Hakuto Beach
Tottori
A place related to the legend of the white rabbit of Inaba, one of the most well-known myths in Japan.
Tottori PrefectureHakuto Coast is a beautiful beach of white sand. It is included as one of the 100 Selected Beaches in Japan, and is a popular spot for sea bathing in summer and surfing in winter. You can see the pretty pink Japanese rose flowers, for which this place is the southern limit for growing naturally. It is a very famous place in Japan as the setting of the myth of the white rabbit of Inaba.
The story of the white rabbit of Inaba is as follows. Once upon a time, a rabbit who tricked a small shark to let him go to the mainland from an island was skinned by the angry shark. The suffering rabbit asked a passing god for help, but was given false advice that seawater would cure the wound. The rabbit, suffering from pain, was saved by another god, Okuninushi No Mikoto, who passed by the rabbit and told it about an appropriate curing method. The rabbit correctly predicted the marriage of Okuninushi.
Nearby the coast, there is Hakuto Shrine, enshrining the legendary white rabbit, and Mitarashi-ike, a pond in which the white rabbit apparently washed its body. There is a mysterious legend about Mitarashi-ike, saying that its water level remains the same in any kind of weather, so it is also called "Fuzou Fugen No Ike" (a pond with unchanged water level). There is an island offshore from which the white rabbit came, so you can imagine what it was like in the mythological age. It is also a place with a beautiful sunset view. You'll have a romantic time if you visit the place with your partner.
Information
Address: Hakuto, Tottori City, Tottori
Phone: 0857-22-3318 (Tottori Tourism and Convention Bureau)
Directions: Train: About 40 minutes from Tottori Station on the JR San-In Line (about 2 hours and 20 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station by Shinkansen) by a Hinomaru Bus bound for Shikano; get off at Hakuto-Jinja-Mae bus stop. (Car) About 1 hour 40 minutes from Sayo interchange on Chugoku Expressway.
