Not so well known is the fact that Tottori Prefecture in western Japan is where Japan's only dune lies. Located along the coast line, Tottori dune has beautiful sand craters as deep as 40 m and breathtaking wave lines and magnificent open view of the dune.
In the Tottori’s region is the Tottori Sand Museum, which the Japan National Tourist Organiation is encouraging tourists to visit. According to the tourism body, this unique outdoor museum is the only place in the world that accommodates the top level of massive sand art pieces.
After the great success of the experimental sand sculpture exhibition in 2006 featuring sand sculptures of the Italian Renaissance icons, a second exhibition started in April 26 sporting sand art sculptures of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia. The second exhibition is larger in size: The art pieces are the works of eight sculptors from five countries - Japan, China, Singapore, India and Italy - while the first exhibition invited two. The largest sculpture is up to 16 feet high and 46 feet wide, and the art pieces appear even more spectacular when lit up in the evening.
The exhibition is the collection of over ten sand sculptures in 1,500 sq m space of the museum, and runs until January 3, 2009 (the exhibition may be closed due to the weather).
Featured sand sculptures include the Taj Mahal, India; Angkor, Cambodia; Historic City of Ayutthaya, Thailand; The Great Wall, China; Himeji Castle, Japan; Persepolis, Iran; Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat), Iraq and the buddha statues of the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan.