【Fukui】Tojinbo : The most famous Cliffs in Japan

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The calm Pacific Ocean extends in the east of Japan, an island country. However, the Sea of Japan, which lays in the west, is known for a fierce rough sea. Tojinbo, located in Mikuni Town in the northern part of Fukui Prefecture, embodies such perception of the Sea of Japan.

Steep rock walls, slamming and rising rough waves.. the Sea of Japan has such a rough image, though we have calm and sunny days, by the way… But still, we can be convinced that it is really like that, when you stand at the cliff of Tojinbo.

【What is Tojinbo?】

Tojinbo is a scenic spot with the series of huge columnar rocks that stretch for about a kilometer along the coastline. About 13 million years ago, magma, that had risen to just below the surface of the earth, was solidified into columns, forming pentagonal and hexagonal columnar joints. At Tojinbo, that columnar joints are exposed on the surface of the earth. The columnar joints at Tojinbo are extremely large, with a height of 25 meters, and there are only three places in the world where we can see them in such a scale : Mt. Kumgang on the Korean Peninsula, and on the west coast of Norway are the rest of them.

According to folklore, the name of Tojinbo came from the name of a monk named “Tojinbo” at Heisenji Temple in the eastern part of Fukui Prefecture. He was said to be so violent that he made many troubles for the farmers nearby. Meanwhile he loved a girl, Princess Aya, and there was a rival called Magara-Kakunen. In April 1182, Tojinbo drinked with his fellows at Tojinbo. Magara-Kakunen appeared there, with drinks&foods. After Tojinbo had got drunk, Magara-Kakunen pushed Tojinbo from the top of the cliff into the sea. For the next 49 days, the sea was devastated by the remorse of the Tojinbo. In the consequence, this place became later to be called Tojinbo. Even today, Tojinbo has no fences in order to keep the original and natural scenery. Thus we must be careful enough, when we walk on the cliffs.

A view from the cliffs. Be careful, you have no fence there!!

【Tojinbo : visit from the ground or sea?】

Tojinbo has a magnificent cliff created by nature. You have many options to enjoy the scenery, and the scenery you can see will change depending on where you are, especially either from on land or sea.

The recommendation on land is on a cliff called “Iwaba”. We can walk through to the tip, but as we come closer to the tip, we can feel how the cliff is high and that makes our legs trembled. You may try to look underneath, but don’t do it too much, as there is not fence.  For those who want to get down to the beach, there is Senjojiki nearby. This is the site of an old quarry, and there is a flat rocky area that is quite unusual in Tojinbo. The scenery you can see from there is excellent, and it is usually used in posters and TV.

Peolple used the stones from Senjojiki, for building the basement of the Breakwater in Mikuni Port.

For those who want to see the scenery from the sea, there is a pleasure boat. The ship slowly goes around the sea to Oshima, which is about 2 kilometers away from Tojinbo, taking about 30 minutes. At Oshima, columnar joints similar to those of Tojinbo can be observed, and in particular, the “honeycomb rock”, which is a collection of rocks in the shape of a honeycomb, is absolutely a “must-see”. And the highlight of this cruise is the exploration at “Oike”, a cove made by the largest columnar joints in Tojinbo. When you enter the cove, you can see cliffs that are 25 meters high, and if you look up, you can see people waving from far above. Such a experience is available only at Tojinbo in Japan. When you visit this place, be sure to enjoy the scenery from both land and sea.

Magnificent view of Cliff. A leisure boat sailing through Oike, the largest creek at Tojinbo.

Information

Access[Train] :At JR Kanazawa Station, take JR Tokkyu-Hokuriku till Ashihara-Onsen Station. At Ashihara Onsen Station, take Keifuku-Bus”Tojinbo Line” then stop at Tojinbo.
:At JR Fukui Station, take Echizen Tetsudo Line till Mikuni Station. At Mikuni Station, take Keifuku-Bus”Tojinbo Line” then stop at Tojinbo.

[Carn]:Take Hokuriku Motorway and at Kanazu Int. change to local way. In the direction to Mikuni, follow “Mikuni” and “Tojinbo”.
Business hours●Leisure boat
・Schedule: 29/Dec~31/Jan(Time table, and Station may be change, depending on the weather condition)
・Open :Apr - Oct:9:00~16:00
Nov – Mar : 9:00~15:30
・Rate:Adult(above secondary school):1,500 JPY
Children(primary school or below):750 JPY
●Parking:Available (Chargeable)
Map