North Fukui · MikuniNo.500★★★Open in map →

Tojinbo Cliffs

— Columnar sea cliffs on the Sakai coast

natureThe classic — done right

A wall of columnar rock running about a kilometre along the Sea of Japan in Sakai, northern Fukui. The columns stand in vertical bundles you can walk out onto, and a boat runs along the foot of the cliffs for the view from below.

FromAwara-Onsen Station
~45 minKeifuku bus, ~45 min
Get off atTojinbo bus stop (Keifuku Bus)
On foot
Tojinbo Cliffs

Directions ↗

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

The approach streeta lane of souvenir and food stalls running from the bus stop down toward the sea
The cliff topan open platform of column tops, unfenced right to the edge
The column facesvertical bundles of rock standing in section where the sea has cut the cliff back
The sightseeing boat pierboats that run along the foot of the cliffs for the view from the water
Tojinbo Toweran observation deck behind the shops, looking over the coast and out to Ojima

How to actually get there

Awara-Onsen Station → Tojinbo bus stop (Keifuku bus, about 45 minutes).
Tojinbo bus stop → the cliff top (down the approach street, roughly 5 minutes on foot).
Walk the rock platform, then take the sightseeing boat from the pier below the shops.
Back up the same street to the bus stop, timed to the departure posted there.

Keifuku bus from Awara-Onsen Station: Awara-Onsen Station is the rail gateway for this coast. From the stop outside, the Keifuku bus on the Tojinbo route reaches the cliffs in about 45 minutes. Departures are spaced around the trains rather than running constantly, so read the timetable at the stop before setting out.
Return from the Tojinbo stop: Ride back on the same Keifuku route. Evening services thin out, so check the last departure posted at the Tojinbo stop before you walk out to the cliffs, rather than after.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

The cliffs face the Sea of Japan on the Mikuni coast, at the northern edge of Fukui. Volcanic rock cooled and contracted into tall polygonal columns, and the sea has since cut the face back so that the columns stand exposed in section along roughly a kilometre of shoreline. Columnar jointing on this scale is said to occur in only three places in the world. The top is a broad rock platform, open and unfenced, and a coastal path continues north from it. Sightseeing boats work the base of the wall, which is where the height reads properly.

How to enjoy it

The boats start at 9:00 and finish in the late afternoon, earlier in winter, so a late-morning arrival covers the walk and a sailing without rushing either. The cliffs face west, which puts the strongest light on the rock in the last hours of daylight — but nothing up there is lit, so be off the platform before dark.

Background & history

The name is said to come from a monk called Tojinbo, who by local telling was pushed from the rock by fellow monks after a quarrel, and the sea is described as raging for days afterwards. The cliffs, together with the island of Ojima to the north, are designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument. The rock itself is far older than the story: a mass of volcanic rock cooled slowly here and contracted, splitting into the vertical joints that the waves later laid bare.

Before you go

Cash: The cliffs are free and always open. The sightseeing boat and the observation tower are run separately, each charging at its own counter.
Good to know: The municipal car park has been closed and private car parks nearby are used instead. There are no railings at the edge, the rock turns slippery in rain and snow, and boats are held back in rough weather — the Japan Sea side is windy through the winter.
Another way: From Fukui, the Echizen Railway runs north to Mikuni Station, and the Keifuku bus covers the last stretch to Tojinbo in about 15 minutes. By car, the cliffs are a short run from the Kanazu interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway.
After you get off: From the Tojinbo bus stop, walk down the shopping street toward the sea — roughly five minutes — and the paving simply ends at the open rock.