Tottori travel: dunes or Yonago first?
Stay near Tottori Station for the dunes and Sand Museum. For Shigeru Mizuki’s work, use Yonago Station as a base for Sakaiminato. Kurayoshi lies between them, but its station and white-walled storehouse district are apart, so include a bus journey.
Choose the Tottori attractions you want to see first
Dunes and Sand Museum are in eastern Tottori city; storehouses and Utsubuki Park in central Kurayoshi; yokai street and Yonago Castle Ruins in the west. Also choose whether to walk the dunes and see exhibitions on one day or separate days.
Itineraries by trip length
First choose a focus on dunes and the Sand Museum, or continuing to Kurayoshi’s old streets. A westward hotel-move route adds Sakaiminato’s yokai street and Yonago Castle Ruins. Check your departure station on the final sightseeing day too.
1 night, 2 days
Spend 1 night near Tottori Station for dunes, museum and city castle ruins, or Yonago Station for yokai street and Yonago Castle Ruins. JR between the bases takes time, with additional buses or trains to the dunes and Sakaiminato. Choose one side for a 2-day stay to leave more sightseeing time.
2 nights, 3 days
Stay 2 nights in Tottori for a day each at the dunes, museum and castle ruins. Alternatively, combine dunes and exhibition on day 1, then move to Kurayoshi for storehouses and Utsubuki Park. The same-base route ends at Tottori Station; the hotel-move route at Kurayoshi.
3 nights, 4 days
Move west with a night each in Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago, or use 2 Tottori nights and 1 Kurayoshi night for eastern dunes/castle ruins and central walks. Visit Sakaiminato as a day trip from Yonago. On moving days, choose JR to the next hotel city first, then transport to attractions and back to that day’s hotel.
4 nights, 5 days
For yokai sculptures and Yonago Castle Ruins, move west with 2 Tottori nights, 1 Kurayoshi and 1 Yonago. For more time at Tottori Castle Ruins and Utsubuki Park, choose 3 Tottori nights and 1 Kurayoshi. East/centre route costs do not add a Yonago return trip.
Where should you stay?
Hotel bases and sightseeing areas
Tottori city is in the east, Kurayoshi in the centre, and Yonago and Sakaiminato in the west. Putting the dunes and Sakaiminato into one day on a short trip leaves more time travelling between stations than sightseeing. Choose the eastern or western arrival area first.
Open official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOpen official Kurayoshi storehouse district informationOpen official Mizuki Shigeru Museum information
Choose accommodation, arrival and departure stations
Stay near Tottori Station for the dunes, Hakuto and Tottori Castle Ruins; Kurayoshi Station for the storehouse district and Utsubuki Park; or Yonago Station for Sakaiminato and Yonago Castle Ruins. Routes that move cities end at the final hotel base’s station. Add a separate JR journey if returning to your arrival station.
Operator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and faresKurayoshi bus stands and return informationOpen official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationCity tourism and luggage information
Compare transport passes
Compare the Tottori–Matsue Pass with ordinary tickets
The adult Tottori–Matsue Pass costs JPY 4,000 for 3 consecutive days. It covers JR between Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago, and Sakai Line sections shown on the official map. Distinguish the listed Loop Kirinjishi and Matsue Lake Line buses. This itinerary does not count dunes route 39, Kurayoshi routes 11/12 or Kururi buses as covered.
The westward 4-day route A and 5-day route A use JR base fares of Tottori–Kurayoshi JPY 680, Kurayoshi–Yonago JPY 990 and Sakai Line return JPY 660, totalling JPY 2,330. Ordinary local-train tickets cost less than the pass for these sections alone. Compare again for limited express trains or added journeys using actual sections, seats and dates.
Eligibility requires a non-Japanese passport and Temporary Visitor status. Reserve seats in advance. The pass does not cover a whole 5-day itinerary or include admission, accommodation and meals, so check travel-date trains before choosing its start date.
JR Tottori–Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityJR train and fare search
Transport, meals and cameras
Tottori Sand Dunes camera
Use only the area actually visible in the feed. Follow facility information for opening, bookings and transport operations.
Tottori Sand Dunes camera →Matsuba crab and gyukotsu ramen food guide
Use this when choosing winter crab dishes or beef-bone broth ramen for a meal. It covers the prefecture generally; check the address and actual menu of your itinerary’s restaurant separately.
Matsuba crab and gyukotsu ramen food guide →Tottori Prefecture cameras
Choose actual filming locations from this prefecture’s camera list.
Tottori Prefecture cameras →Dunes-line timetable and fares
Choose an outward dunes service and a return Tottori Station-bound bus from the museum stop.
Dunes-line timetable and fares →Hakuto timetables by day
Distinguish weekday arrival and return times from weekends/public holidays.
Hakuto timetables by day →Route 11 timetable for the storehouse district
Check stand 2 at Kurayoshi Station, Park Square routing and return by the same route.
Route 11 timetable for the storehouse district →Route 12 timetable for the park
One-way fare to Shiyakusho/Utsubuki Koen Iriguchi is JPY 230. Check the timetable with notices for your actual travel date.
Route 12 timetable for the park →JR actual-date train search
Enter departure and arrival stations and the actual date to recheck return services, transfers and fares.
JR actual-date train search →Sanyo-San’in Pass coverage
Check actual sections and eligibility against official coverage. Decide JR dates and journeys before comparing ordinary fares with the pass price.
Sanyo-San’in Pass coverage →Tottori places to visit on separate days
Choose by the areas below, allowing separate access journeys rather than treating different cities as one neighbourhood walk.
Area name
Tottori Prefecture · 鳥取県
Tottori Station, dunes and city castle ruins
Use dunes route 39 from the station’s north terminal for the dunes and museum. Give Kyusho Park/castle ruins a separate day using the green Kururi loop bus. The two bus routes have different fares; check each.
Open official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOperator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and faresNorth exit stand 0 and directional stop information
Kurayoshi Station and white-walled storehouses
The district is not directly outside the station. Route 11 via Park Square from stand 2 serves the storehouse day; route 12 serves the Utsubuki Park day. Check each return routing and stop.
Open official Kurayoshi storehouse district informationKurayoshi bus stands and return informationRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and fares
Yonago Station and Sakaiminato
For yokai street and museum, take return JR Sakai Line trains from Yonago to Sakaiminato. Keep the Yonago Castle Ruins walking time separate from the Sakaiminato journey.
Open official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationJR official search entry pointJR train and fare search
Find routes for your starting station and destination
Check facility walks separately from train/bus travel. Attraction guides include return conditions for each destination too.
Getting to and from Tottori Sand Dunes
Take dunes-line route 39 from stand 0 at Tottori Station’s north bus terminal to Sakyu Kaikan (砂丘会館（鳥取砂丘）). Adult one-way fare is JPY 380. The dunes are a few minutes on foot away; walking the sand hills takes extra time. For the museum too, select a return Tottori Station-bound bus from Suna-no-Bijutsukan-mae.
Open official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOperator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and faresNorth exit stand 0 and directional stop information
Getting to and from Kurayoshi’s storehouse district
From stand 2 at Kurayoshi Station, take Yashiro Line route 11 via Park Square to Akagawara/Shirakabe Dozo (赤瓦・白壁土蔵), then walk about 5 minutes. Adult fare JPY 310 one way, JPY 620 return by the same route. Distinguish the city-centre routing. Facility guidance gives about 30–40 minutes by limited express or 1 hour by local train between Tottori and Kurayoshi, excluding waits.
Open official Kurayoshi storehouse district informationKurayoshi bus stands and return informationRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and fares
Getting to and from Mizuki Shigeru Museum
Take a Sakaiminato-bound JR Sakai Line train from Yonago to the terminus, then walk about 10 minutes. Adult JR return base fares total JPY 660; look up exact departures separately for your date.
Open official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationJR official search entry pointJR train and fare search
Choose onward areas and transport
For an onward trip, compare the direction of hotel moves and actual ending station first.
4 days / 3 nights: compare Yonago, Sakaiminato and Shimane
Route A makes a Sakaiminato return visit from Yonago; route B stays in Tottori and Kurayoshi. For Matsue or Izumo afterwards, compare Shimane’s hotel-move direction too. Route A’s JPY 2,330 JR base fares are separate from the JPY 4,000 three-day Tottori–Matsue Pass; these local-train journeys alone do not make the pass cheaper. Recompare added Shimane journeys and limited express trains using actual services and fares.
The current route visits here on return Sakai Line journeys from Yonago.
Itineraries based in Matsue, Yasugi and Izumo. For a day trip from Tottori, check return transport and time available locally separately.
Check 3 consecutive days, JR coverage, Loop Kirinjishi and Lake Line. This itinerary’s dunes, Kururi and Kurayoshi local buses are extra.
JR Tottori–Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityOpen official Sand Museum informationOpen official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationOperator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and faresRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and faresJR train and fare search
5 days / 4 nights: compare western sightseeing and Shimane
Route A stays in Yonago for separate Sakaiminato and castle-ruins visits; route B allows eastern and central walks. For Matsue or Izumo afterwards, compare Shimane’s hotel direction too. Route A’s JPY 2,330 JR base fares and JPY 4,000 three-day Tottori–Matsue Pass are separate; the pass is not cheaper for these local-train sections alone. Recompare added Shimane journeys and limited express trains using actual fares.
The current route visits here on return Sakai Line journeys from Yonago.
Itineraries based in Matsue, Yasugi and Izumo. For a day trip from Tottori, check return transport and time available locally separately.
Check 3 consecutive days, JR coverage, Loop Kirinjishi and Lake Line. This itinerary’s dunes, Kururi and Kurayoshi local buses are extra.
JR Tottori–Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityOpen official Sand Museum informationOpen official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationOperator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and faresRoute 11 Yashiro Line timetables by dayHinomaru routes and faresJR train and fare search
Check transport for your next journey
Select Tottori Station-bound buses from the dunes/museum and Kurayoshi Station-bound buses from the storehouses first. On westward moving days, connect the return bus to JR towards Kurayoshi or Yonago. Check Sakaiminato return Sakai Line services separately on a Yonago hotel day.
Choose an outward dunes service and a return Tottori Station-bound bus from the museum stop.
Distinguish weekday arrival and return times from weekends/public holidays.
Check stand 2 at Kurayoshi Station, Park Square routing and return by the same route.
One-way fare to Shiyakusho/Utsubuki Koen Iriguchi is JPY 230. Check the timetable with notices for your actual travel date.
Enter departure and arrival stations and the actual date to recheck return services, transfers and fares.
What could you eat in Tottori?
Choose food around your sightseeing area, then check menus and prices at restaurants open that day.
Gyukotsu ramen in Kurayoshi and central/western Tottori
Beef-bone broth ramen is a central and western Tottori speciality. Compare restaurant locations for a Kurayoshi or Yonago meal day. If staying near Tottori Station, also check transport to your chosen ramen shop.
Winter Matsuba crab
Matsuba crab refers to mature male snow crab and is a winter speciality. Ask restaurants about menus for your travel month, preparation and reservations. Meals are excluded from checked itinerary costs.
Choose restaurants where you stay that day
Match a ramen meal day with Kurayoshi/Yonago nights and restaurant addresses. For crab while based at Tottori Station, check the actual shop’s location, monthly menu and reservations in the list below. Meals cost extra to route totals.
Tottori tourism: gyukotsu ramenTottori tourism: Matsuba crab
Compare transport, admission and passes
Buses from Tottori to the dunes/museum and JR from Yonago to Sakaiminato have separate costs. Start with admission and transport in the 1-night routes below; add intercity JR if moving hotels through Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago. Accommodation, meals and airport transfers are extra.
Dunes, sand exhibition and city castle ruins · JPY 1,760
The subtotal includes JPY 800 for the Sand Museum, JPY 760 for dunes buses and JPY 200 for Kururi buses. Accommodation, meals, airport transfers, luggage storage and unlisted transport are extra. Paid activities and other admission are excluded. Choose actual-date return services.
Open official Sand Museum informationOperator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and faresKururi fares and date-specific services
Yokai street and Yonago Castle Ruins · JPY 1,660
The subtotal includes JPY 1,000 for the Mizuki museum and Sakai Line trains at JPY 330 each way (JPY 330 × 2). Accommodation, meals, airport transfers, luggage storage and unlisted transport are extra. Paid activities and other admission are excluded. Choose actual-date return services.
Open official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationJR train and fare search
Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago JR and regional passes
Compare Tottori–Matsue Pass prices and coverage with local-train fares in the transport notes above. For Sanyo-San’in Pass too, check additional planned journeys against official coverage below.
Check actual sections and eligibility against official coverage. Decide JR dates and journeys before comparing ordinary fares with the pass price.
Choose the 3 consecutive days using JR between Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago and the Sakai Line. Ordinary dunes, Kururi and Kurayoshi buses are not counted as covered here.
JR Tottori–Matsue Pass coverage and eligibilityJR train and fare search
Open official Sand Museum informationOperator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and faresKururi fares and date-specific servicesOpen official Mizuki Shigeru Museum informationJR train and fare searchJR Tottori–Matsue Pass coverage and eligibility
Choose for your trip length and visit conditions
For 1 night, choose Tottori’s dunes area or Yonago’s yokai-street access. With 3–4 nights, move to Kurayoshi/Yonago if desired. For a late arrival, check whether enough time remains for both dunes and museum.
Tottori in 2 days / 1 night: stay near the dunes or Yonago?
Spend 1 night near Tottori Station for dunes, museum and city castle ruins, or Yonago Station for yokai street and Yonago Castle Ruins. JR between the bases takes time, with additional buses or trains to the dunes and Sakaiminato. Choose one side for a 2-day stay to leave more sightseeing time.
Tottori in 3 days / 2 nights: stay east or move to Kurayoshi?
Stay 2 nights in Tottori for a day each at the dunes, museum and castle ruins. Alternatively, combine dunes and exhibition on day 1, then move to Kurayoshi for storehouses and Utsubuki Park. The same-base route ends at Tottori Station; the hotel-move route at Kurayoshi.
Tottori in 4 days / 3 nights: continue to Yonago or stay east/centre?
Move west with a night each in Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago, or use 2 Tottori nights and 1 Kurayoshi night for eastern dunes/castle ruins and central walks. Visit Sakaiminato as a day trip from Yonago. On moving days, choose JR to the next hotel city first, then transport to attractions and back to that day’s hotel.
Tottori in 5 days / 4 nights: continue west or divide east/centre visits?
For yokai sculptures and Yonago Castle Ruins, move west with 2 Tottori nights, 1 Kurayoshi and 1 Yonago. For more time at Tottori Castle Ruins and Utsubuki Park, choose 3 Tottori nights and 1 Kurayoshi. East/centre route costs do not add a Yonago return trip.
View cameras before your Tottori trip
These supplement information about the filmed location only. Confirm facility and transport operations officially.
Tottori Sand Dunes camera
Check the linked dunes camera’s filming scope and update time before visiting. Paths outside the frame and Sand Museum operations need separate checks.
Tottori Prefecture cameras
Look for views matching your hotel area in Tottori, Kurayoshi or Yonago. A feed from another area does not establish weather around your hotel.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I need for the dunes and Yonago/Sakaiminato together?
The dunes and Sand Museum are in eastern Tottori city; yokai street and the museum are in western Sakaiminato. For 2 days / 1 night, choose dunes/museum and city castle ruins, or yokai street and Yonago Castle Ruins. For both areas, consider 3- or 4-night routes with intercity JR and hotel moves. Decide whether to include Kurayoshi too.
Open official Tottori Sand Dunes informationOpen official Kurayoshi storehouse district informationOpen official Mizuki Shigeru Museum information
Official sources and confirmation dates
- Open official Tottori Sand Dunes information ·
- Open official Sand Museum information ·
- Open official Kurayoshi storehouse district information ·
- Kurayoshi bus stands and return information ·
- Open official Mizuki Shigeru Museum information ·
- Kururi fares and date-specific services ·
- City tourism and luggage information ·
- Operator’s route 39 ordinary timetable and fares ·
- North exit stand 0 and directional stop information ·
- Hinomaru routes and fares ·
- Route 11 Yashiro Line timetables by day ·
- JR official search entry point ·
- JR train and fare search ·
- JR Tottori–Matsue Pass coverage and eligibility ·
- Tottori tourism: gyukotsu ramen ·
- Tottori tourism: Matsuba crab ·