There comes a time in many an adventure film where the heroes have to cross a rickety suspension bridge, high in some remote mountains or deep in a tropical jungle. These bridges might seem like they belong in the realm of the big screen, but Japan, due to its mountainous landscape, is actually dotted with them. Totsukawa Village, in the far south of Nara Prefecture, is home to one of these “Indiana Jones-movie-recalling” suspension bridges, the Tanise no Tsuribashi (tsuribashi, 吊り橋, means suspension bridge in Japanese). The bridge was built in 1954, one of the first great public works projects of the post-War era, to connect the villages of Tanise and Uenochi and to facilitate the flow of mail and other goods between the two towns. It also served to allow school teachers and students to commute more easily. The bridge also serves as a stage for Totsukawa Village’s taiko drum teams during the annual “Tsuribashi Matsuri” Suspension Bridge Festival, held on August 4th. The Tanise no Tsuribashi is 297 meters in length and 54 meters in height, making it Japan’s largest steel cable suspension bridge built for the purpose of facilitating business and everyday life (larger steel cable suspension bridges exist elsewhere in Japan but they were built for tourism or other purposes).
Residents of Tanise and Uenochi Villages, and postal staff are permitted to cross the Tanise no Tsuribashi on bicycles and lightweight scooters but visitors from elsewhere must make the crossing on foot. Despite signs at either end of the bridge warning that no more than 20 people at a time should cross the bridge, and an 18 inch wide walkway, the Tanise no Tsuribashi is quite stable. It also has high guard rails connected to the walkway by chain link fencing to prevent anyone from falling. The bridge can be a thrilling (or terrifying) experience for anyone who braves the crossing.
Without a car the Tanise no Tsuribashi can only be accessed by bus. Get the JR Wakayama Line to Gojo Station (71 minutes and ¥970 from JR Nara Station) and then transfer to a Shingu bound bus (3 per day) and get off at Uenochi.
Works consulted:
https://www.japanhoppers.com/kansai/tenkawa_totsukawa/kanko/1854/
http://www.pref.nara.jp/nara_e/area07/04.html
https://www.tsunagujapan.com/japans-10-most-heart-stopping-suspension-bridges/
http://www.hellojapan.asia/en/travel-guide/tanise-suspension-bridge.html
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%B0%B7%E7%80%AC%E3%81%AE%E5%90%8A%E3%82%8A%E6%A9%8B (Japanese)
http://totsukawa.info/joho/kanko/ (Japanese)
Photo Credits:
Visit to the Tanise no Tsuribashi July 31st 2015
“On the Tanise no Tsuribashi.” This Flickr creative commons image from user Tamago Moffle is freely available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/8937001@N03/4848458530/ under the cc 2.0 license.
“Tanise no Tsuribashi Suspension Bridge.” This Flickr creative commons image from user Tamago Moffle is freely available at https://www.flickr.com/photos/8937001@N03/4848458530/ under the cc 2.0 license.