Tohaku District: Mountain Temple and Conan Street

Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple and Conan Street showcase two different sides of Tohaku District: distinctive architecture on a mountain and a route featuring Conan motifs. Both offer a specific point of reference when you want to include culture and special places in your travel plans.

Mitokusan Sanbutsuji: Mountain Setting and 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 regarded as a unique national architectural cultural property. This structure brings together a mountain setting, a cliff, and a cave entrance. Those interested in religious architecture will find a distinctive architectural motif here: a temple at the opening of a cave in a cliff.

The temple can be reached from Kurayoshi Station by express bus in 40 minutes. Check the travel time before your trip. Another way to view it is from Nageiredo Yohaisho: from there, you can see Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple without having to walk along the mountain road to the temple. When planning, you can therefore distinguish between the bus connection from Kurayoshi and the view from Yohaisho.

Conan Street: Route, Bridge, and Motifs

Conan Street runs for about 1.4 kilometers from Conan Station, the JR Yura Station, to the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory in Tohaku District. The two named endpoints provide a clear sense of direction along the route. Conan Bridge, which is part of Conan Street, features six Conan objects and six different types of relief. The bridge thus brings together two distinct forms of design: objects and reliefs. Those interested in the Conan motifs can take in these details alongside the route itself.

The contrast with Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple is clear: there, the structure is defined by its cliff and mountain setting; on Conan Street, the focus is on a named route and the motifs on the bridge. These two themes offer different ways to get to know Tohaku District.

More Cultural Highlights in Tottori Prefecture

Tottori Prefecture also offers its own regional setting. Daisen-Oki National Park extends across Tottori, Shimane, and Okayama prefectures. Buildings dating from before the early modern period remain on the former grounds of Daisenji. At the abandoned sites of subsidiary monasteries, stone walls, earthen ramparts, and the paths connecting them are also well preserved. This regional history therefore brings together surviving buildings and traces of former monastery sites.

Kurayoshi is home to the Tottori Nijisseiki Pear Museum, the only museum in Japan dedicated to the Nashi pear. Picking Nijisseiki pears offers a seasonal addition: this is possible in Tottori Prefecture from late August to late September. The pear is a regional specialty of the prefecture. The museum and harvest season thus offer different ways to experience the fruit.

Nature and Activities in Tottori Prefecture

At the Tottori Sand Dunes, you can take a bus from the stop at Tottori Station to the Tottori Sand Dunes or Sakyu Kaikan stop in about 20 minutes. At the dunes, even small children can take souvenir photos with camels; the animals are considered gentle and child-friendly. The dunes thus combine practical directions for getting there with a unique activity.

Sandboarding at the Tottori Sand Dunes involves gliding down a sandy slope on a special board. This activity is considered a new leisure option in Tottori Sand Dunes National Park. It offers a different way to experience the landscape than visiting on foot: here, the focus is on riding the board.

Another regional activity is the summer hiking trail on Daisen, which is designed as the main route for beginners. It is recommended for people climbing Daisen for the first time, as well as for children and inexperienced hikers. This description applies to this summer trail and its specifically named target groups.

Discover more destinations: Yurihama, Saihaku District, Tohaku District.

For the broader travel overview: Tottori Prefecture.