Tottori, Japan
Not many foreigners travel out of the way and off the shinkansen line to visit Tottori. One travel blog I was reading said "It's out of the way, and really, there's not much there." That is true, but this tiny prefecture does have the largest sand dunes in Japan and I notice a difference in their attempt to market this attribute. The sand dunes were not our main reason for coming here but they deserved a visit since we were here.
The heat continues. The wind coming off the Sea of Japan feels like a hot blow drier. Sand boarding not possible in the heat, but a few runs and jumps up the dunes would do.
With the heat we lasted an hour and took the bus back to the city. I took a bag of sand for my collection, but I could have just taken it from the boys' shoes.
The bus ride back to town took awhile, but we got to see different parts of the city. Relying on public transportation these last two and half months have had pros and cons.
They boys stayed at the hotel and watched something on Netflix. Jack and I roamed up towards that station and watched a dance off competition. Dance groups dressed in layers of denim. Don't know how they did it without melting.
Later in the evening we all went to find something to eat. No katsu don to be found in this town. Can't read the kanji on the menus and there are no pictures or shalacked food in the windows.
Nate picked out a bento box that he is looking forward to taking to school instead of a lunch bag next year.
Our last night in Tottori. When M & D visited me in Japan we stayed in a hotel in Osaka and I took a picture of them in their yukatas sitting on the bed. It is one of my favourite pictures of them. They looked so cute. I am not sure we look as cute, but hey, not bad for a family of gaijins in yukatas sitting on tatami.
(Nate and Levi had fun with all the men's hair products in the bathroom. Lots of liquid wax in that hair! Levi has tried for a long time to get that Steven Stamkos look. I think he is getting there.)
