The Tottori Sand Dunes, Unity with Nature *RERUN
This is the Tottori Sand Dunes, a landscape of sand 16km long, built up over thousands of years by the winds of the Sea of Japan. Designated as a national natural treasure, every year 1.2 million visitors come to admire the spectacular rolling sand landscape. The changing lights and seasons lend various appearances to the sand dunes. The wind that brings beauty to the dunes blows mercilessly, wanting to cover everything with the sand. Locals have lived here trying to live off the dry land, while protecting their fields and homes from sandstorms. In this episode of Seasoning the Seasons, we look at the story of people who have loved the sand, despite the difficulty and threat it brings.
Wind Ripples
Wind ripples are like works of art in the sand that appear when the wind continues blowing between 5m and 10m per second. Large grains of sand are moved by the impact when fine grains of sand are blown and fall on the dunes. When this phenomenon is repeated the natural work of art appears. Plants and insects live in this world of sand too, adopting a unique life of their own. They live gracefully not going against the wind and sand.
Shallots
For many years, the fight against sand has continued in the vicinity of the Tottori Sand Dunes. During sandstorms, strong winds try to devour farmland and houses. A vegetable field about 100 hectares in size has been cultivated, protected by an erosion control forest. Shallots are planted in the sandy field. Known for their resistance to aridity, the shallots have become a local specialty of Tottori Prefecture. The shallot bulbs planted in the summer during the intense heat, bloom all at once in November, presenting a beautiful flower garden.
Crying Out Love in the Center of the Dunes
This is an event that takes place in November at the Tottori Sand Dunes. From the top of the dunes, people shout out words of love that they cannot easily say face to face. Sometimes men propose here to their fiancés. In the areas around the dunes, many engage in activities that can be enjoyed because of the fine sand, such as natural slides on the slopes of the sand dunes and paragliding.