Moonstruck on Tottori Sand Dunes

Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Tottori Prefecture aims to play a major role in Japan’s space exploration industry by offering up a portion of the Tottori Sand Dunes as an experimentation zone for Moon walks.

The idea emerged in recent years that the sandy surface conditions of the Tottori Sand Dunes bear some resemblance to the surface of the Moon, especially at night.

This has led in the last couple of years to a Tokyo-based company called Amulapo offering Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality tours at night in which participants reenact the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, including the planting of a flag on the surface of the “Moon.”

The Tottori Prefectural Government, is taking the concept seriously, establishing the Tottori Sand Dunes Lunarization Project, and investing ¥200 million (US$1.6 million) last year to set it up.

The main element will be the Tottori Sand Dunes Lunar Demonstration Field, which is expected to be completed in March. This test field is, according to the project’s webpage, meant “to introduce cutting-edge technology to the prefecture’s industries, such as the construction industry, and to develop human resources” for the space industry.

The prefectural government’s goal is that by providing the lunar test field and through public subsidies and other supportive policy measures, the Tottori Sand Dunes area will eventually develop into a cluster of space-related companies and research institutes.

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