Uradome Coast

The Uradome coast runs about fifteen kilometres east from Tottori, where the sea has worked a granite headland into small coves, caves, arches and stacks with white sand at the heads. The water is exceptionally clear - the granite produces little sediment and there is no large river outflow - so from a kayak or a glass-bottomed boat the bottom is visible several metres down and the boat casts a shadow on it. Kayak operators run half-day trips into the caves and around the stacks; sightseeing boats cover the same ground with less effort. A clifftop path connects the coves for walkers, with steep descents to individual beaches. The coast is part of the San'in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark, which extends along this shore to Kyoto prefecture, and the Tottori Sand Dunes are just west of the start of it.

What you actually see

• Granite coves - caves, arches and stacks along fifteen kilometres of shore.
• Very clear water - little sediment and no river outflow, bottom visible from a boat.
• Kayak trips - half-day paddles into the caves and around the stacks.
• A geopark coast - part of the San'in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark.

When to go

June to September for the water. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Kayak and boat trips are cancelled in swell, common outside summer. The clifftop path has steep unmade descents to the beaches. Facilities are limited and the coves have no services. Winter here is grey and rough.

Nearby

The Tottori Sand Dunes are west; the Sea of Japan coast runs east into Hyogo.