A drive to Uomidai Lookout A late-summer detour from the coast road up to the lookout

I parked my red car and stepped onto the brick-paved square. In my checked top and white shorts, I still felt right in the middle of summer. I pushed my sunglasses up onto my head, and the trees across the road came into clear view. I'd only meant to go for a short drive and take a break, but once I was standing away from the car, it felt like my detour had really begun.

I turned the Nijisseiki pear around in my hands. Sunlight fell on its yellow-green skin, bringing out the fine markings. Field-grown pears come into season from late August, making one just right for a snack on a trip through Tottori. Part of me wanted to eat it straight away, but for now I was happy just admiring its round shape. I'd chill it when I got home and enjoy that crisp first bite.

Uomidai takes its name from the days when huge schools of sardines came in and fishermen on the bluff shouted instructions. I'd thought of it as simply a scenic place to stop, but now it felt as if the voices of people who worked at sea had become part of the view. After hearing that story, the coastal road I'd just driven looked different to me, too.

I stopped beside a bench in the square and could see the road I'd just driven threading between the distant houses and the hills. In the car, I'd been focused on the next bend; now I found myself taking in the whole sweep of the road. I wanted to linger here a little longer: walk towards the sea for the view, or look for the monument to the folk song Kaigarabushi.

From Tottori Station, Uomidai is about 25 minutes by car along Route 9 towards Kurayoshi and Yonago. It's an easy stop to add to a coastal drive, with time to feel the breeze up on the bluff. I shifted the pear gently in my hands and glanced back at the car. I found myself wanting to drive just a little farther. I have a feeling this unhurried pause will become a moment from the trip I'll want to talk about when I get home.