The Shinkyo Bridge (神橋, Shinkyō) is the first structure visitors see before they enter the area of Nikko’s shrines and temples and is officially part of Futarasan Shrine. The bridge is 28 meters long by about 7 meters wide and for a long time only imperial court members were allowed to cross it. The bridge was opened to the general public in 1973 and several years of restoration work began in 1997, during which time it was registered as a World Heritage Site. Today visitors can pay a small fee to cross it, but many choose to photograph the structure from main bridge used by traffic. Shinkyo Bridge ranks among the three finest bridges in Japan along with Kintaikyo in Yamaguchi Prefecture and Saruhashi in Yamanashi Prefecture.

You May Also Like

Kanazawa Castle

Home of the powerful Maeda family who governed the region for 280 years from the late 16th century up until the end of the Edo period. Since its early days, the castle has been pivotal to Kanazawa and the city has developed around it.

Higashi Chaya District

Edo period pleasure district with many historical buildings. The largest and the most popular chaya (“tea house”) districts in Kanazawa.

Mount Nokogiri

Mount Nokogiri (鋸山) is a low mountain on the west side of Chiba’s Boso Peninsula. It was the…

Nihombashi Bridge

One of Tokyo’s most important historical structures, and the starting point from which all roads were measured when Tokugawa Ieyasu undertook the construction of the five routes.