In the south, Tottori meets Okayama at the Chugoku mountain range, while on the east is Hyogo and the west is Shimane. Tottori's total area is very small and is the nation's least populated prefecture. Towards the north are a number of volcanoes and in the east are three smaller plains, Tottori, Kurayoshi and Yonago. Along the shoreline are stretches of beautiful sandy beaches and sand dunes.
Summers bring heavy rainfalls, and winters offer few sunny days and heavy snowfalls.
Although the percentage of farmers is very high, production is low due to cold weather and a lack of flat lands. It does lead the nation in pears and is fourth in watermelons. With its excellent seaports Tottori has the biggest fishing haul among the prefectures on the Sea of Japan side, and is fourth in the nation. Uranium is mined around the Ningyo Pass located in the southern part of the prefecture. Cultural Background A Iarge number of people, mainly metal work craftsmen from Korea, came to Tottori hundreds of years ago to cash in on metallic sands.