Honoring Japan's Oldest Extant Suspension Bridge

Today, and August 4th annually, is Suspension Bridge Day 吊り橋の日 in Japan. It is a commemoration day created to honor the Tanize Suspension Bridge in Totsukawa Village in Nara Prefecture, but it is a nod to all suspension bridges in Japan. I personally have not yet been to see Tanize Bridge, so the photo in this post is of another Suspension Bridge. 

The Tanize Suspension Bridge is a 297.7‑meter iron-wire bridge stretching 54 meters above the Totsukawa River. It is long known as Japan’s longest living-use suspension bridge. For decades, this bridge connected the remote Tanize settlement with the Uenochi area, serving quite literally as a “path of life” for residents navigating steep mountains and deep valleys. Remarkably, it was funded by the community who each contributed thousands of yen. It was built in 1954.

Today, Suspension Bridge Day honors that feat. August 4th, 8/4, was chosen as the date of the celebration because it reads "Ha (8) Shi (4)" the Japanese for bridge. In Totsukawa Village they celebrate the day with the Tsuri-bashi Matsuri (Suspension Bridge Festival). Drums are played atop the gently swaying bridge, a gesture of gratitude toward the structure that supported daily life for generations.