Japanese love exaggerating. Just as they exaggerated calling their sand dunes “Japanese Sahara”, they also exaggerated the strength of the wind that for some unknown reasons prevented them from giving generous tourists a ride on the camel.

It still confuses me, when I remember it.

Tottori sand dunes do resemble a desert, at least at the part where the shoreline is very wide and goes far into the land. There are high dunes which would require quite a bit of cardio to climb up, and just a little bit of recklessness to fall down and drag other unfortunate folks after you.

Just kidding – I did not drag anybody down. Only pushed 🙂

For an unexplainable reason, the souvenir shop had a disturbing amount of bunnies. No clue why, but it led me to do some research, and it turned out somewhere in a totally different part of the country there is a Cat Island, and a Bunny island – islands fully inhabited by-guess-yourself-who.

I removed my shoes and stepped into the ocean. The water was cold, but refreshing, and it was great to feel saltwater again – I have not been to the sea for ages.

Inspired by the occasion, I decided to walk on foot along the shoreline.

BIG MISTAKE 🙂

It took me 2.5 hours to get to the other end – and I did not turn back just because when I realized how far I got, I was exactly half way between the start and the finish. By that time, the desert was long gone, and it was just an empty shoreline with no one around. Just a sea breeze and the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore.

If the waves crash into a totally silent shore, do they make a sound, or do they not? Leave alone that tree, here is a more interesting question.

When I finally reached the other end, I still had about 30 minute walk to the nearest bus stop. I was walking along the pier when I saw a European looking old man – quite senior, but still fit. He turned out to be Italian, and was coming to Japan every year partly for work, and partly just for a visit. He loved exploring the neighborhood streets – as he pointed out, it was much more interesting, as each street is unique, and it is, essentially, an endless journey.