San’in Kaigan National Park
About 2.4 kilometers wide and stretching 16 kilometers along the Sea of Japan, the Tottori sand dunes anchor the western end of San’in Kaigan National Park, a geologically diverse area extending 75 kilometers east to the Hatcho coast of Kyotango in Kyoto prefecture. The park received UNESCO Global Geopark status in 2015 for features that reveal the dynamic geomorphological processes involved in the split of the Japanese archipelago from the Asian continent and the formation of the Sea of Japan some 20 million years ago. That history in turn generated the deep valleys, cascades, plains, and river basins that eventually came to support human habitation. Igneous rock formations, distinct strata, and unique coastal terrains such as the Tottori sand dunes are standout features of San’in Kaigan National Park.