How to choose a tour in Tottori
Most tours in Tottori Prefecture are built around the port town of Sakaiminato and its Mizuki Shigeru Road, where bronze yokai figures line the street. Further offers start in Yonago, Kurayoshi or near Mount Daisen. A tottori tour is therefore less about long coach days and more about a guide for a few hours, a private day with a local, or a shore excursion for people who arrive by ship.
Before you book, check three things: where the tour starts, what the price covers and how long it lasts. Entrance fees and meals are often paid separately, and the details sit on each booking page. Our guide to the port town of Sakaiminato shows what the main sights cost.
Our picks: guided tours in Tottori
A group tour for cruise guests, a private yokai walk, a private day with a route of your choice and a zipline course. If you want to set the itinerary yourself, the private day fits.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide and Viator. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Private day with a local guide from Sakaiminato, route of your choice
- Private tour with English-speaking guide
- Itinerary built around your interests
- Private vehicle (optional)
Six hours with a local guide on a route shaped around your interests. Entrance fees and transport costs are paid separately. This is a guided day, not an airport transfer.
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Private walk along Mizuki Shigeru Road and the Yokai Shrine
- Private walking tour
- Mizuki Shigeru Road and Yokai Shrine
- Intro to yokai culture and manga
A guide leads you along Mizuki Shigeru Road to the Yokai Shrine and explains the yokai and manga background. You also get tips on local seafood and snacks.
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Group day trip from Sakaiminato port for cruise guests
- Transportation
- English, Japanese and Chinese guide
A seven-hour group tour for passengers whose cruise calls at Sakaiminato. Attraction tickets are not included and paid separately, so carry yen in cash.
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Aerial athletics and zipline adventure in Tottori
- Helmet and harness
Ninety minutes on aerial courses and a zipline. The gear you need is part of the price.
Check availability →Tottori tours: shore excursions, yokai walks and private guides
Excursions for cruise guests, guided walks through Sakaiminato, private days with a local guide and an activity with a harness and helmet.
Shore excursions from Sakaiminato port
A full day for cruise guests, with transport and a guide.
The shore excursion for cruise guests starts at the port of Sakaiminato and lasts about 7 hours. It is a group tour, and the price covers transport and guide service in English, Japanese and Chinese. Attraction tickets, meals and other personal expenses are not included, and the booking page recommends carrying yen in cash for tickets and food.
Depending on the route, the day includes the Mizuki Shigeru Road or Yonago and the beach at Kaike. The programme also covers sights in neighbouring Shimane Prefecture such as Matsue, so it works best for guests who want a long day beyond the port. If you only have a few hours between arrival and departure, a walk through Sakaiminato itself is the simpler choice: the Sakaiminato page has a section for visiting from a cruise ship.
Yokai walks in Sakaiminato
Bronze figures, a small shrine and the stories behind them.
The Mizuki Shigeru Road runs about 800 m from Sakaiminato Station. A private yokai walk takes about 2.5 hours with a live guide. It covers the road and the Yokai Shrine, introduces yokai culture and manga and adds recommendations for local seafood and snacks. Transport to Sakaiminato and meals are not included, and the walk starts at the station.
An evening alternative is the guided night walk along the same road, about 1.5 hours long. It visits the Yokai Shrine, tells stories about Japanese spirits and folklore and stops at statues and shadow projections that make good photos. The figures on the road are lit from sunset until 22:00. For the history behind these stories, read our page on Tottori history.
Private guides in Tottori
A day shaped around your own interests.
If you prefer a private tour in Tottori to a fixed programme, a local English-speaking guide can build the day with you. The private custom tour lasts 6 hours and starts at Sakaiminato Station. The itinerary is designed around your interests, with local tips for food, sights and quieter corners. A private vehicle and a meeting at your accommodation are optional.
Food and drinks, entrance fees and the transportation fee are not part of the price, and you also cover the lunch and entrance ticket of your host. A guided tour like this suits visitors who want a local to decide the route, for example when the weather changes or when a place is closed. Read the notes on Jinpukaku in Tottori City and on the summit trail in Mount Daisen before you set the plan.
Food, activities and walks elsewhere
Not every tour starts at the port.
An activity with a harness and helmet is also on offer: a zipline adventure that takes about 90 minutes. It suits visitors who want something active between onsen and sightseeing days.
In Yonago you can join a three-hour bar hopping tour with food at three local eateries or a sushi class, and Kurayoshi has a guided walk through the white storehouse district that includes a taiyaki tasting and a craft beer tasting. Details are on the pages for Yonago and Kurayoshi. A bike ride with a tea sweets experience near Mount Daisen is described in our overview of things to do in Tottori.
Most of these tours begin in a town, so plan how you get there. Trains, buses and flights are covered in how to get to Tottori, and winter weather is explained on the weather page.
Tottori tours: frequently asked questions
Where do tours in Tottori start?
Many start at Sakaiminato: the station for the walks and the port for the excursion for cruise guests. Food tours start in Yonago, and the storehouse walk begins at the tourist information of the Shirakabe district in Kurayoshi. The exact meeting point is shown on each booking page.
Are tickets included in the price?
It depends on the tour. The shore excursion and the private custom tour do not include entrance tickets, and the yokai walk does not include meals. Read the list of inclusions before you book.
Which languages do the guides speak?
The shore excursion lists guide service in English, Japanese and Chinese, and the private custom tour is led by an English-speaking local guide. For other tours, check the language shown on the booking page.
Which tour fits a short stop in Sakaiminato?
For a stop of a few hours, a walk along the Mizuki Shigeru Road is the easiest choice. The evening walk takes about 1.5 hours, the private yokai walk about 2.5 hours.
Can I book a tour that includes a hot spring bath?
The tours described here are walks, food experiences, private guiding and an activity, so a bath is not part of them. For onsen visits, see Misasa Onsen and Kaike Onsen, where you pay at the bath.