This suspension bridge in Oita Prefecture is the highest pedestrian suspension bridge in Japan (as of November, 2016), and it’s located in the middle of some really beautiful scenery.
This was just on the drive there. I had to pull over a couple of times because it was such a gorgeous drive.
There are two sides for the bridge and both sides have free parking available, but the main side has a lot more than the back side. Google maps took me to the back side. I didn’t realize that until I had walked all the way across and explored the other side. As I started heading back I saw this –
Ah! This must be the main entrance! Well, I will say that Google maps kind of failed me when I was driving here and I ended up following the signs on the road for it (although..I did miss the sign on the right side of the road and drove right on by the turn off). So I was just happy to be there and since I was going to walk all the way across anyway, I didn’t really care which side I parked on.
The bridge is obviously very safe, but when it’s crowded it does shake a little. I didn’t notice it so much when I was walking, but every time I stopped to take pictures I was slightly freaked out. The amount of shaking depended on the number of people walking by me or ahead of me or right behind me. I knew I was fine, but I still took my pictures pretty quickly and kept walking.
I would imagine that this would be really colorful during the fall and an amazing green during the summer months.
There were even a couple of waterfalls to admire while walking across.
This is another great spot I highly recommend when visiting Oita. I stopped here on my way to the Kuju mountains. It didn’t take me too far out of my way and it didn’t take very long to walk across and explore both sides a little.
There is a fee to cross the bridge. It is 500yen for adults and 200yen for children 6-12yrs of age. Children under 6yrs of age are free. The fee is for round trip so make sure you hang on to your ticket when exploring the opposite side so you can get back across.
There were also gift shops, food stands, and restrooms on both sides.
Address – 九重夢大吊橋施設観光案内所
1208 Tano, Kokonoe-machi, Kusu-gun, Ōita-ken 879-4911
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