Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [390]
Hotel Monarque (20-0101; fax 27-8181; http://hotel-monarque.jp/, in Japanese; 403 Eiraku Onsen-chō; s/tw from ¥7080/18,780; ) This swish weddings-and-reunions type place is a short walk from the station, and has its own onsen on the ground floor. There’s LAN internet in all rooms.
Eating & Drinking
Daizen (27-6574; 715 Sakae-machi; 11am-midnight) This cheap and cheerful young people’s izakaya by the station has all the usual favourites on the Japanese-only menu, including tempura moriawase (¥735) and honjitsu no o-tsukuri san-ten (three types of sashimi; ¥945). It’s on the right as you enter the covered shopping arcade opposite the station; look for the lanterns and banners out the front.
Tottori-ya (26-5858; 585-1 Yamane; 5pm-midnight) This bustling yakitori (skewers of grilled chicken) place in the heart of the entertainment district has yakikushi moriawase (grilled chicken assortments) at ¥609 for six sticks, or ¥1207 for 12. Look for the wooden exterior with a nawa-noren (rope curtain) hanging over the door.
Jujuan (21-1919; 751 Suehiro Onsen-chō; lunch & dinner) Fresh seafood and local beef sumibiyaki (charcoal grilled) are the specialities in this airy restaurant. Options include awabi (abalone; ¥2000) and shira-ika (squid; ¥800). It’s in the entertainment district, close to the station – look for a white building with a sloped roof on the right as you head away from the station.
Chocolate (37-2227; 611 Sakae-machi; drinks from ¥550; 10am-midnight, to 2am Fri & Sat, closed Tue) This long and narrow cafe-bar is a good place to unwind. Meals include pasta carbonara (¥800) and ebi-iri nama harumaki (spring rolls with shrimp; ¥600).
Falkenstein (27-4610; 318 Suehiro Onsen-chō; 6pm-midnight, closed Sun) This cosy German pub, run for 30 years by an expat from Kiel, is a friendly place to kick back and catch up on the football. German beers from ¥680; sausages from ¥850.
Getting There & Away
The coastal JR San-in line runs through Tottori from Matsue (¥2210, 2¼ hours) and on to Toyooka (futsū; ¥1450, 2½ hours) and Kyoto. Express services connect Tottori and Okayama (¥4270, two hours) via Yonago.
Tottori’s airport (28-1150; 4-110-5 Koyama-chō Nishi) is just northwest of town, with four daily flights to/from Tokyo. Buses run from Tottori station to the airport (¥450).
Getting Around
A Loop Bus (¥300/600 per ride/day pass) operates on weekends, holidays and from 20 July to 31 August. It connects the station with the dunes. Red- and blue-roofed minibuses (¥100 per ride) ply smaller, inner-city loops from the station every 20 minutes. Regular city buses depart from the station and leave for the dunes area (¥360, 20 minutes). Maps and timetables are available at the information office.
Bicycles can be rented outside the station for ¥500 per day (from 8am to 6.30pm). Turn right past the tourist information counter, then right again into the bicycle parking area.
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SAN-IN COAST NATIONAL PARK
The spectacular coastline east from the Tottori dunes all the way to the Tango-hantō in Kyoto-fu is known as the San-in Kaigan Kokuritsu Kōen – the San-in Coast National Park. There are sandy beaches, rugged headlands and pines jutting into the blue sky.
Uradome Kaigan
The first place of interest is Uradome Kaigan. Forty-minute cruises (0857-73-1212; cruise ¥1200; every 20min 9.10am-4.10pm Mar-Nov) leave from the fishing port of Ajiro (), 35 minutes east of Tottori by bus from JR Tottori Station. The bus goes via the dunes, so it’s possible to visit the dunes and do the cruise as a day trip from Tottori. Take a bus bound for Iwami and Iwai Onsen and get off at Kutsui-Ōhashi (). Boat is the only way to see the islets and craggy cliffs, with pines clinging precariously to their sides.
Uradome () and Makidani (), two popular beaches, are a few kilometres east. The closest station is Iwami on the JR San-in line, 2km from the coast, where there’s a tourist information office (0857-72-3481; 9am-6pm Tue-Sun). You can rent bicycles