Hidden Wonders | Crumbling Arch Bridge in Hokkaido Draws Crowds Eager to Watch It Vanish

このページを日本語で読む

The Taushubetsu River Bridge, located in the town of Kamishihoro in Hokkaido's Tokachi region, sinks beneath a dam reservoir from around June through October due to fluctuating water levels, its form appearing and disappearing—earning it the nickname "the phantom bridge." With deterioration also progressing, there's no telling when its row of connected arches might disappear from view for good.

Spotlighted by a JR Poster

The bridge was completed in 1937 with the opening of the former Japanese National Railways' Shihoro Line. It spans 130 meters and stands roughly ten meters high, built of concrete, with 11 connected arches forming its distinctive silhouette.

It ceased serving its original function in 1955, but was designated a Hokkaido Heritage site in 2001, and later gained widespread recognition after being featured on a JR Group promotional poster.

*From summer into autumn, the Taushubetsu River Bridge sinks into the lake, leaving only part of it visible (Photo courtesy of Higashi-Taisetsu Nature Guide Centre)*

"I Want to Keep Photographing It Until It Collapses"

So says Ryoji Iwasaki, 47, a photographer living in Otofuke who has been photographing the bridge since 2005. Iwasaki explains that the stone and gravel used in the bridge's concrete were sourced locally, and that part of its appeal lies in watching that stone and gravel—now shaped into a bridge—gradually return to nature over time.

Natural disasters have also contributed to its collapse. Part of a side wall crumbled in the 2003 Tokachi-oki earthquake, and a section collapsed again in an earthquake this past April. Paradoxically, each further collapse draws even more tourists eager to catch a glimpse, arriving from early morning.

*Site of the former Horoka Station on the old Shihoro Line.*

Mitsuyo Kawada, 66, representative director of the NPO Higashi-Taisetsu Nature Guide Centre, which runs tours to the bridge, notes that “the environment surrounding the bridge has changed dramatically over the past decade,” citing rising temperatures and increased rainfall.

In recent years there have also been more reports of bear sightings near the site, and tourism associations are urging visitors to stay alert. Naoki Kinoshita, 55, who visited with his wife from Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, said he had “no idea a place like this existed” in Japan and was moved by its majestic scenery.

Even though it has long since lost its original function, the Taushubetsu River Bridge continues to captivate visitors. There is beauty to be found in things that are falling apart—a sensibility, perhaps, that is distinctly Japanese.