The legend has it that an arrogant Buddhist monk named Tojinbo fell in love with a beautiful princess named Aya. Caught in a fight with Aya’s lover, Tojinbo was pushed from a cliff. Since then, his unrested soul angers, causing regular storms in the sea.

The Tojinbo Cliffs are a very peculiar geologic structure, formed roughly 12 mln years ago. Significantly polished by sea waters and salty breeze, the dark grey columnar joints are recognized as one of the natural heritage sites. There are only two more similar sites around the world.

The cliffs are 30 meters high and showcase beautiful twists and turns which presumably used to be hot magma. The area is also known for its dinosaur remains – they also feature a museum which I, unfortunately, did not have time to drop by.

The place had a bad luck, as many suicides would happen by the poor people just throwing themselves off the cliffs. Every day, a volunteer – retired policeman – would take a boat to browse the nearby waters to pay the last respect to unfortunate souls.

The place was ancient. The history was viscous, and every cell of my body felt it. When I got there, it was already getting dark, with cold wind blowing and waves crashing onto the shoreline. It was one of the moments when you feel as tiny as you are in the whole universe. You will die, but the cliffs will stand still as they have for already millions of years. You will die, but your soul will not disappear. It will return back to its origin – the inevitable flow of Time.