Tottori dunes
The Tottori Dunes ( Japanese 鳥取 砂丘 , Tottori-sakyū ) are sandy coastal dunes that extend along the coast of the Sea of Japan in the city of Tottori in Tottori Prefecture .
An enka song (Japanese hit song) by Kaori Mizumori is named after the Tottori dunes .
Overview
The sand dunes are a special protected area of the San'in Kaigan National Park . They extend over 2.4 km in north-south direction and 16 km from east to west. It is the largest sand dune area in Japan. The sand of the dunes comes from the eroded granite layers of the Chūgoku region , which were washed into the Sea of Japan by the Sendai River ( 千代 川 ), where the sand then collected on the coast.
Sand dunes extend to the right and left of the Sendai, but what is commonly referred to as "Tottori Dunes" is the 5.45 km² of Hamasaka Dune on the east bank of the river. In the southwest, the dune separates a small lake, the Tanamazugaike ( 多 鯰 ヶ 池 ), from the sea.
The greatest height difference within the dune landscape is around 90 meters. Because of their shape, the depressions in the landscape are called Suribachi ( 擂 鉢 ), which means mortars in German. The largest of them are up to 40 meters deep. On the slopes of the valleys, the wind creates wave patterns in the sand that are reminiscent of bamboo blinds. These patterns, which occur at a wind speed of around 5 to 6 meters per second, are therefore called Fūren ( 風 簾 , dt. Wind bamboo blinds ) in Japanese .
Near the sand dunes, famous Japanese poets have left memorial stones with waka inscriptions, so-called Kahi ( 歌 碑 ), such as Arishima Takeo , Takahama Kyoshi , Yosano Akiko , Edano Toyoaki ( 枝 野 登 代 秋 ) and Morikawa Kyōsui ( 森川 暁 水 ).
In order to protect the surrounding farmhouses from damage caused by the sand blown over from the dunes, the outskirts were reforested in the past. However, since this reduces the area of the sand dunes, which are popular as a tourist attraction, and endangers the dune ecosystem worthy of protection, these measures have been restricted. The dunes are also used for agriculture; Chinese yams , shallots and spring onions are grown in the sandy soil .
Due to the flora and fauna they have created in orthogenesis , the dunes are of particular interest to biologists. The special plants found here include Vitex rotundifolia , Wedelia prostrata and Aster arenarius . The agricultural faculty at Tottori University is researching how the desert landscapes of the dunes in Tottori can be greened.
A special entrance to the dune was built for the tourists, around which rest houses and souvenir shops have settled. Camels are also bred there, and of course you can take a souvenir photo with a camel. The dunes are also a popular destination for school trips, and a children's area called Tottori Dunes has been set up nearby. You can also do sports, paragliding is offered. It is also popular on summer evenings to watch the fishing boats on the sea from the dunes, which lure the squids into their nets with their lights.
The dunes were declared a natural monument on February 3, 1955 .
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 35 ° 32 '31.2 " N , 134 ° 13' 42.2" E