Hi! Today’s post is for bridge lovers. There are many kinds of bridges across Japan. Big one, Strange shape one or traditional one that I was wondering how they were made. I often go to see bridges when I find them while traveling. Seeing bridges from far away or up close both are good. This time I’ll show you three bridges.
1. Horai bridge in Shizuoka prefecture
Horai bridge is listed to Guinness World Record as “the longest wooden footbridge”. It’s 897.4 meters long and was built in 1879. You have to pay a fee for walking on it. When I was walking across, it was windy and made me feel worried if I blew away. In addition, the sides of the bridge are low. It’s another reason why I thought so. There’s a place looking down the whole bridge at the other side of the river. It’s definitely the place to take pictures of the bridge.
2. Saruhashi in Yamanashi prefecture
Saru as in Saruhashi means monkey. Cute name, isn’t it? Saruhashi is known by people as “Kai no Saruhashi”. “Kai” is the old name of Yamanashi prefecture. Also Saruhashi is one of the three strangest bridges in Japan. Why’s that? The answer is on the right and left sides of the bridge. Do you notice the sides of the bridge is a bit off? This four layers are called “Hanegi” for holding up the bridge instead of piers. The valley here is so deep that piers couldn’t be built. Apparently the structure of Hanegi comes from many monkeys piled up to get to the other side.
3. Kintaikyo in Yamaguchi prefecture
I love Kintaikyo. Kintaikyo is also one of the three strangest bridges in Japan. Made of wood, arch shape and small island made of stones that is for connecting arch are all best. Although Kintaikyo was built in 1673, about 350 years ago, its structure is still said to be perfect in terms of the modern construction techniques. Kintaikyo with cherry blossoms in Spring, greenery on mountain in Summer are all beautiful. It’s lit up at night too. I highly recommend you take the time to go to Kintaikyo if you visit Hiroshima prefecture. It’s not so far from Hiroshima and worth visiting.
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こんにちは！今日の記事は橋が大好きな方向けです。日本には大小様々な色んな橋があります！大きな橋、奇形な橋、伝統的な橋…どうやって作られたのか気になってしまうほど。今日は３つの橋をご紹介します。
１．蓬莱橋 （静岡県）
蓬莱橋は「世界一長い木造歩道橋」としてギネスに登録されています。長さはなんと897.4ｍです。明治１２年に完成。対岸まで歩きましたが、その時は横風が強く、しかも橋の欄干が低いので飛ばされないかとヒヤヒヤしました。対岸には、蓬莱橋を上から一望出来る場所がありますよ。記念写真を撮るなら、ぜひこの場所から撮るのがお勧めです。
２．甲斐の猿橋（山梨県）
その珍しい構造から、日本三奇橋のひとつとして知られています。橋の右側に４段になっているものがありますよね。これは「はねぎ」と呼ばれ、ここの渓谷が深いので橋脚を立てることが出来ず、「はねぎ」で橋を支える構造にしているそうです。
３．錦帯橋（山口県）
私の大好きな橋の一つです。錦帯橋も、日本三奇橋の一つなんですよ。木造、反り橋、橋をつなぐ、石で作られた小島、もう全てがマッチしていて素晴らしい橋です。錦帯橋が出来たのは１６７３年と今から３５０年前にも関わらず、現代の橋梁工学から見ても打ちどころのない構造なんだそうです。春になれば桜が咲き、夏になれば山の緑で橋が映えます。夜になるとライトアップもしていますよ。
