Tag: bridge

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Giant Suspension Bridge and unrelated snake spectacle

suspension bridge3
suspension bridge0
suspension bridge0

I used to think that suspension bridges were built out of necessity, but seeing this made me realize that they were purposely built in places where they didn’t need to be built, just to make people feel scary.    Many people walk on the suspension bridge, which looks just like a wide pedestrian bridge.   Although the suspension bridge uses fairly thick wire rope, you can still feel some sway.    There is a magnificent waterfall that can only be seen from here, but the scale of the view from the suspension bridge is so large that the waterfall feels small.

johgakura bridge
look down from bridge 1
nakatsugawa valley bridge

There are also places in the Tohoku region where the views from bridges are dynamic.    Johgakura Bridge in Aomori Prefecture is a good place to stop by on your way to the Shirakami Mountain Range and Lake Towada as above photos.    It’s also a good idea to stop by the bridge that spans the Nakatsugawa Valley in Fukushima Prefecture near Goshikinuma on Mt. Bandai.

suspension bridge5

t

suspension bridge2
suspension bridge1

Once you cross the suspension bridge, you will see a building that looks like a haunted house at the festival venue.    In front of the house, there was a crowd of people who seemed to be hesitating whether to enter or not.   This place holds a spectacle where customers can touch and hold white snakes in hopes of attracting financial luck.    I was reluctant to enter, but my companion was blinded by financial fortune and we decided to enter.

suspension bridge6 white snake named toguro
suspension bridge7 white snake named makitsuki

When I pay, the thick curtain in front of me opens and I come face to face with two white snakes.    One of them is called “Toguro,” which coils itself on my hand, and the other is “Makitsuki,” which wraps around my arm.”    No matter who holds them, these snakes maintain the same posture as their namesake, so these must be their favorite poses.   The touch was unlike anything I had ever felt before, neither cold nor warm, and I was filled with the desire to return them as soon as possible.    In the end, it was the people at the show booths who were lucky to make money.

Detour

Tonight we will be staying at Kiyasuya in Sujiyu Onsen, but Sujiyu Onsen is also home to a famous public bathhouse “Utase-yu.”   The name Sujiyu originally came from the fact that the hot spring ingredients are effective for soothing tired muscles, but the public bath is an ultimate hot spring where the hot spring water is dropped from a height of about 3 meters to soothe the body.

sujiyu hotspring4
sujiyu hotspring1
sujiyu hotspring2 utaseyu
sujiyu hotspring3
kuju tade wetlands
kuju tade hell valley
kuju highway2
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Arched stone bridge created by God

stone bridge futamatabashi1

Each arched stone bridge in Kumamoto prefecture exists in exquisite balance with the weight of the thousands of stones that make up it, and the shape is beautiful.    It is said that there are approximately 320 existing stone bridges in Kumamoto, but why are there so many stone bridges in Kumamoto?    Many factors seem to have contributed to this, including the presence of easy-to-work welded tuff formed by the Aso pyroclastic flow nearby, the presence of a technical group of masons, and the fact that people who learned Western techniques in Nagasaki moved there.   There is also a story that the designer of stone bridge was even threatened with his life by other clans due to his high technical skills.    This stone bridge is the result of a divine work.    The steps involved creating an arch-shaped wooden frame according to the blueprint, fitting stones into it from above, and finally removing the wooden frame.

kintai bridge5
refer to kintai bridge

Around the same time, a huge wooden arch bridge was built in Iwakuni. This is Kintaikyo Bridge.

stone bridge tsujyunkyo1
stone bridge tsujyunkyo3 a little water
stone bridge tsujyunkyo2 Anna and the Beast
stone bridge tsujyunkyo behind “Anna and the Beast”

Anyway, the Midori River basin in southern Kumamoto Prefecture is full of stone bridges.  Some are stone bridges for people to cross valleys, but many are also used to carry waterways to irrigate higher ground.    A typical example is the Tsujun Bridge, but for some reason there is an object depicting “Beauty(Anna) and the Beast” in front of it.   Let’s visit your favorite stone bridge.    Depending on the time of day at Futamata bridge, light from the arch opening and light reflected on the river surface overlaps to form a heart shape.

stone bridge futamatabashi2
stone bridge futamata

Furthermore, in order to distribute the precious water carried by stone bridges to the fields, it is necessary to distribute the water equally in proportion to the cultivated area.   A mechanism for this purpose is a circular water diversion system, in which water rises from the center of the circle using a U-shaped pipe, spills into partitions set up along the circumference in proportion to the cultivated area, and is distributed in various directions.    You can see places where this device is still in use today.   You might read the same story at the travel note “Akita in winter”.  Forthermore, there is one in the metropolitan area as well as in Mizonokuchi in Kawasaki City.

circular divertsion1 distributing water according to the rice field
circular diversion2 divided water flows above the river

A detour

Mizutama (Polka dots) cafe, a cafe tucked away on top of a mountain.    A good place to relax and do nothing.    Aso can also be seen in the distance.

polka dots cafe2
polka dots cafe3
polka dots cafe4
polka dots cafe in yamato
polka dots cafe5 lunch
polka dots cafe6 lunch
polka dots cafe7 cheese cake
polka dots cafe8 aso
polka dots cafe10

It’s difficult to get here. Don’t overlook the small landmarks at junctions on narrow roads.   It seems that reservations are now required recently.

Another detour

Yuen railway octagon tunnel
Yuen railway octagon tunnel

At first glance it looks like an octagonal tunnel, but numerous so-called nut-like shapes are lined up along the cliff.    Although it is the remains of a former railroad (Yuen railway), it seems to be a preventative measure against landslides.    There seems to be a demonic realm ahead, but at the end of the tunnel is a　tranquil landscape.

Yuen railway after tunnel
Yuen railway after tunnel

 

 

 

 

 

 

aso statute of nirvana left
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Kintai Bridge, an arch bridge completed by the feudal lord’s obsession

kintai bridge1

I thought it was near Iwakuni Station, but I was shaken by a nice local bus and arrived when I was about to get worried.    Original story is that, the castle town was small and divided by a river, so it seems that the feudal lord wanted to

kintai bridge4 iwakuni castle
kintai bridge4 iwakuni castle

build a large bridge so that the low-ranking samurai who lived on the other side of the castle would not have to use boats all the time.    It is said that the arch bridge in the scenery of the West Lake in the Chinese literature ordered from Nagasaki was referred to.    This bridge has a structure in which short girders are piled up from both sides and protrude little by little to form an arch.    It is splendid because it is said that the 100% wooden bridge has not been washed away for nearly 300 years since its construction.    I thought that the steep slope of the arch bridge was really slippery, but this time I learned for the first time that that part was the stairs.

kintai bridge6 wooden constraction method
kintai bridge2 surface

In “Miyamoto Musashi” written by Eiji Yoshikawa, Tsubame-gaeshi, which is said to have been mastered by Kojiro Sasaki, Musashi’s opponent in a serious match with his life on the line, was created through practice on this bridge.  Tsubame-gaeshi literally translates into English as cutting off a swiftly-circling swallow.   However, it is charming that the bridge will be completed after the decisive battle between the two swordsmen.    A bronze statue of Kojiro Sasaki stands by the bridge, and he is a splendid young warrior.

kintai bridge7 Kojiro Sasaki
kintai bridge5
kintai bridge3 kikkou park

itsukushima shrine1
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This one piece of picture!  Local train passing on the bridge

train passage on the bridge
tadami river bridge
tadami river bridge

There are various places to take a scenic view on the Tadami Line, but this is a must.
Tadami River First Bridge !

 

time schdule of train passage
time schdule of train passage on the bridge

 

 

 

 

 

Park your car at roadside rest area and walk 10min. to the viewpoint.  Many photographers are on standby.  Check time table of train passing on the bridge.

tou no hetsuri shrine
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deep Nakatsugawa Valley with bright autumn leaves

nakatsugawa valley viewpoint
nakatsugawa valley bridge
nakatsugawa valley bridge

The normal tourist overlooks here, but those who love the countryside cannot.  You can enjoy the autumn colors even from the bridge, but for those with good legs, let’s go down the deep valley 15min for one way.

nakatsugawa valley4
nakatsugawa valley4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gallery (click phtos)

nakatsugawa valley bridge
nakatsugawa valley under the bridge
nakatsugawa valley2
nakatsugawa valley4
nakatsugawa valley viewpoint
nakatsugawa valley5

Panoramic view of Onogawa and Akimoto Lake (click photos)

On the way to Nakatsugawa Valley, Bandai-Azuma Lake Line(road) runs along the ridge.  The mountains colored in autumn colors looked like broccoli !

onogawa lake
onogawa lake broccoli
onogawa lake viewpoint
akimoto lake

tou no hetsuri shrine
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Johgakura Bridge with spectacular view

look down from bridge 1
johgakura bridge

If you travel connecting Shirakami mountains and Hakkoda mountains or Lake Towada, going through Jougakura bridge is highly recommended especially in autumn season.  The color around the bridge changes into red.

autumn leaves from bridge

You can walk on the bridge safely after parking at the edge of it.   But strong winds on the bridge take away heat from the body.

center of bridge plate
center of bridge plate

Look down like a bird at the middle of the bridge !  Deep valley 122m below the bridge is trying to swallow you.  The river is so acidic that no fish can live in it.

 

 

bird eyes

There is Sukayu Onsen(Hot Spring), the bath of which is made of Hiba wood and can accommodate 1,000 people at a time, but it is also strongly acidic and it makes you tingle when you take a bath, so be careful of people with sensitive skin.  It is famous for mixed bathing, but there is a place to take it individually in the back.

sukayu hot spring

Mt.Gentagatake
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