Tottori travel: start with the dunes or Yonago?
Stay near Tottori Station for dunes and The Sand Museum. For Mizuki Shigeru’s work, base yourself near Yonago Station and visit Sakaiminato. Kurayoshi lies between the two areas, but its station and white-wall warehouse quarter are apart; allow for a bus journey.
Start with the places you want to visit in Tottori
Visit dunes/Sand Museum in eastern Tottori City, warehouses/Utsubuki Park in central Kurayoshi, and yokai street/Yonago Castle ruins in the west. Choose whether outdoor dunes and exhibitions share a day or have a day each.
Itineraries by trip length
Choose a dunes/museum-focused trip or continue to Kurayoshi’s old streets. For Sakaiminato’s yokai street and Yonago Castle ruins too, consider a course moving hotels westwards. Check the departure station on your final sightseeing day.
2 days / 1 night
Stay one night near Tottori Station for dunes, sand art and Tottori Castle ruins, or Yonago Station for yokai street and Yonago Castle ruins. JR between the stations takes time, followed by extra buses/trains to the dunes or Sakaiminato. For two days, choose one side to leave more time for sightseeing.
3 days / 2 nights
Stay two Tottori nights to give dunes, The Sand Museum and city castle ruins a day each. Alternatively, visit dunes and exhibitions on Day 1, then move to Kurayoshi for warehouses and Utsubuki Park. The Tottori stay ends at Tottori Station; the hotel-move course ends at Kurayoshi.
4 days / 3 nights
Stay one night each in Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago as you move west, or two Tottori nights and one Kurayoshi night for eastern dunes/castle and central walks. Sakaiminato is a day trip from your Yonago hotel. On hotel-move days, choose JR to your next city first, then attraction travel and the return to that day’s hotel.
5 days / 4 nights
For yokai sculptures and Yonago Castle ruins, move west with two Tottori nights, one Kurayoshi night and one Yonago night. For more time at Tottori Castle ruins and Utsubuki Park, stay three Tottori nights and one Kurayoshi night. No Yonago return is added to eastern/central course costs.
Where to stay
Hotel bases and sightseeing areas
Tottori City is in the east, Kurayoshi in the centre, and Yonago/Sakaiminato in the west. Putting dunes and Sakaiminato in one day on a short trip leaves more time travelling between stations than sightseeing. Start with the side where you arrive.
Official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOfficial Kurayoshi warehouse-quarter informationOfficial Mizuki Shigeru Museum information
Choose your hotel, arrival station and departure station
Stay near Tottori Station for dunes, Hakuto and Tottori Castle ruins; Kurayoshi Station for the warehouse quarter and Utsubuki Park; or Yonago Station for Sakaiminato and Yonago Castle ruins. Courses moving cities finish at the final hotel base’s station. Add separate JR travel if returning to your arrival station.
Operator route 39 timetable and faresKurayoshi bus stands and return guidanceOfficial Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationCity tourism and luggage guidance
Compare transport tickets
Compare Tottori-Matsue Pass with ordinary tickets
Adults pay 4,000 yen for the Tottori-Matsue Pass, valid for three consecutive days. Use JR between Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago and the Sakai Line within the official map’s coverage. Distinguish its listed Loop Kirinjishi and Matsue Lakeline buses. Route 39 Sakyu Line, Kurayoshi routes 11/12 and Kururi in these courses are not counted as covered.
JR basic fares in westward three-night A and four-night A total 2,330 yen: Tottori–Kurayoshi 680, Kurayoshi–Yonago 990 and Sakai Line return 660. If using only local trains for these rides, ordinary tickets cost less than the pass. Compare actual sections, seats and dates again when adding limited expresses or other travel.
Eligibility requires a non-Japanese passport and Temporary Visitor status. Reserved seats need advance booking. The pass does not cover the whole five-day itinerary, admission, accommodation or meals; check date-specific trains before choosing the start date.
JR Tottori-Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityJR train and fare search
Transport, food and cameras
Tottori Sand Dunes camera
Assess only the camera’s visible area. Follow facility guidance for opening, bookings and operation.
Tottori Sand Dunes camera →Matsuba crab and beef-bone broth ramen
Use this for choosing winter crab dishes or beef-bone broth ramen. It covers food prefecture-wide; check your chosen restaurant’s address and actual menu separately.
Matsuba crab and beef-bone broth ramen →Tottori Prefecture cameras
Choose actual filmed locations from the prefecture’s camera list.
Tottori Prefecture cameras →Sakyu Line timetable and fares
Choose dunes-bound services and returns from the museum stop to Tottori Station.
Sakyu Line timetable and fares →Hakuto timetables by day
Distinguish weekday from weekend/public-holiday arrival and return times.
Hakuto timetables by day →Route 11 timetable for the warehouse quarter
Check Park Square services from Kurayoshi stand 2 and returns via the same route.
Route 11 timetable for the warehouse quarter →Route 12 timetable for the park
One-way fare to Shiyakusho/Utsubuki-Koen-Iriguchi is 230 yen. Check timetables alongside notices for your actual date.
Route 12 timetable for the park →JR trains for your date
Enter actual departure/arrival stations and travel dates to recheck returns, transfers and fares.
JR trains for your date →Sanyo-San’in Area Pass coverage
Compare actual rides and eligibility with official coverage. Decide JR days and sections, then compare ordinary tickets and pass prices.
Sanyo-San’in Area Pass coverage →Places to give separate days in Tottori
Choose an area below, allowing for travel between cities and each attraction’s access rather than treating them as one neighbourhood walk.
Regional name
Tottori Prefecture · 鳥取県
Tottori Station, dunes and city castle ruins
Use route 39 from the station’s north-side bus terminal for dunes and The Sand Museum. Give Kyusho Park/castle ruins a separate day using the green Kururi loop bus. Sakyu Line and Kururi fares differ; check each.
Official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOperator route 39 timetable and faresNorth-exit stand 0 and directional stops
Kurayoshi Station and white-wall warehouses
The warehouse quarter is not immediately outside the station. One day uses route 11 via Park Square from stand 2; another uses route 12 to Utsubuki Park. Check each return route and stop.
Official Kurayoshi warehouse-quarter informationKurayoshi bus stands and return guidanceRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and fares
Yonago Station and Sakaiminato
Visit yokai street and museum on a JR Sakai Line return from Yonago to Sakaiminato. On the Yonago Castle day, allow its walking time separately from Sakaiminato travel.
Official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationOfficial JR searchJR train and fare search
Directions for your departure station and destination
Allow separately for train/bus rides and the walk to the attraction. Each attraction guide also explains the return journey.
Getting to Tottori Sand Dunes and back
From Tottori Station north-side bus terminal stand 0, take route 39 to Sakyu Kaikan (砂丘会館（鳥取砂丘）), the terminus. Adults pay 380 yen one way. Walk a few minutes to the dunes; allow dune-hill walking separately. If visiting the museum too, choose a Tottori Station-bound return from Suna-no-Bijutsukan-mae.
Official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOperator route 39 timetable and faresNorth-exit stand 0 and directional stops
Getting to Kurayoshi warehouses and back
From Kurayoshi stand 2, take route 11, Yashiro Line via Park Square, to Akagawara/Shirakabe-Dozo (赤瓦・白壁土蔵), then walk about five minutes. Adults pay 310 yen one way, 620 return by the same route. Distinguish city-centre services. Facility guidance gives Tottori–Kurayoshi travel as about 30–40 minutes by limited express or one hour by local train, excluding waits.
Official Kurayoshi warehouse-quarter informationKurayoshi bus stands and return guidanceRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and fares
Getting to Mizuki Shigeru Museum and back
Take JR Sakai Line from Yonago to its Sakaiminato terminus, then walk about ten minutes. Adult basic JR fares total 660 yen return; look up departures for your date separately.
Official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationOfficial JR searchJR train and fare search
Connect with other regions and transport
For onward travel, compare where you will move hotels and the station where your course actually ends.
3 nights / 4 days: compare Yonago/Sakaiminato with Shimane
Three-night A visits Sakaiminato from Yonago; B stays in Tottori and Kurayoshi. For onward Matsue/Izumo travel, compare Shimane’s hotel sequence too. A’s JR basic fares total 2,330 yen, versus the 4,000-yen three-day Tottori-Matsue Pass; the pass is not cheaper for these local-train rides alone. Compare actual services and fares again for extra Shimane travel or limited expresses.
The current course visits here on a Sakai Line return from Yonago.
Courses staying in Matsue, Yasugi and Izumo. For an added day trip from Tottori, check return transport and time at your destination separately.
Check three-consecutive-day validity, JR coverage and Loop Kirinjishi/Lakeline. Sakyu Line, Kururi and Kurayoshi city bus fares in this itinerary are extra.
JR Tottori-Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityOfficial Sand Museum informationOfficial Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationOperator route 39 timetable and faresRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and faresJR train and fare search
4 nights / 5 days: compare western sightseeing with Shimane
Four-night A stays in Yonago for separate Sakaiminato and castle-ruins days; B allows more eastern/central walks. For onward Matsue/Izumo travel, compare Shimane’s hotel sequence too. A’s JR basic fares total 2,330 yen, versus the 4,000-yen three-day Tottori-Matsue Pass; the pass is not cheaper for these local-train rides alone. Compare actual services and fares again for extra Shimane travel or limited expresses.
The current course visits here on a Sakai Line return from Yonago.
Courses staying in Matsue, Yasugi and Izumo. For an added day trip from Tottori, check return transport and time at your destination separately.
Check three-consecutive-day validity, JR coverage and Loop Kirinjishi/Lakeline. Sakyu Line, Kururi and Kurayoshi city bus fares in this itinerary are extra.
JR Tottori-Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityOfficial Sand Museum informationOfficial Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationOperator route 39 timetable and faresRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and faresJR train and fare search
Check transport for your next journey
Choose Tottori Station-bound returns from dunes/Sand Museum, or Kurayoshi Station-bound buses from the warehouse quarter, first. On westward hotel-move days, connect these returns with JR towards Kurayoshi/Yonago. Check Sakai Line returns separately for a Sakaiminato visit during your Yonago stay.
Choose dunes-bound services and returns from the museum stop to Tottori Station.
Distinguish weekday from weekend/public-holiday arrival and return times.
Check Park Square services from Kurayoshi stand 2 and returns via the same route.
One-way fare to Shiyakusho/Utsubuki-Koen-Iriguchi is 230 yen. Check timetables alongside notices for your actual date.
Enter actual departure/arrival stations and travel dates to recheck returns, transfers and fares.
What to eat in Tottori
Choose food near that day’s sightseeing, then check menus and prices at restaurants open on your date.
Beef-bone broth ramen in Kurayoshi and central/western Tottori
Beef-bone broth ramen is a central/western Tottori food. Compare restaurant locations for your Kurayoshi or Yonago meal days. If staying near Tottori Station, check the journey to your chosen ramen shop too.
Winter Matsuba crab
Matsuba crab refers to mature male snow crab and is a winter food. For crab dishes, ask the restaurant about your month’s menu, preparation and booking conditions. Meals are outside the courses’ checked costs.
Find restaurants where you are staying that day
For beef-bone broth ramen, compare Kurayoshi/Yonago hotel days and restaurant addresses. For crab meals during Tottori Station nights, check actual locations, your month’s menu and booking conditions in the list below. Food costs are separate from itinerary totals.
Tottori tourism beef-bone broth ramenTottori tourism Matsuba crab
Compare transport, admission and passes
The bus from Tottori to dunes/Sand Museum and JR from Yonago to Sakaiminato are separate costs. Start with the one-night admission/transport totals below; add intercity JR if moving hotels Tottori–Kurayoshi–Yonago. Accommodation, meals and airport travel are extra.
Dunes, sand art and city castle ruins: 1,760 yen
Sand Museum 800 yen + Sakyu Line 760 + Kururi 200. Accommodation, meals, airport travel, luggage storage and unlisted transport are extra. Paid activities and separate facility admission are excluded. Choose return services for your date.
Official Sand Museum informationOperator route 39 timetable and faresKururi fares and date-specific services
Yokai street and Yonago Castle ruins: 1,660 yen
Mizuki Museum 1,000 yen + Sakai Line 330 × 2. Accommodation, meals, airport travel, luggage storage and unlisted transport are extra. Paid activities and separate facility admission are excluded. Choose return services for your date.
Official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationJR train and fare search
Tottori–Kurayoshi–Yonago JR and regional passes
Compare Tottori-Matsue Pass prices/coverage with local-train costs in the transport guidance above. For the Sanyo-San’in Area Pass too, check extra rides against official coverage below.
Compare actual rides and eligibility with official coverage. Decide JR days and sections, then compare ordinary tickets and pass prices.
Choose three consecutive days using Tottori–Kurayoshi–Yonago JR and Sakai Line. Regular Sakyu Line, Kururi and Kurayoshi buses are not counted as covered.
JR Tottori-Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityJR train and fare search
Official Sand Museum informationOperator route 39 timetable and faresKururi fares and date-specific servicesOfficial Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationJR train and fare searchJR Tottori-Matsue Pass coverage and eligibility
Choose by trip length and visiting conditions
For one night, choose either Tottori’s dunes or Yonago’s yokai area. For three or four nights, move hotels to Kurayoshi/Yonago if desired. On late-arrival days, first check whether enough time remains for both dunes and sand art.
Tottori in 1 night / 2 days: dunes or Yonago?
Stay one night near Tottori Station for dunes, sand art and Tottori Castle ruins, or Yonago Station for yokai street and Yonago Castle ruins. JR between the stations takes time, followed by extra buses/trains to the dunes or Sakaiminato. For two days, choose one side to leave more time for sightseeing.
Tottori in 2 nights / 3 days: stay in the east or move to Kurayoshi?
Stay two Tottori nights to give dunes, The Sand Museum and city castle ruins a day each. Alternatively, visit dunes and exhibitions on Day 1, then move to Kurayoshi for warehouses and Utsubuki Park. The Tottori stay ends at Tottori Station; the hotel-move course ends at Kurayoshi.
Tottori in 3 nights / 4 days: move to Yonago or stay east/central?
Stay one night each in Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago as you move west, or two Tottori nights and one Kurayoshi night for eastern dunes/castle and central walks. Sakaiminato is a day trip from your Yonago hotel. On hotel-move days, choose JR to your next city first, then attraction travel and the return to that day’s hotel.
Tottori in 4 nights / 5 days: continue west or explore east/central?
For yokai sculptures and Yonago Castle ruins, move west with two Tottori nights, one Kurayoshi night and one Yonago night. For more time at Tottori Castle ruins and Utsubuki Park, stay three Tottori nights and one Kurayoshi night. No Yonago return is added to eastern/central course costs.
View cameras before your Tottori trip
Images show only the filmed area. Check official guidance for attraction operation and transport.
Tottori Sand Dunes camera
Before visiting the dunes, check the linked camera page’s coverage and update time. Conditions on paths outside the frame and Sand Museum operation require separate checks.
Tottori Prefecture cameras
Look for images matching your hotel area in Tottori, Kurayoshi or Yonago. Images of another neighbourhood cannot establish weather around your hotel.
Frequently asked questions
How many days for both dunes and Yonago/Sakaiminato?
Dunes and The Sand Museum are in eastern Tottori City; yokai street and Mizuki Museum are in western Sakaiminato. For one night, choose dunes/museum and city castle ruins, or yokai street and Yonago Castle ruins. For both areas, see three- and four-night courses with intercity JR travel and hotel moves. Decide then whether to include Kurayoshi.
Official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOfficial Kurayoshi warehouse-quarter informationOfficial Mizuki Shigeru Museum information
Official sources and check dates
- Official Tottori Sand Dunes information ·
- Official Sand Museum information ·
- Official Kurayoshi warehouse-quarter information ·
- Kurayoshi bus stands and return guidance ·
- Official Mizuki Shigeru Museum information ·
- Kururi fares and date-specific services ·
- City tourism and luggage guidance ·
- Operator route 39 timetable and fares ·
- North-exit stand 0 and directional stops ·
- Hinomaru routes and fares ·
- Route 11 Yashiro Line timetables by day ·
- Official JR search ·
- JR train and fare search ·
- JR Tottori-Matsue Pass coverage and eligibility ·
- Tottori tourism beef-bone broth ramen ·
- Tottori tourism Matsuba crab ·