Tojinbo is famous as the setting of crime scenes and dramatic confessions by cornered criminals in suspense TV dramas that air every Tuesday. It is a sheer cliff in northern Fukui Prefecture, formed by columnar joints of pyroxene andesite.
Columnar joints on the scale of Tojinbo are said to be quite rare, with only three such places in the world: Mount Kumgang on the Korean Peninsula, the western coast of Norway on the Scandinavian Peninsula, and Tojinbo in Fukui Prefecture. With this in mind, I headed for Tojinbo.
Traveling by Gran Class
On the Hokuriku Shinkansen, you can reserve Gran Class seats, which are equivalent to first class on a train. With only 18 seats per train set, Gran Class offers light meals and drinks, and the seating is arranged in a 2+1 layout, making it ideal for solo travelers.
The luxurious reclining seats, take-home slippers, and complimentary water and nuts add to the experience. You can also use the lounge at Tokyo Station, but since it opens at 8:00 a.m., I couldn’t use it because my train departed early in the morning.
Both Japanese-style and Western-style light meals are available. On the outbound journey, I ordered the Japanese-style meal. On the return trip, only the Western-style option was left, so I suspect the Japanese-style meals run out earlier. If Japanese-style is available, I recommend ordering it without hesitation.
Alcoholic drinks are also available, and after the meal you can request items like pound cake or herbal tea. All of these food and drink options are included at no extra charge.
Tojinbo
Tojinbo can be reached by taking a 40-minute bus ride from Awaraonsen Station and getting off at the Tojinbo bus stop. As you walk along a street lined with souvenir shops and restaurants—very much like a typical tourist area—you’ll arrive at Tojinbo. Near the entrance, there is a ticket booth for sightseeing boats, and I highly recommend buying a ticket there and taking a cruise.
To board the sightseeing boat, you need to walk down the cliffs, and the boat itself rocks quite a bit due to the high waves of the Sea of Japan. The explanations about Tojinbo provided during the cruise are very detailed, which makes the sightseeing boat experience especially worthwhile.
IWABA CAFE
I had lunch at a café near Tojinbo. When I arrived, it was already past lunchtime, so I was able to enter without waiting in line. I ordered a fish burger, and the portion was quite large—I even had to get a refill of my drink to finish it all.
