Tottori Prefecture stretches along Japan's San'in coast on the Sea of Japan, home to the Tottori Sand Dunes, the country's largest coastal dune system, and the yokai-themed Mizuki Shigeru Road in the port town of Sakaiminato. Japan's least populous prefecture, Tottori pairs a dramatic, uncrowded coastline with Mount Daisen's hiking trails, the white-walled storehouse district of Kurayoshi, and radium-rich hot springs at Misasa and Kaike Onsen.
Tottori faces the Sea of Japan on Honshu's San'in coast and has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa) with a distinctly different rhythm from Japan's Pacific side. Winters (December–February) are cold and considerably snowier and wetter than Tokyo or Osaka at the same latitude, with the mountainous interior near Mount Daisen receiving especially heavy snow, while coastal Tottori City and Yonago see lighter but still regular snowfall. Summers (June–August) are hot and humid with a pronounced tsuyu rainy season in June–July, and the exposed Sand Dunes intensify midday heat. Autumn brings typhoon exposure but also Tottori's clearest, most reliable weather.
Best time to visit
Best: Year-round
Avoid: None
Month-by-month weather
Typical conditions throughout the year.
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The seasons
What to expect in each part of the year.
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Crowds & peak times
When to expect tourists and when to avoid them.
- Items
- Period
- Golden Week (late April–early May)
- Crowd level
- Very high
- Notes
- Book Kaike Onsen and Misasa Onsen ryokan well in advance
- Period
- Shan-Shan Matsuri (13–15 August)
- Crowd level
- Very high
- Notes
- Central Tottori City accommodation books up around the umbrella dance dates
- Period
- Cherry blossom season (late March–early April)
- Crowd level
- Moderate
- Notes
- Popular at Kyusho-en on weekends but far less crowded than Kyoto or Osaka equivalents
- Period
- Obon (mid-August)
- Crowd level
- Moderate to high
- Notes
- Domestic tourists visit the Sand Dunes and Sakaiminato; book accommodation and rental cars ahead
- Period
- December–February
- Crowd level
- Low
- Notes
- Best accommodation rates of the year; ideal for budget-conscious, cold-tolerant travellers
Major events & festivals
Time your visit around what matters.
Tottori City's largest summer festival, culminating in the Issei Kasa Odori umbrella dance parade on 14 August with up to 4,000 dancers — a Guinness World Record holder for largest umbrella dance
A two-day festival in Kurayoshi's historic Utsubuki district featuring a 1,500-person parade, a local contest, and fireworks over the Tenjingawa river
Roadside stands and the Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum in Kurayoshi celebrate the region's signature pear crop
The start of Tottori's prized snow crab season draws visitors to San'in coast fishing ports and restaurants through March
Rare snow-dusted dune views and seasonal evening events at the Sand Dunes and Sand Museum
Hatsumode (first shrine visit of the year) draws local crowds to Ube Shrine, the ichinomiya of former Inaba Province