Nagasaki · Nakashima RiverNo.1222★★Open in map →

Meganebashi Bridge

— Japan's oldest twin-arch stone bridge

historyOff the trail — and worth it

A twin-arched stone bridge over the Nakashima River in central Nagasaki, minutes from the station by tram. The arches and their reflection close into two rings, and the walkways along the bank below are open with no gate and no fee.

FromNagasaki Station
~10 minTram, one ride from the station
Get off atShiyakusho tram stop (Nagasaki Electric Tramway Line 3)
On foot
Meganebashi Bridge

Directions ↗

The sweet spot

This is a signposted, well-known sight in central Nagasaki, so it is not a hidden one. The part people miss is the angle. From the deck you see only paving and a handrail, and the double circle that gave the bridge its name appears only once you go down to the water.

Where it is

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What to look for — in walking order

Stepping stones in the Nakashima RiverYoshi Canopus / CC0

The twin arches from the bankthe paved walkway under the bridge, where the arches and their reflection close into two rings
Stepping stones in the rivera line of flat stones laid across the shallows just downstream of the bridge
The heart stone in the embankmenta heart-shaped stone set among the paving, singled out by the city's own guide
Fukurobashithe next stone bridge downstream, a single arch visible from the same walkway

How to actually get there

Nagasaki Station-mae → Shiyakusho (Nagasaki Electric Tramway Line 3, about 4 min).
Shiyakusho → the Nakashima River embankment (walk about 4 min).
Go down to the riverside walkway and look back at the arches and their reflection.
Follow the bank downstream to Fukurobashi, cross, and return along the other side.

Tram Line 3 from Nagasaki Station: Nagasaki Station-mae tram stop →(Nagasaki Electric Tramway Line 3 toward Hotarujaya, about 4 min)→ Shiyakusho stop, then about 4 minutes on foot down to the river. Trams on this line run frequently through the day, so no timetable planning is needed.
Return from Shiyakusho: Walk back up to Shiyakusho and take Line 3 to Nagasaki Station-mae. Trams run into the evening, but they stop earlier than a big-city subway would, so check the posted time if you stay on for dinner in the Hamanomachi arcade.

Directions from my location (Google Maps) ↗

About the place

Meganebashi is a stone arch bridge over the Nakashima River, between the Uonomachi district and the streets on the far bank. Two arches rest on a pier standing in mid-stream, and among the stone bridges of this river it is the only twin-arch one. Both banks below are paved as walkways, and a line of flat stepping stones crosses the shallows just downstream. More stone bridges stand within a few minutes on foot in either direction, so this is one point on a river walk rather than a single stop. The Nakashima runs through the commercial heart of the city, with shops and cafes backing onto the water.

How to enjoy it

The tram ride takes a few minutes and the walk from the stop a few more, so this fits into a gap in the day rather than filling an afternoon. Go down to the water first and look back before stepping onto the bridge, and the name explains itself in the right order. Then follow the bank downstream to the next bridge and come back along the opposite side.

Background & history

The bridge is recorded as the work of Mokusu Nyojo, a Chinese monk and the second abbot of Kofukuji, in 1634. It is treated as the starting point of arched stone bridge building in Japan, and later stone bridges were built to its pattern. It was designated an Important Cultural Property on 9 February 1960. The Nagasaki flood of 1982 brought down part of the structure, and it was restored the following year. Records of the bridge burned in an Edo-period fire, so other dates for its building have also been argued.

Before you go

Cash: The bridge and the riverside walkways are free and have no gates. Trams take the nimoca IC card and cash, and a one-day tram pass exists but is sold off-board, not inside the cars.
Good to know: The riverside walkway sits just above the water, so it is the first part to become unpleasant in heavy rain; the deck above stays usable. The stone steps down to the bank are uneven and turn slippery when wet. There is no lighting scheme to wait for, so the visit does not need to be timed to dusk.
Another way: Buses 26 and 60 from the east exit of Nagasaki Station reach the Meganebashi bus stop in about 6 minutes, leaving a 3-minute walk. Coming from the Hamanomachi shopping streets instead, the Meganebashi tram stop on Lines 4 and 5 is the closer one.
After you get off: From Shiyakusho, walk downhill toward the river and step onto the embankment path. The bridge is the twin-arched one with a pier planted in the middle of the stream.