Nihonbashi Bridge

In front of you is the most famous bridge in Japan, although at first glance that may be hard to believe: a concrete expressway runs just a few metres above its parapet. Take a good look, because this is quite literally where the country began.

1Where the roads were born

The first wooden bridge was built around 1603, the same year Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed shogun. Soon afterwards it was made the starting point of Edo's five great highways, among them the Tōkaidō, which led to Kyoto. Around it grew the richest merchant district in the city, and for centuries the fish market stood on the north bank, until the earthquake of 1923 flattened it and it eventually moved to Tsukiji.

The wooden bridge burned down and was rebuilt many times. The one you are standing on is made of stone, with two arches, and it opened on 3 April 1911. The decoration was entrusted to the Tokyo School of Fine Arts: Watanabe Osao modelled the lions, which protect the city, and the kirin, mythical beasts that, according to the usual explanation, were given wings so they could ‘fly’ from here to every corner of Japan.

2A bridge in the shadows

In 1963, in a rush to be ready for the Olympic Games the following year, the Metropolitan Expressway was built over the river. Ever since, the bridge has lived in semi-darkness, and there is now a project under way to move that stretch of road underground.

The plaques bearing the bridge's name are in the calligraphy of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun.

3What to look for

• The winged kirin on the lamp posts in the middle of the bridge.
• The replica of the kilometre zero marker for Japan's roads, on the north-west corner; the original is set into the middle of the roadway.
• The lions with shields at each end, holding up the emblem of Tokyo.