Japan is Nippon 日本語
Yumeminato Tower in Sakaiminato, a glass-and-steel tower rising behind a white domed building
Photo: Totti, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tottori · viewpoint

Yumeminato Tower

夢みなとタワー

A 43 m tower in the port of Sakaiminato. Its glass observation room overlooks the Sea of Japan, Mount Daisen and Yumigahama, with sunsets over Nakaumi.

View from Yumeminato Tower over the seaside park, a circular pier and the coast of Sakaiminato
Photo: Bioika0201, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Looking up inside Yumeminato Tower at its white steel rings and wooden frame
Photo: kajikawa, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A tower born as the symbol of an expo

Yumeminato Tower is an observation tower in Sakaiminato, a port town at the far western edge of Tottori Prefecture. It was built as the symbol tower of the "Japan Expo Tottori '97 San'in Yumeminato Exposition", which ran from 12 July to 28 September 1997.

The tower is 43 metres tall. Its white framework of steel columns and rings also uses laminated timber made from Tottori-grown cedar. The building at its base is dome-shaped and clad in white porcelain tiles.

The view from the observation room

The observation room on the top floor is shaped like a ship, with glass walls all the way round, so you get a full 360-degree view.

Across the Sea of Japan you can see Mount Daisen, the highest mountain in the Chugoku region of western Japan. To the north stretch the hills of the Shimane Peninsula, and below you can follow the coastline of the Yumigahama Peninsula as it curves like a bow (yumi means "bow" in Japanese).

The west side is known for the sunset over Nakaumi, a large brackish lagoon, and this view has been chosen as one of Japan's "100 Best Sunsets". You can also watch how the Sea of Japan changes with the seasons, calm on some days and rough on others.

Exhibits inside and the park around it

The 3rd floor has an exhibition room introducing life in the countries and regions across the Sea of Japan, including a corner where you can try on traditional costumes. The 4th floor has a café where you can rest with a sea view. The ground-floor entrance is free to enter; the observation room and the exhibition room charge admission.

The area around the tower has been laid out as Yumeminato Park, with lawns lined with benches and a seaside boardwalk, and families come here to fish. Close by there is also a day-visit hot spring with an open-air bath that looks out over Mount Daisen and the Sea of Japan.

Getting there

The nearest station is Takamatsucho on the JR Sakai Line, about a 24-minute walk away (about 1.9 km). From JR Sakaiminato Station it takes about 15 minutes by taxi. By car, it is about 30 minutes from the Yonago interchange on the Yonago Expressway.

Opening hours and prices change with the season, so check the official website before you go.

Tips

  • Go in the late afternoon on a clear day. From the west side of the observation room you can watch the sun set over Nakaumi.
  • Sakaiminato also has Mizuki Shigeru Road, a street where you can enjoy the world of the manga artist Mizuki Shigeru. Plan a route that takes in both the street and the tower.
  • It is a fair walk from the station, so a taxi from JR Sakaiminato Station is the easy option.

Sources

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

Keep exploring

Nearby places

Tottori · museum Mizuki Shigeru Memorial Museum 水木しげる記念館 A Sakaiminato museum tracing the life and work of GeGeGe no Kitaro creator Mizuki Shigeru. Rebuilt in 2024, it covers everything from his war to his yokai.
Tottori · old town Mizuki Shigeru Road 水木しげるロード A shopping street in Sakaiminato, hometown of GeGeGe no Kitaro creator Mizuki Shigeru: over 170 bronze yokai on 800 m, with yokai shadows at night.
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