Nagashibina Doll Museum

The Nagashibina Doll Museum in Tottori sits in a timber building surrounded by a refined Japanese garden. It takes its name from the nagashibina tradition, where paper dolls are floated down rivers to carry away illness and bad luck, still practiced locally each spring. Inside, exhibits trace the evolution of Japanese doll-making from simple paper forms to elaborate silk-robed Hina dolls, with rare Edo and Meiji-era pieces among the highlights. The garden outside earns its own time, with pruned trees, placed stones, and a koi pond that provide a contemplative contrast to the delicate craftsmanship inside.