譯/陳韻涵 Tottori, a remote outpost on the west coast of Japan, is frequently defined by what it lacks.
It has the lowest population of any prefecture in the country. No bullet train stops here. It ranks 39th out of the nation's 47 prefectures in attracting tourists.
But what Tottori does have, in abundance, is sand: Undulating golden dunes stretch for about 10 miles along the coast here, so majestic they have been turned into a national park.
鳥取，日本西海岸的一個偏遙遠縣分，經常被人們定義為缺少資源的地方。
鳥取縣的人口數是全國最少的。沒有子彈列車停靠。鳥取在全國47個縣的吸引觀光客排行榜上，排在第39。
但鳥取有，而且很多的，是沙：如波浪般起伏的金黃色沙丘沿著海岸綿延約10英里（16公里），壯闊到被劃為國家公園。
For the past decade, sand sculpture artists have gathered here every year for two weeks at the world's only indoor sand museum to mount an exhibit of improbably intricate tableaus, all crafted from about 3,000 tons of sand.
This year, 19 artists from countries including Canada, China, Italy, the Netherlands and Russia traveled to Tottori to sculpt scenes on the theme of the United States. Previous themes have included Africa, Russia and South America.
過去十年來，沙雕藝術家每年在這個全球唯一的室內沙雕博物館會師兩周，展出繁複精細、栩栩如生的作品，全都以大約3000噸的沙雕塑而成。
今年，19位藝術家從加拿大、中國大陸、義大利、荷蘭和俄羅斯等國來到鳥取，打造以美國為主題的雕塑場景。過去的主題包括非洲、俄國和南美。
Working nine hours a day, the artists — five of whom are from the United States — built, among other things, Mount Rushmore, the New York skyline (yes, Trump Tower makes an appearance), oversize busts of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, scenes from the gold rush and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
With Japan's population declining, Tottori officials are mounting a campaign to attract more foreign tourists to the region, and the sand museum and dunes are central to the effort.
藝術家們（其中5人來自美國）每天工作9小時，雕塑的作品包括拉什莫爾山、紐約天際線（是的，川普大樓在其中），艾拉．費茲潔拉與路易阿姆斯壯的大尺寸半身像，淘金熱的場景和獨立宣言的簽署。
隨著日本人口不斷減少，鳥取官員已展開致力吸引更多外國觀光客前來的行動，而砂之美術館和沙丘正是成敗的關鍵。
Japan in general is seeking to lure more tourists. Last year, 24 million foreign visitors traveled to Japan, a record high. The national tourism bureau wants to increase that number to 40 million by 2020, the year Tokyo will host the Summer Olympics.
Foreign visitors typically stick to what tourism officials describe as the "golden route" of well-known destinations in Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Kyoto and Osaka.
日本整體來說都在設法吸引更多觀光客。日本去年外來觀光客達2400萬人次，創下新高。國家旅遊局希望讓這個數字在2020年增至4000萬人次，日本將在這一年舉辦東京夏季奧運。
外國遊客往往造訪觀光局官員所謂的「黃金路線」，由東京、富士山、京都和大阪等地的知名景點串成。
In an attempt to expand that range, particularly among tourists who may be returning for a second or third visit to the country, the government's Japan Tourism Agency has allocated 1.64 billion yen (close to $15 million) to help develop and market suggested routes through 11 regions, including around Tottori.
Fewer than 500,000 people visit the Tottori sand museum every year. The number has declined slightly in recent years, and it does not come close to the 2 million people who visit the much better known snow festival in Sapporo, Hokkaido, every year.
Local tourism officials acknowledged that Tottori's distant location remained a challenge but said they had suggested that visitors be allowed to watch the artists at work, or even help knock down the structures at the end of each exhibition.
為了擴大旅遊範圍，尤其針對那些可能第二、第三度來訪的回頭客，日本國家旅遊局已撥出16.4億日圓（約合台幣4.6億元）專款，協助發展並行銷鳥取等11個地區的旅遊路線。
鳥取沙之美術館每年參訪者不到50萬人次，而且近年略有減少，遠不及每年到北海道札幌市參加雪祭的200萬人次。
當地觀光官員坦承，鳥取位處偏遠仍是一大挑戰，但表示他們已建議允許遊客欣賞藝術家工作，甚至協助工作人員在閉展後推倒這些沙雕。
