Around Kawamoto Higashi Ohashi Bridge

 

After leaving Kawanoto, heading upstream the river does an s-bend.

Not far out of town and the Higashi Ohashi Bridge comes into view.

It carries a road that heads up to Iwami Ginzan, Oda, and Mount Sanbe.

 

However, it doesnt get much traffic. Most traffic comes into Kawamoto from the downstream side.

The bridge dates to 1967 and is 165 meters long.

It replaced a suspension bridge built in 1923. At that time there were still few bridges across the Gonokawa River, with most crossings still done by ferry.

Consequently the suspension bridge was somewhat of a tourist attraction. It was destroyed by a flood in 1965.

The previous post in this series documenting my walk up the south bank of the Gonokawa River to its source was on the roadside Tatara Shrine at the edge of town.

Until the Meiji Period, the river marked the boundary between the Hamada Han and Iwami Ginzan, controlled directly by the Shogunate.

Usually in Japan, when a river marked a boundary, it ran down the middle of the river, but it is said that in this instance the Shogunate put the boundary on the opposite bank and took the whole of the river as its territory.

Not sure how that worked in practise, but the next section of the river was the route used by the Shogunate to transport the gold, first upriver to Miyoshi and then by land to Onomichi, then by ship up the Inland Sea.

When the Mori Clan controlled the mines the silver was shipped out along the Kitamaebune trade route along the Sea of Japan, the closest and easiest way. Once the Shogunate took over using that route would have meant sailing around the territory that the Mori had been confined to after their defeat by te Tokugawa, and so I guess they thought that not so smart and kind of inviting trouble...

Hiroshima Sky Arch Biggest Arch Bridge in Japan

 

Nicknamed the Hiroshima Sky Arch, this bridge that crosses the Numata River is the biggest arch bridge in Japan.

The bridge is 800 meters wide and the arch measures 380 meters.

The road is 190 meters above the river, and the tallest piers supporting the bridge are 95.6 meters and 89.5 meters, the second and third highest concrete piers in Japan.

The bridge was opened in 2011 and was expected to improve traffic access to Hiroshima Airport from the northern part of the prefecture. I cant find the exact figures, but I believe not much traffic uses it...

The previous post was on Bakusetsu Waterfall a little downstream.

Venus Bridge Kobe

 

The Venus Bridge is a unique scenic viewpoint offering panoramic views of Kobe and its surrounding areas.

Opened in 1971, its is a spiral bridge shaped in a figure 8 that connects tow observatorys.

I reached it via a short, but steep, walk from Suwa Shrine.

Apparently it is very popular at night but I was here early in the morning on my way up into the mountains to a temple on the Kinki Fudo Myo Pilgrimage.

The name comes from 1874 when a frenchman observed the transit of Venus across the sun from a nearby observatory.

With Venus being the Goddess of Love, coupes have been leaving padlocks with their names on at the site for some years.

A special monument has been set up for the purpose now and padlocks left around the main  structure have been removed.

At approximately 150 meters above sea level it is not so high but the views are nonetheless worth the walk.

From Innoshima Island to Ikuchijima Island

 

I came down the west side of Mount Shirataki and reached the road running along the shoreline of Innoshima Island.

I then headed south to the bridge that would take me over to Ikuchi Island

I have covered the Ikuchi Bridge previously when I walked the Shimanami Kaido, so if you want any specs please check this link.

To get to the path for pedestrians and cycles to access the bridge meant passing under the bridge. Fortunately for pedestrians there was a short-cut so I didn't have to follow the very long and shallow-sloped cycle path.

An unusual little "park" made by someone local methinks.

Ikuchi Bridge only has one level so pedestrians are are in the open and can enjoy the views a bit better.

Once on Ikuchijima I headed around the north coast of the island, avoided the main attraction of the island, Kosanji, and headed towards Kojoiji Temple, my destination.

The last two photos in those post were not at a religious site, rather outside a stonemasons factory....

The previous post in this series on day 12 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage was on the hundreds of statues atop Mount Shirataki.

A Seaside Walk from Onomichi to Innoshima

 

Late August, and day 12 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and the next temple is located on Innoshima Island in the Inland Sea.

From Onomichi I take a sunrise ferry across the narrow channel separating Onomichi from Mukaijima.

Then I hug the coast road around the western side of the island.

I have walked this before when I walked the whole length of the Shimanami Kaido, but this time my route will differ after I cross over to Innoshima.

What is noticeable is the much bigger tides than what we get on the Japan Sea coast...

On the Inland Sea low tide reveals mud flats extending some way out.

I am passed by several cyclists clad in spandex and going hell-for-leather.... obviously going to do the 70k crossing to Shikoku in one day....

I reach and pass under the bridge that connects Mukaijima Island with the smaller Iwashi Island.

I carry on down the west coast and enjoy the views which are fairly typical for a lot of the Inland Sea area....

As I head around to the south side the bridge over to Innoshima comes into view.

It's a pretty major bridge, a suspension bridge about 1,339 meters long with a central span of 770 meters.

When it was built in 1983 it was the longest centre span of any suspension bridge in Japan.

Pedestrians and cyclists cross on the lower level below the road section. It was also the first suspension bridge on the Shimanami Kaido.

A very curious sight awaited on the opposite side, last photo.

I highly recommend the Shimanami Kaido, not least for the amazing views you get from the bridges. Obviously walking is best, but even driving would be worth it if you stopped at all the viewpoints.

The previous post in this series was on Senkoji Temple which I visited the day before.