National Parks · Hyogo, Tottori, Kyoto
San'in Kaigan National Park
山陰海岸国立公園さんいんかいがんこくりつこうえんSan'in Kaigan Kokuritsu KōenSand dunes, sea caves and the birth of the Sea of Japan
San'in Kaigan National Park protects a narrow strip of Sea of Japan coast about 75 km long, from Kyōtango in Kyoto Prefecture through northern Hyogo to the Tottori Sand Dunes. Designated in 1963, it is also a UNESCO Global Geopark recording the opening of the Sea of Japan.
Overview
San'in Kaigan National Park is one of Japan's smallest national parks by land area but one of its most varied coastlines. It follows the Sea of Japan shore from the Tango Peninsula in Kyoto Prefecture across the Tajima coast of northern Hyogo to the city of Tottori, a sequence of headlands, sea stacks, caves, pocket beaches and, at its western end, the best-known coastal dune field in Japan.
The coast is a readable record of how the Japanese archipelago tore away from the Asian mainland and the Sea of Japan opened between about 25 and 15 million years ago. Volcanic rocks, granite and marine sediments from that period are exposed by constant wave attack, which is why the area was among the first Japanese geoparks in 2008 and joined the Global Geoparks Network in 2010.
The park was designated on 15 July 1963, upgraded from a quasi-national park. Fishing ports such as Kasumi, Shibayama and Hamasaka are the heart of the snow-crab fishery in winter, and the onsen town of Kinosaki lies just inland.
Landscape and formation
Most of the park is a rocky, deeply indented coast. At Uradome the waves have cut granite into islets, arches and caves; on the Tajima coast, andesite, rhyolite and tuff form cliffs and sea stacks such as those of the Tajima Mihonoura. Columnar basalt is exposed at Genbudō on the Maruyama River, where in 1929 the geophysicist Matuyama Motonori found rocks magnetised in the reverse direction, an early clue to reversals of the Earth's magnetic field.
The Tottori Sand Dunes are the exception: sand eroded from the granite of the Chūgoku Mountains was carried to the sea by the Sendai River, pushed back ashore by waves and piled up by the north-westerly winter monsoon. The dunes stretch for about 16 km along the coast, with ridges rising some 40 m above the sea.
Highlights
- 鳥取砂丘Tottori Sakyū
Coastal dunes shaped by wind and sea, with the steep ridge of Umanose and wind ripples that change daily.
Uradome Coast
浦富海岸Uradome KaiganGranite cliffs, caves and pine-topped islets in clear water, sometimes called the Matsushima of the San'in.
Tajima Mihonoura
但馬御火浦Tajima MihonouraA remote stretch of volcanic cliffs, arches and caves between Hamasaka and Kasumi, best seen from the sea.
Takeno Coast
竹野海岸Takeno KaiganA sandy bay beside the Nekozaki Peninsula with rock formations and clear shallow water.
Kotohiki-hama
琴引浜Kotohiki-hamaA 'singing sand' beach at Kyōtango whose clean quartz grains squeak underfoot.
Tateiwa
立岩TateiwaA massive column of volcanic rock at the mouth of the Takeno River on the Tango Peninsula.
Nature
Ecology
Winter monsoon winds, salt spray and shifting sand shape the plant life. Cliffs carry Japanese black pine and wind-pruned scrub, while the dunes and beaches support specialist plants that anchor sand. The cold Sea of Japan here is rich in snow crab, squid and flatfish, and the rocky shallows are important for seaweed and shellfish.
Flora
Japanese black pine
クロマツkuromatsuCrowns the islets and headlands of Uradome and Takeno.
Beach vitex
ハマゴウhamagōA creeping aromatic shrub that binds sand on the dunes and flowers purple in summer.
Carex kobomugi
コウボウムギkōbōmugiA dune sedge whose long runners stabilise loose sand.
Beach morning glory
ハマヒルガオhamahirugaoPink flowers on sandy beaches in late spring.
Fauna
Snow crab
ズワイガニzuwaiganiLanded at Kasumi, Shibayama and Tottori in winter and sold as Matsuba-gani.
Oriental white stork
コウノトリkōnotoriReintroduced to the wild in the nearby Toyooka basin after its extinction in Japan; birds are seen along the coast and estuaries.
Swordtip squid
ケンサキイカkensaki ikaCaught at night in summer off the San'in coast, when the lights of squid boats line the horizon.
Culture
The coast's harbours were ports of call for the kitamae-bune, the merchant ships that sailed the Sea of Japan between Osaka and Hokkaido in the Edo period, and villages such as Moroyose and Shibayama kept their sheltered anchorages and old storehouses. Fishing, especially for snow crab, still defines the towns. The Tottori Sand Dunes have attracted artists and writers; the photographer Ueda Shōji made them the stage for his staged, surreal compositions.
- 城崎温泉Kinosaki Onsen
A willow-lined onsen town just inland on the Ōtani River, celebrated by the writer Shiga Naoya.
Genbudō
玄武洞GenbudōOld quarries in columnar basalt on the Maruyama River, key site of the geopark and of the study of geomagnetic reversal.
Amarube Viaduct
余部橋梁Amarube KyōryōA railway viaduct high above a coastal village, originally a steel trestle of 1912; part of the old structure is preserved as a viewpoint.
Shibayama Port
柴山港Shibayama-kōA small crab-fishing harbour in a sheltered inlet, once a refuge for kitamae ships.
History
c. 25–15 million years ago
The Sea of Japan opens as the archipelago separates from the continent; the park's volcanic rocks date largely from this period.
1603–1868
Kitamae-bune merchant ships call at the harbours of the Tajima and Inaba coasts.
1929
Matuyama Motonori reports reversed magnetisation in the basalt of Genbudō.
1955
The Tottori Sand Dunes are designated a national natural monument.
1963
San'in Kaigan is designated a national park on 15 July.
2008
Recognised as one of the first Japanese geoparks.
2010
Joins the Global Geoparks Network, later a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Through the seasons
Spring
Calm seas return and the coast turns green; beach plants bloom on the dunes from May.
Summer
The best time for the water: clear, calm seas for swimming, sea kayaking and boat trips into the caves, and squid-boat lights at night.
Autumn
Stable weather for coastal walks; the snow-crab season opens in November.
Winter
Grey skies, snow and heavy swell under the north-westerly monsoon; the dramatic season on the cliffs and the high season for crab in the harbour towns.
Routes and trails
Uradome coast boat trip
Excursion boats from Iwami weave between the islets and caves of the granite coast.
Uradome coastal path
A cliff-top trail with views over the islets, linking beaches and viewpoints.
Tottori Sand Dunes walk
From the visitor centre across the dunes to the crest of Umanose and down to the sea.
Sea kayaking on the Tajima coast
Guided paddles from Takeno and Kasumi into caves and arches inaccessible from land.
Practical notes
- JR San'in Main Line trains follow the coast between Kinosaki, Kasumi, Hamasaka and Tottori; many coves are only reachable by car or boat.
- Tottori is served by Tottori Airport and by limited express trains from Osaka and Okayama.
- In winter the Sea of Japan is rough and boat trips usually stop; check local operators.
- The dunes get very hot in summer and very windy in winter; bring water and eye protection against blowing sand.
- Rules on the dunes prohibit graffiti and writing in the sand in some areas; follow the signs.
Frequently asked questions
Are the Tottori Sand Dunes part of a national park?
Yes. They form the western end of San'in Kaigan National Park and are also a national natural monument.
Why is San'in Kaigan a geopark?
Its rocks record the opening of the Sea of Japan and the separation of Japan from the Asian continent, and wave erosion has exposed them along the whole coast. It was among the first Japanese geoparks in 2008 and joined the Global Geoparks Network in 2010.
How long is the park?
The park follows the coast for about 75 km, from Kyōtango in Kyoto Prefecture to Tottori, but it is only a narrow strip of land.
When is the best time to visit the coast?
Summer for boat trips and swimming in calm, clear water; winter for crab and storm-lashed scenery.
Related
Sources
- 1.環境省_山陰海岸国立公園 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 2.環境省_国立公園_国立公園一覧 (opens in a new tab) — 環境省 (Ministry of the Environment)
- 3.日本ジオパークネットワーク (opens in a new tab) — 日本ジオパークネットワーク (Japanese Geoparks Network)
- 4.National Parks of Japan (opens in a new tab) — Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan