This is Japan's only museum showing sculptures made out of sand. Each year, an international team of artists get together and using the sand readily available from the nearby sand dunes pack and then sculpt major works of art. They all work together for a couple of months to create artwork that will only be seen for about 8 months. The next year will have a different theme so brand new sculptures will be created by the artists. This year the 'South America' exhibition is running until January 3rd 2017.
There are two floors in the museum and on the first floor you can see the sculptures up close and also get a good look at all the details. On the second floor, you can see the whole museum from above including some parts that maybe you could not see from the main floor due to the height of the sculptures.
It is really breathtaking to see all the amazing details in this unique form of art. There is also a gift shop outside the main building so you can purchase some interesting souvenirs, including different sand containers to take back home with you. You can bring a piece of the Tottori sand dunes home with you in the form of a necklace, keychain or even a pen filled with sand.
I highly recommend this for anyone that will visit Tottori since it's a unique experience and enjoyable for the whole family.
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Find out more about Tottori Sand Museum.
George Popescu @george.popescu
I was born in Bucharest, Romania and after a brief stay in London, England I settled and lived in Toronto, Canada for 20 years. I moved to Tokyo in late 2013 and have lived here ever since. I enjoy exploring the city with my camera as well as going to many special events that Tokyo has to offer e...