Kintaikyo Bridge

Kintaikyo crosses a wide shallow river in five wooden arches, each one a stack of curved beams pinned and wedged without a single span of steel underneath. It was first completed in the 1670s, washed away by floods more than once, and rebuilt each time - most recently in the 1950s after a typhoon flood, and in sections since, because the arches are periodically dismantled and remade as a way of keeping the carpentry alive. Crossing it is oddly physical: you climb each arch and drop down the other side, with the river braiding over gravel beds below. On the far bank a park of old residences leads to a ropeway up to a small hilltop castle.

History

After Kikkawa Hiroie, first lord of the Iwakuni Domain, completed Iwakuni Castle in 1608, a series of wooden bridges was built here, but floods carried them away several times, and the third lord, Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, built Kintai Bridge in 1673 on new stone piers (Wikipedia, Kintai Bridge).

What you'll find

• The arch structure - stacked, wedged timber visible from the gravel bank underneath, worth the detour down.
• The crossing itself - four climbs and four descents rather than a level walk.
• Kikko Park - old samurai residences, gardens and a small aviary of white snakes native to the area.
• The hilltop castle - reached by ropeway, a modern reconstruction with a long view over the Inland Sea.

When to go

Cherry trees line both banks and flower in early April, the busiest week. Summer evenings bring cormorant fishing on the river, watched from small boats. Autumn is clear and quiet. The bridge is lit at night in the warm months. After heavy rain the river rises fast and the bridge can close, which is worth checking before a long detour.

Things to know

The crossing is short and the ticket feels steep for what it is, especially with the castle and ropeway added on. The arches are steep enough to be awkward with a pushchair or dodgy knees. The castle at the top is a 1960s concrete rebuild with a thin exhibition. Iwakuni itself is a workaday town with little to hold you afterwards.

Nearby

Hiroshima is under an hour by train, and the Inland Sea ferry ports lie east along the coast.

Key facts