Jūnitaki is a series of twelve waterfalls in the area which show the varied and beautiful expressions of nature. The name Jūnitaki means “twelve waterfalls,” and theories suggest this may be homage to the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, or to the Twelve Heavenly Generals of Buddhism.

From about 10 million to 6 million years ago, submarine volcanoes were very active in the Sea of Japan. The area around Jūnitaki Waterfalls is made of a hard type of rock called rhyolite, which flowed from one of these submarine volcanoes and solidified at the bottom of the sea.
The hardness of this rock created the height of these waterfalls, and as the water flows from above it crashes into rocks along the way, creating steps as it falls.

You can see various types of rock on the riverbed, including rhyolite, basalt, dolerite, and mudstone.