Nagare-bashi, one of the longest wooden bridges in Japan with a quaint atmosphere used in period dramas
Nagare-bashi is a bridge built in 1953 over the Kizu River in Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture. Its scenery, which is also used for filming historical dramas, has a nostalgic atmosphere like an original Japanese landscape. The contrast with the setting sun is especially beautiful, and the fantastic scene just before the sun sets is breathtaking. The bridge and the surrounding Hamacha tea fields are registered as a “Japanese Heritage Site of 800 Years of Japanese Tea”. You can enjoy the surrounding scenery as well.
The name “Nagare-bashi” comes from the fact that when the river rises, the floorboards are designed to float on the surface of the water and flow. The floorboards flow like a raft to take the pressure of the water and prevent the entire bridge from collapsing. In fact, it has been washed away more than 20 times in 60 years, protecting the bridge from damage caused by floodwaters.
If you plan to visit the bridge from Iwashimizu hachimangu station, You must visit Iwashimizu-hachimangu Shrine as well. Alternatively you can walk along the Kizu River for about one hour(4.5km), you will get to Nagare-bashi Bridge from the station.
Nagare-bashi Bridge
Address : Miyamaekawabata Kozuya, Yawata, Kyoto 614-0000
Access : From Iwashimizu Hachimangu Station on the Keihan Main Line, take the Keihan Bus (No. 73, 75, 76) for about 15 minutes. Get off at “Kamizuya Nagare-bashi” and walk 5 minutes. From Okubo Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line, take the Kyoto Keihan Bus No. 21 for about 15 minutes. Get off at “Sasayama” bus stop and walk 10 minutes.