Kaike Onsen – Tottori
(Breakfast/-/Dinner)
Hotel: Hotel New Otani Tottori or similar
Japan’s one and only museum showcasing everything about pears, the Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum is a pear paradise. Centred around a great pear tree with a branch span of 20m, the museum is replete with exhibits and information on Asian pear history and agriculture. See, and taste, the story of the Nijisseiki Pear, most deliciously served in the form of soft serve ice cream!
Next, visit the icon of Tottori, the Tottori Sand Dunes. Spanning 16km by 2km along the coast of the Sea of Japan, the naturally formed sand dunes reach up to 50m in height. Trek up to the Umanose “Horse’s Back” for outstanding views of the sea and sand ripples caused by wind sweeping across its surface. Activities like sand sledding and camel rides are also available for an extra memorable experience here.
After some fun in the sand, head over to the Tottori Sand Museum to marvel at some sand art! The world’s first museum specialising in sand sculptures, masterpieces by sculptors from around the world are exhibited here. As the sculptures are made of sand, they eventually collapse, making their transience part of the attraction.
This evening, dine at Japan’s original shabu shabu restaurant. A dish that is now available all over Japan, shabu shabu originated when the restaurant’s founder brought the style of eating thin slices of meat lightly cooked in soup to Tottori from China. Replacing mutton with Tottori’s famous Olein 55 wagyu beef, shabu shabu here is matched perfectly with a sesame sauce in a mouth-watering combination.