A desert in Japan? Not quite, but you could imagine it to be true when standing in the middle of the 30km² stretch of sand dunes in Tottori Prefecture. Facing the Sea of Japan, this sandy expanse features rolling dunes, with the highest one standing 47m above sea level. One of them has a long ridge, nicknamed 'Uma no se' (horse's back), while the ones called 'Suribachi' are large and concave, resembling a mortar bowl. The surface of the dunes and the concave spots are patterned with sand ripples formed by the wind, and the dunes' very charm lies in the many different faces they show, depending on the time of day and season. To complete the 'desert' experience, you can take a leisurely trot across the sand, or try your hand at paragliding, hang-gliding and sand boarding.