Local Charms Felt by a Russian in Tottori
( Tottori)
Nazarenko Ekaterina, a Russian native, has been living in Tottori for a year and a half. With a warm smile, “There is no place as wonderful as Tottori.” She has three reasons for this:
1. Sightseeing spots are not very far
2. There are few people at the sightseeing spots
3. People are kind
These three reasons are why she says there is no place being better than Tottori.
Having an unusual shape and being fairly wide, Tottori Prefecture is thought to have sightseeing spots that are spread far apart from each other. However, depending on the location, this is not necessarily the case. In particular, one sightseeing spot recommendation is Mt. Daisen, which is known to have the largest ski slopes in Western Japan. Ekaterina-san explains, “I like Mt. Daisen, and I sometimes go there during the weekends. I can even see the ocean while enjoying various snow activities at Mt. Daisen. Also, you can travel there from Yonago Airport in an hour by car.” Additionally, she says “Many people go to Hokkaido, Mt. Fuji, and other popular ski resort areas and it becomes very crowded. At Mt. Daisen though, there are not many people there, so you can have fun and thoroughly enjoy yourself.”
Because there are not many people, you can feel the kindness and warmness of the people in Tottori. To describe the area’s warmness, Ekaterina-san explains:
In the city, there are many people. Everyone is used to seeing foreigners, and sometimes there is a cold and unwelcoming feeling. Although there may not be a lot of people in Tottori Prefecture, the people that you meet in the towns are warm and welcoming people. For example, sometimes they will give you takoyaki for free, or they will kindly help you with directions when you are lost. There are few people, so I treasure the communication I have with all the people I have met.
Enjoy Tottori and allow the local people of Tottori to show you around!
