Introduction

The hub of exchange &
cooperation in Northeast Asia

Shinji Hirai

Emblem

Tree

The Daisen Kyaraboku

Bird

The Mandarin Duck

Flower

The Nijusseiki(Twentieth Century) Pear

Fish

The Flatfish

According to a passage in Japan’s oldest historical record, the Records of Ancient Matters, the Imperial Court in ancient Japan had birds caught from all over the country and ordered that these fowls to be paid to them as tax. At that time, the area now known as Tottori was a wetland filled with lakes and marshes, and many hunters resided there and made their living catching birds that gathered at the waterside. When a political administration took hold in ancient Japan these people were incorporated into the new system of government, and they were given the name “Tottoribe”(those who catch birds) as a means to subordinate them. Thus, the name “Tottori”was born to describe this area.
In 1871(4th year of the Meiji Period), the lands of Inaba and Houki were united with Oki to form Tottori Prefecture. Later, in 1876 (9th year of the Meiji Era), Tottori was merged with Shimane Prefecture, but a fervent separatist movement was started by the former samurai families in the area. As a result, Tottori was reinstated in 1881(14th year of the Meiji Period), with Okinoshima remaining a part of Shimane Prefecture.

Tottori Prefecture is located in the western part of Honshu, the main island of the Japanese archipelago, in the northeastern part of the Chugoku region. It is a long and narrow prefecture, spanning approximately 120㎞ east to west and between 20 and 50㎞ north to south. The northern part of the prefecture faces the Sea of Japan, bordered by a beautiful coastline decorated with green pines and white sand, including the Tottori Sand Dunes. To the south lie the Chugoku Mountains and the greatest peak in the region, Mount Daisen. Within the diverse topography of these mountainous areas, there are three major river basins in which open plains have formed. The prefecture’s central cities: Tottori, Kurayoshi, and Yonago, have developed in these three basins. The prefecture’s climate is relatively warm and displays brilliant changes between the four seasons, with mostly good weather between spring and autumn and snowfall in the winter. Moreover, because it suffers few typhoons and other natural disasters, Tottori truly has gentle climactic conditions.


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Geography/Climate	Area: 3,507㎢ Location: 35˚3′27″~ 35˚36′52″north latitude and 133˚8′9″~134˚30′55″east longitude Climate: average temperature 14.9℃, annual precipitation 2,003mm(2005)
Population	Population: 550,234(February 2021) Household: 221,635(February 2021) Population density : 170/㎢(2008. 10. 1)
Major events	April: Nagashibina Festival of Mochigase, Ube Shrine Festival May: Hanayu Festival July: Minato Festival August: Shan Shan Festival, Utsubuki Festival October: Mt. Mitoku Festival of Fire, Mt. Daisen's Fall Leaves Festival
Tourist Attractions	Tottori Sand Dunes, Misasa Hot Spring, Mt. Daisen, Uradome Beach, Mt. Mitoku, Kaike Hot Spring
Sisterhood & Friendship Provinces / Cities	China: Jilin Province(June 1986), Henan Province(Sept 1994) Korea: Gangwon-do Province (Nov 1994) Mongolia: Tuv Province(July 1997) Russia: Primorsky Territory(May 2010) Others: Westmorland, Jamaica(March 2016), Vermont, US(July 2018)


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Economy	GRDP(nominal): ￥2,056.87 bln(2006) Per Capita Income: ￥2,422,000(2006)
Industry	Industrial Structure - Primary industry 2.3%, - Secondary industry 28.3%, - Tertiary industry 72.8%(2006)
Products	Agricultural and Fisheries Product: Nijusseiki Pear, watermelon, grape, percimmon, scallion, broccoli, farm-raised beef, squid, jackfish, sandfish, chicken, milk and dairy products Industrial product: Electronic components and devices, beverage, tobacco, electronic equipments, IT equipments Specialty products: Pottery, Japanese paper, textile