Most folks don’t realize it, but Japan actually has sand dunes. On the west coast of the Sea of Japan near the town of Tottori, you’ll find the Tottori Sand Dunes covering more than 360 acres with the tallest rising nearly 150′, and they are literally right at the edge of the ocean. Its an amazing site to see. But if the weather isn’t cooperative (as it was when we were passing through), the best thing to do is visit the Tottori Sand Museum.
This is one of those off the beaten path discoveries in Japan that few western tourists see. It takes a little planning to get there as its not near a major city as most visitors stick to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. But if you have time, you should explore the western coast of Japan and include a stop at the Tottori Sand Museum. You won’t be fighting for the best position for that selfie photo as you do so much in Kyoto.
Every year, a new theme is implemented with more than a dozen of the world’s leading sand sculptors coming together to create a dozen or more masterpieces in sand. Its simply amazing to realize that what you see before you is entirely composed of sand and water. There are no bonding agents or coagulants used. None. Raw sand is poured into wooden molds that look like boxy pyramids, then compressed under great clamps that press most of the water out such that the material is pliable enough for carving once the molds are removed, but as it dries it almost becomes rock hard. When you see the detailing and look at the way some of the sculptures seem to defy gravity, you come away with an incredible appreciation of the skills it takes to pull this off.
Most of the sculptures are ten to twelve feet tall and may be up to 30 feet wide. You can get up close to the sculptures, but not too close as they are fragile and even in the best environmental conditions, these works of art will gradually deteriorate. That is why the sculptures change every year and are typically only available for viewing from early April to the end of December. For 2024, the theme is “Travel Around The World In Sand: France”. It features 18 sculptures depicting France’s history from Joan of Arc to the roaring 20’s. Prior exhibits have featured Germany, Asia, America, Czechoslovakia and others.
At the end of the exhibition period, the sand sculptures are destroyed and the sand is reused for the following year’s exhibit. While there, I kept wondering if the curators invite all the sand sculpture artists back to the museum at the end of the exhibition for a big party and have them stomp and smash down their works of sand. If you’ve ever been to the beach and built a sand castle only to have it stomped into an unrecognizable pile of sand, you know what I’m talking about. (Honestly, there’s something kind of fun doing that!) So if you happen to be on the southwestern side of Japan, I recommend a stop at the Tottori Sand Museum, but leave your shovel and bucket at home.
