Tojinbo is the most famous tourist attraction in Fukui Prefecture. The huge, vertical, pillar-shaped rocks cluster along the coastline for about a kilometer, an arresting view. The sight of the rough waves of the Sea of Japan crashing against the sheer cliffs is breathtaking. It has been designated a national natural monument and a place of scenic beauty.

Tojinbo was formed about 13 million years ago when magma rose almost to the surface and cooled and hardened underground, forming pentagonal and hexagonal rocks in the process. Later, tectonic movements brought the rocks to the surface, where waves and wind scraped and eroded the softer surrounds, giving the area its present distinctive appearance. The large-scale columnar joints of dacite, extending about one kilometer, are a geological rarity similar only to Mount Kumgang on the Korean Peninsula and the west coast of Norway in Scandinavia, and are considered of incalculable value.

The name Tojinbo is said to derive from the name of a monk from the Heian period (794-1185), over 1000 years ago. Tojinbo, a monk at one Heisenji Temple, was a very violent person who caused nothing but trouble for those around him. One day, when Tojinbo was summoned by a monk named Magara Kakunen, who was his rival in love over a woman named Ayahime, he was pushed off a cliff when he was drunk. It is said that naming the cliffs "Tojinbo" after the monk occurred because the sea surged violently for 49 days following the incident.

From the top of the cliffs, you can see a breathtaking view of the turbulent waves of the Sea of Japan crashing into Tojinbo. You can climb to the tip of the cliff and look down for a compelling view. Selected as one of the best 100 sunsets in Japan, the changing colors of the sea and sky at Tojinbo at dusk are well worth seeing.
Tojinbo can be admired from the top of the cliffs, but the view from the sea offers yet another spectacular sight. “Tojinbo Sightseeing Ferry” offers a view of Tojinbo that can only be seen from the ocean while feeling the pleasant breeze from the waves. You can view "Hachi-no-Su Iwa," a formation which looks like a large beehive, and "Lion Iwa," lion rock, which can only be seen from the boat.

Off the coast of Tojinbo is a small island called Oshima. The island can be reached on foot via a beautiful 224-meter vermilion-lacquered bridge. The island has long been revered by the locals as "God's Island" and is shrouded in a mysterious ambience. The entire island is covered with vegetation, and walking the kilometer-long promenade, visitors can behold towering trees over 100 years old and magnificent sea cliffs. From Tojinbo, tourists can take a leisurely walk along the Araiso Promenade and enjoy the scenery of the Sea of Japan.