Tojinbo

Tojinbo is about a kilometre of pyroxene andesite formed into vertical columns, standing twenty to twenty-five metres above the sea and dropping straight into it. Columnar jointing at this scale in this rock type is geologically uncommon and the site is a designated natural monument. The cliff top has no barrier - you can walk to the edge, and people do, which is part of the experience and also the reason the place has a difficult reputation and a long-running volunteer patrol that watches for people in distress and has intervened many hundreds of times. Sightseeing boats run along the base in calm weather and give the better sense of the height. A tower nearby offers a view over the whole coast. The rock is uneven and wet with spray in places, and the sea below is deep and cold.

What you actually see

• Columnar andesite - a kilometre of vertical jointing dropping into the sea.
• No railings - an open cliff edge, walkable right up to the drop.
• Boats along the base - the better view of the full height, in calm weather.
• A designated natural monument - jointing at this scale is geologically uncommon.

When to go

April to November; sunset faces the sea. Two hours.

Honest expectations

The unfenced edge is genuinely dangerous - the rock is uneven and slick with spray. Boats do not run in swell, which is frequent in winter. The approach is lined with souvenir shops. Winter weather here is severe.

Nearby

Maruoka Castle is inland; Eiheiji is south-east.