Tottori – Ephemerality and fragility are often evoked by sand: children’s sand castles, waves washing away messages on the beach and the sands of time in an hourglass. In Tottori, however, sand is for creating and remembering.
The prefecture is known for its sand dunes and the Tottori Sand Museum, which this year marked a milestone of 20 years of transforming sand into monumental sculptures, similar to how Sapporo has been using Hokkaido’s snowy winters with its Snow Festival.
The Sand Museum’s exhibitions, which started outdoors in 2006 and moved indoors into a dedicated building in 2012, take on a new theme each year, usually a country, a continent or a historical period such as the Renaissance. Last year’s show was Japan-themed; this year, the honor goes to Spain for an exhibition that began last month and runs through Jan. 3.
