car companies in front of Tottori Station, and same-day handling may be possible, but on rainy days the number of users tends to increase all at once. To enjoy your once-in-a-lifetime trip smoothly, we strongly recommend advance reservation. Rainy Tottori has scenery you can encounter precisely because you walk carrying an umbrella. Please don't use the weather as an excuse, and enjoy your trip to the fullest.