Nima Sand Museum


When you visit Japan for vacatipn, a trip to the countryside allows you to see a dofferent side of country. Iwami is far off the beaten track, the nearest big city is Hiroshima, but it can be accessed via Hagi-Iwami airport from Tokyo, JR buses from Hiroshima, JR trains, and even an old ateam train. 


The Nima Sand Museum is famous for its collection of hourglasses. The symbol of this museum is the world’s biggest hourglass, which is called a “sandglass” in Japan. It is a one-year sandglass, and the weight of the sand in the sandglass is just 1 ton. The height of the sandglass is 5.2 meters and its diameter is 1 meter. There is annual event on New Year’s Day at the Nima Sand Museum which concerns the one-year sandglass. At 23:55 on New Years Eve, 108 men and women who were born in the year with the same sign of the Chinese zodiac as the current year overturn the one-year sandglass. At 0:00 on the New Year’s Day, the museum displays 1000 fireworks. You can join the New Year’s event for free and the museum serves pork miso soup and buckwheat noodles for free on New Year’s Day.

Other exhibit in the museum

  There is a variety of glass, for example unique sandglasses, a sundial and a flower clock on display. The museum also has mineral specimens, shell specimens and exhibits concern “singing sand.” Singing sand is quartz particles of beach sand and you can gather it at Kotogahama beach near the museum.


You can enjoy sand-art in the workshop room at the museum for free. It is easy to make the sand-art. If you have children, you can enjoy making it together.

Souvenir shop MOBA

At MOBA, the building next to the museum, you can see a collection of Bohemian glass. On the first floor, you can try making original glass, ashtrays and accessories.


——–Nima Sand Museum （仁摩サンドミュージアム）——–


TEL: 0854-88-3776   FAX:0854-88-3785

ADDRESS: 975 Amagochi Nima-cho Oda-shi Shimane


Open: 9:00~17:00                                               Closed: 1st Wednesday of month

*11:00~16:00 (New Years Day)                        December 29th~31st

*10:00~16:00 (January 2nd~5th)                      January 6th~8th

Entrance fee:

Adults and high school students——————- 700 yen (630 yen)

Elementary and junior high school students— 350 yen (310 yen)

*( )— group entrance fee per person. A group has to have more than 20 people.

Parking space for 200 cars and 20 buses

Writen by Emi

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