Start your adventure at Kinosaki Onsen in Hyogo Prefecture, one of Japan's oldest hot spring towns. Kinosaki Onsen is accessible by express train from Kyoto and Osaka. Start with an easy walking tour of Kinosaki Onsen, starting at Kinosaki Onsen Tourist Center in front of the station. Guides will point out the different hot springs and sights, explain the area's history and introduce some popular local foods.

After lunch, explore further afield on a self-guided tour on an electric Tuk Tuk. These convenient electric vehicles can take 3 people, so you can explore the area from Takeno Beach on the coast, to Genbudo Cave Park. The park is the site of five basalt caves that formed over 1.6 million years ago. They get their distinctive appearance from columnar joints, formed when magma cools, contracts, and forms vertical cracks.

Check in to your accommodation in Kinosaki Onsen, and enjoy strolling the quaint streets, and trying some of the seven public hot spring baths that dot the town.

Much of the San’inkaigan National Park skirts the Sea of Japan coast, with sweeping beaches and dramatic rock formations. Take a morning train to Kasumi Station on the coast to explore the ria coastline on a Kasumi Marine Geotaxi tour. These small boats can enter small caves along the cliffs and take you up close to dramatic rock formations. After a short cruise, head back to the station area by bus. There are several restaurants close to the station where you can try local seafood.

Take a train to Moroyose Station and join a guided walk around the San’in Kaigan Geopark and the fishing town of Moroyose. It was a port and a safe harbor during storms for merchant ships in the Edo period. Learn about the history of the coastal landscape which was formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. After exploring Moroyose, walk or take a short train ride to the adjacent fishing town of Hamasaka, then travel inland by bus to stay at Yumura Onsen.

Yumura Onsen has a wide range of comfortable accommodations and hot springs, along the banks of the Haruki River. Stroll the town and enjoy one of the free hot spring foot baths by the river.

Start your day at the Yumura Onsen Tourist Association, for a guided walk around the town. Learn about the the history and culture of Yumura Onsen, which is said to have been discovered over a thousand years ago. The hot spring water is so hot at the source that it is used for boiling eggs and vegetables.

Spend the rest of the day exploring the Uradome Coast, near Iwami in Tottori Prefecture. Drive to the Iwami Tour Boat Dock and grab an early lunch or snack at the dock before joining a guided walk along the coast to see the dramatic coastal scenery that dates back millions of years. After a relaxing walk, get a different perspective of the scenery on a stand-up paddleboard experience of the Shirawara Coast.

From Iwami, it's a short drive to Tottori Station (around 25 minutes). Stop off along the way to see the Tottori Sand Dunes. Tottori Station offers convenient connections to Kyoto and Osaka via Himeji Station, or you can spend a little longer in Tottori to visit Daisen-Oki National Park.