Tottori Sand Museum

The Tottori Sand Museum (砂の美術館, Suna no Bijutsukan) was opened on November 18, 2006, in Tottori, Japan, by the Tottori Sand Dunes, displaying sand sculptures in temporary facilities. On April 14, 2012, it reopened as the world's first permanent indoor exhibition space dedicated to sand art, exhibiting works by fifteen international sculptors.[1][2]

Tottori Sand Museum
砂の美術館
General information
Address2083-17, Yuyama, Fukube-chō
Town or cityTottori, Tottori Prefecture
CountryJapan
Coordinates35°32′23″N 134°14′17″E
Opened14 April 2012
Cost¥ 580 million
Website
www.sand-museum.jp/en

History

The local tourism officer of the Tottori Sand Dunes, Shinji Tsutsui, was passionate about the Italian Renaissance, and invited the sand sculptor Katsuhiko Chaen to create a sand exhibit on that theme in 2006.[3]

The first exhibit took place in November 2006. The first exhibits took place in a tent. In 2012, a permanent 21,000-square building became the home of the exhibit.[4]

The museum won the 2021 Trip Advisors choice award for places to visit. [5]

Description

Each yearly exhibit starts in April and lasts until January of the following year. The sand sculptures are then deliberately destroyed and a new exhibit is prepared from January to April. The sand sculptor Katsuhiko Chaen is the chief sculptor. Despite the museum's proximity to the sand dunes, that sand cannot be used because the sand dunes are part of a protected national park. The sand came from a road building project.[4] Only sand and water is used to create the sculptures.[3]

Yearly exhibits
Year Theme Description Source
2006 Italian Renaissance [3]
2012 United Kingdom Olympics- and London-themed sand sculpture to celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics. [3]
2020 Czech Republic and Slovakia 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Czechoslovakia. 3,000 tons of sand were used by 17 sculptors. [6]

See also

References
  1. 「鳥取砂丘 砂の美術館」グランドオープン！ [Grand Opening of the Tottori Sand Dunes Sand Museum] (in Japanese). Tottori City. Archived from the original on 29 May 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
    - "Tottori's new sand sculpture museum the first of its kind". The Japan Times. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  2. "Japan's Tottori Sand Museum is World's Best Place to Admire Sand Sculptures". Sand-boarding.com. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. arinestine (21 October 2012). "Tottori Sand Museum". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  4. Netsky, Aaron (14 April 2017). "A Museum of Giant Sand Sculptures". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  5. "2022年 砂の美術館 - 行く前に！見どころをチェック". トリップアドバイザー (in Japanese). Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  6. NEWS, KYODO. "Sand sculptures on Czech, Slovakia themes to go on show in Japan". Kyodo News+. Retrieved 17 August 2022.


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