Tohaku District: Mountain Temple and Conan Street

Tohaku District offers a wide variety of discoveries: Mitokusan Sanbutsuji is known for its extraordinary temple architecture, while Conan Street brings manga motifs into the streetscape. The region also offers a range of Tottori Prefecture themes that can make a trip cultural, culinary, or active. When choosing a vacation rental, you can first consider what you would like your stay to focus on: the mountain temple, manga, or other themes of the prefecture.

Mitokusan Sanbutsuji: Mountain Temple Architecture

Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple is a mountain temple on 900-meter-high Mount Mitoku. It was built at the entrance to a cave in a steep cliff and is a unique nationally designated architectural cultural property. Its distinctive location gives the site a clear architectural character: here, the temple and cliff are part of the same scene.

You can view the temple from Nageiredo Yohaisho without having to walk the mountain trail all the way to the temple. This gives you the option of including the site in your plans if you would like to see the temple without walking the trail to reach it. The temple is a 40-minute express bus ride from Kurayoshi Station. Check the travel time before your trip so you can fit the visit into your day’s plans.

Conan Street and Its Motifs

Conan Street offers a very different experience: it runs for about 1.4 kilometers from Conan Station, JR Yura Station, to the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory. Conan Bridge, on Conan Street, features six Conan objects and six different types of reliefs. These concrete features bring the manga connection to life along the street, rather than leaving it just in the destination’s name.

Two different interests can shape your travel plans here: the mountain architecture at Mitokusan and the Conan motifs along the street. You can choose a vacation rental based on which theme you would like to define your stay.

A Local Specialty from Yurihama

Yurihama adds its own culinary connection to your trip. Large shijimi clams from Lake Tōgo are a local specialty there. They are called “black diamonds” because of their appearance and sheen. This adds another perspective, connected to a specific food, alongside temple architecture and manga.

More Things to Explore in Tottori Prefecture

Looking beyond Tohaku District, Tottori Prefecture offers additional regional themes. Daisen-Oki National Park extends across Tottori, Shimane, and Okayama prefectures. Buildings from before the early modern period remain on the former grounds of Daisenji. Stone walls, earthen embankments, and the paths connecting them are also well preserved at the abandoned sites of sub-temples. These traces draw attention to the surviving buildings and the layout of a former temple complex.

For a more active focus, the summer hiking trail on Daisen is designed as a main route for beginners. It is recommended for people climbing Daisen for the first time, as well as for children and inexperienced hikers. At the Tottori Sand Dunes, even small children can take commemorative photos with camels; the animals are described as gentle and child-friendly. Sandboarding means gliding down a sandy slope on a special board; it is considered a new recreational activity at Tottori Sand Dunes National Park.

Culture and seasonal experiences are also among Tottori Prefecture’s attractions. The Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum in Kurayoshi is the only museum in Japan dedicated to the nashi pear. From late August to late September, you can pick Nijisseiki pears, a local specialty, in Tottori Prefecture. To reach the Tottori Sand Dunes, take a bus from the bus terminal at Tottori Station; the ride takes about 20 minutes to the Tottori Sand Dunes or Sakyu Kaikan bus stop. When planning your stay, you can choose among different regional interests, including hiking, culture, seasonal harvests, and dune activities.

Discover more destinations: Yurihama, Saihaku District, Tohaku District

Go to the main travel overview: Tottori Prefecture.