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: The official website publishes the "work commentary" for the current exhibition in Japanese, English, Chinese (simplified and traditional) and Korean. Loading it onto your phone and following the creation background of each work as you tour 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 21 minutes from the Tottori Station bus terminal on the Tottori Sakyu Line bus, then a 1-minute walk from the "Suna no Bijutsukan-mae" stop. On the Iwami-Iwai Line, get off at "Sakyu Higashiguchi" and walk about 5 minutes. The Loop Kirin Jishi sightseeing bus also takes about 20 minutes, and a taxi about 20 minutes. By car it is about 20 minutes from the Tottori-Nishi IC or Tottori IC on the San'in Expressway, and parking is free. The guideline for required time is about 1 to 1.5 hours. Since the Tottori Sand Dunes Visitor Center mentioned later is in the same dunes area, visiting them as a set is a wise plan.

Tips for Travelers: Opening hours are 9:00 to 18:00 (last admission 17:30), and the viewing fee is 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for elementary, junior high and high school students (600 yen and 300 yen for groups of 20 or more; free for children under elementary school age). The 17th exhibition now showing, "Travel the World in Sand: Spain," runs from April 24, 2026 to January 3, 2027 and stays open throughout, including the New Year period. If you plan to visit twice or more during the run, the passport at 1,400 yen for adults and 700 yen for students is better value. The peak of crowding is around midday on weekends. Photography and posting to social media or blogs are allowed for private use, but tripods and selfie sticks may not be used. Eating and drinking inside is not permitted (except for lidded flasks and plastic bottles), and pets cannot enter, so enjoy it with good manners.

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 on April 20, 2024. 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 runs about 800 meters from Sakaiminato Station to the memorial hall. Created in 1993, this street, where as many as 178 bronze statues of yokai are dotted along both sides, 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 10 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. From Yonago Kitaro Airport it is about 20 minutes by taxi, and about 40 minutes from the Yonago IC on the Yonago Expressway. The memorial hall has no parking lot of its own, so by car use a municipal lot such as Hinode, Sakaiminato Ekimae or Taisho-cho. 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: Opening hours are 9:30 to 17:00 (last admission 16:30), open year-round with no closing days. Admission is 1,000 yen for adults, 500 yen for junior high and high school students and 300 yen for elementary school students (900, 400 and 200 yen respectively for groups of 20 or more; free for preschool children). Showing a disability certificate or the Mirairo ID app brings the fee to 300 yen (200 yen for groups) and also gives a discount for one accompanying carer. Tickets can also be bought online. 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. Inside, the "yokai cave" where 43 yokai lurk is a favourite, and after viewing, hunting for Kitaro goods at the museum shop is another pleasure.

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 10 minutes from JR Tottori Station on the 100-yen Kurumi loop bus (green course), getting off right at "Jinpukaku / Prefectural Museum." On rainy days, using the bus is comfortable. By car it is about 15 minutes from the Tottori IC or Tottori-Nishi IC on the Tottori Expressway. 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: Admission to the regular exhibition is 180 yen for individuals and 150 yen for groups of 20 or more, and free for preschool children, schoolchildren and students—outstanding cost performance (fees for special exhibitions organised by the museum are set for each exhibition). Opening hours are 9:00 to 17:00 (admission until 16:30), and it closes every Monday, on the day after a national holiday (the next weekday if the Monday is a holiday), and over the New Year period (December 29 to January 3). It may stay open while a special exhibition is running, so checking the closing-day calendar on the official website is reassuring. Since the interior is larger than expected, it is smart to be sure to obtain an in-building map at the entrance before touring. If you enjoy both the special exhibition and the regular exhibition, plan a schedule with time to spare.

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. It opens from 9:00 to 17:00, so if you want to prepare before walking the dunes, early in the morning is the target. 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 from the Tottori Station bus terminal on the Tottori Sakyu Line or the Iwami-Iwai Line bus. On weekends and holidays a circular bus from Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport also makes the trip in about 20 minutes. By car it is about 20 minutes from the Tottori IC on the Tottori Expressway. The center has no parking lot of its own, so use the "Tottori Sakyu Parking" right in front (500 yen per 24 hours for an ordinary car). The Tottori Sand Dunes themselves are free to enter and have no entrance gate. Since the Sand Museum is in the same dunes area, 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. Inside there is a theatre screening an approximately 7-minute film (capacity about 20), and the first floor has a nursing room, nappy-changing table and an ostomate-friendly multipurpose toilet, so families with small children can relax. 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.

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: In the same Dakyoji-cho district of Kurayoshi City as Kurayoshi Park Square stands the Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art, which opened on March 30, 2025. It is an 8-minute walk from the "Kurayoshi Park Square Kitaguchi" bus stop, or right by the "Kenritsu Bijutsukan-mae" stop. Entry to the building itself is free, and the collection exhibition costs 400 yen for adults (320 yen for groups of 20 or more), 200 yen for students and visitors aged 70 and over, and is free for high school students and younger. It opens 9:00 to 17:00 (admission until 30 minutes before closing) and closes on Mondays (the next weekday if the Monday is a holiday) and over the New Year period (December 29 to January 3). Combine it with Park Square on a rainy day and half a day disappears in no time. 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 bus from JR Kurayoshi Station, getting off at "Kurayoshi Park Square Kitaguchi" or "Kenritsu Bijutsukan-mae." A taxi from Kurayoshi Station takes about 9 minutes. From Tottori Station, it is about 30 to 40 minutes to JR Kurayoshi Station on a JR San'in Main Line limited express (about 1 hour by local train). 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.

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 from the Tottori Station bus terminal on the Tottori Sakyu Line or the Iwami-Iwai Line bus. On weekends and holidays the Loop Kirin Jishi sightseeing bus is also available. Since the number of buses is limited, 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 10 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 and the adjoining Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art, starting from JR Kurayoshi Station, it is about 10 minutes by bus (about 9 minutes by taxi). From Tottori Station to Kurayoshi Station it is about 30 to 40 minutes on a JR San'in Main Line limited express, or about 1 hour by local train.

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.

📚 Sources

The opening hours, admission fees, access details and parking information in this article were confirmed in October 2026 against each facility’s official website: the Sand Museum (sand-museum.jp), specifically its "Opening Information" and "Access to the Museum" pages; the Mizuki Shigeru Memorial Hall and Mizuki Shigeru Road (mizuki.sakaiminato.net), specifically its "Visitor Guide" and "Mizuki Shigeru Road" pages; the Sakaiminato Tourism Association official website (sakaiminato.net) for the renovation reopening date; the Tottori Prefectural Museum visitor guide on the Tottori Prefecture official website (pref.tottori.lg.jp/264550.htm); the Tottori Sand Dunes Visitor Center (sakyu-vc.com), specifically its "Visitor Center" and "Access / Parking" pages; and the Tottori Prefectural Museum of Art (tottori-moa.jp), specifically its "Opening Hours and Fees", "Access" and "History" pages. Please note that the fees and schedules of the hands-on programmes inside Kurayoshi Park Square differ by operating facility and could not be confirmed on an official website, so please enquire directly before visiting. Fees, opening hours, closing days and bus services are subject to change, so please check each facility’s official website for the latest information.