Tottori Sand Dunes - footwear and time

Hello,

we will be visiting the Dunes during Autumn Equinox.
The access will be via bus. As I understand there is the local Hinomaru bus and a loop bus during weekend and holidays.

1) Which footwear is appropiate for that time of the year? Most of the videos I saw people tend to wear normal footwear. Is it difficult to get rid of the sand afterwards? How about walking with bare feet? There is a foot bath for cleaning at the lift station?

2) The last bus directly at the Dunes seems to depart at 1830 and another one a bit further around 1930. We would like to see the sunset but with that departure times it seems a bit difficult. Walking back to the hotel would take over an hour though.
Is there any other option besides taking a taxi?

Thanks in advance,
Lisa

Not sure if this is relevant to you as sunset is about 6pm at that time of the year http://www.sunrise-and-sunset.com/en/sun/japan/tottori/2018/september

1. The sand is very dry, so removing it is not a problem unless you walk into a wet area. There is an "oasis" in the middle of the dunes, which could be a seasonal thing. I don't recommend a sandal, unless it's a "sports sandal", because the dune is quite hilly. There in one steep down hill, at the bottom of which is the oasis, and even steeper uphill toward the coast. So a loose fitting sandals probably don't work well. I wasn't there in the summer, but I imagine the sand can get very hot in summer.

2. I think bus and taxi are the only options. You could rent a bicycle and pedal there and back, I suppose.

Thanks for your answers so far!
We thought sunset would be around 7pm. With the sunset around 6 the 1930 bus is in full range.

I just checked into the rental bike idea but I can�ft find any information if the rental can be done for 2 consecutive days. The bike has to be returned by 1830 as it seems.
If the rental can be used for 2days - where can we park the bike for the night?