Sanin Kaigan

Sanin Kaigan National Park protects 87 kilometers of dramatic coastline along the Sea of Japan, spanning portions of Kyoto, Hyogo, and Tottori prefectures in western Honshu. Designated in 1963 and expanded in 2010, the park encompasses 9,083 hectares of diverse coastal landscapes including towering sea cliffs, sandy beaches, volcanic rock formations, and coastal dune systems. The park is perhaps most famous for the Tottori Sand Dunes, the largest dune system in Japan, which creates a desert-like landscape incongruous with typical Japanese scenery. The park protects important coastal ecosystems, migratory bird habitat, and geological features of scientific significance.