Tottori, Chūgoku Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Tottori is the capital, and the largest city in Japan's Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. Within Japan the city is best known for its sand dunes which are a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from outside the prefecture. The sand dunes are also important as a centre for research into arid agriculture, hosting Tottori University's Arid Land Research Center. Most of Tottori is located in the western part of the San'in Kaigan Geopark.

Geography The city of Tottori which located in east next to the Chūgoku Mountains, the city flows the Sendai River. It is 300 km by land from Hiroshima city, which is a regional hub city in the Chūgoku region, but on the other hand, it is 180 km from Kobe City, 190 km from Osaka City, and 220 km from Kyoto City. Within Japan the city is best known for the Tottori Sand Dunes which are a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors from outside the prefecture. The sand dunes are also important as a centre for research into arid agriculture, hosting Tottori University's Arid Land Research Center.

Neighboring municipalities Tottori Prefecture • Yazu • Misasa • Chizu • Iwami • Yurihama • Wakasa; Hyōgo Prefecture • Shin'onsen; Okayama Prefecture • Kagamino • Tsuyama.

History Tottori is part of ancient Inaba Province, and the place name "Tottori" can be found in the early Heian period Wamyō Ruijushō. Tottori Castle was completed in 1545 and the surrounding castle town forms the core of the modern city. During the Edo period, Tottori was the seat of a branch of the Ikeda clan, which ruled Tottori Domain. Following the Meiji restoration, Tottori was incorporated as a city on October 1, 1889, with the implementation of the modern municipalities system.

Most of the downtown area was destroyed by the Tottori earthquake of September 10, 1943, which killed over 1000 people, and much of the rebuilt city was destroyed again in the Great Tottori Fire of April 17, 1952. In the 1950s, and again in 2004, redistricting ("gappei") of the city's borders increased its size to include a number of surrounding areas. On November 1, 2004, the town of Kokufu, the village of Fukube (both from Iwami District), the towns of Aoya, Ketaka and Shikano (all from Ketaka District), the towns of Kawahara and Mochigase and the village of Saji (all from Yazu District) were merged into Tottori. Ketaka District was dissolved as a result of this merger.

Tottori gained special city status on October 1, 2005, with in increased local autonomy. The 2016 Tottori earthquake caused moderate damage and several injuries, but no fatalities.

Government Tottori has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 32 members. Tottori contributes 12 members to the Tottori Prefectural Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tottori 1st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy As the administrative citer of Tottori Prefecture, the city of Tottori is the regional centre for commerce. Agricultural products include rice and Tottori is also famous for its production of scallions

Education: University Tottori City has two universities. The main campus of Tottori University, a national public university, is located next to Koyama Lake on the west end of the city. The privately funded Tottori University of Environmental Studies is located in the south-eastern part of Tottori city, near the town of Yazu. These two universities are not to be confused with the 2-year junior college in the prefecture, Tottori College, which is located in the central city of Kurayoshi.

Education: Primary and secondary Tottori has 39 public elementary schools operated by the city government, and one by the national government. It has 13 public middle schools operated by the city government, one by the national government and one private middle school. The city has seven public high schools operated by the Tottori Prefectural Board of Education, and four private high schools. The prefecture also operates four special education schools for the handicapped and there is one more special education school operated by the national government.

Transport: Air • Tottori Airport

Transport: Rail JR West - San'in Main Line • Aoya - Hamamura - Hōgi - Suetsune - Tottoridaigakumae - Koyama - Tottori - Fukube; JR West - Inbi Line • Tottori - Tsunoi - <Higashi-Kōge - Kōge - Kawahara> - Kunifusa - Takagari - Mochigase - Inaba-Yashiro

Transport: Road • Tottori Expressway • San'in Expressway • San'in Kinki Expressway • National Route 9 • National Route 29 • National Route 53 • National Route 373.