Tottori

Tottori is both a prefecture in Japan and a city, the capital of the prefecture itself. It’s very rural for the highly-urbanized country, being more likely to be full of rice fields, mountains of impenetrable forest, and the odd big box farm supply store. Still, Tottori’s got an edge of the real that most tourists never get to see in Japan.

Major sights in Tottori City are the famous Sand Dunes (the only ones in Japan) and the nearby coast, which has beautiful water and interesting rock formations not wholly unlike northern California—but with significantly warmer water temperature.

I lived in Tottori prefecture for two years, and have deeply fond memories of the place. If you’re interested in slower Japan where you might conceivably be amongst a handful of foreigners visiting at any one time, check it out.