You might think I'm not afraid of anything but to be honest, I'm afraid of heights. You won't see me riding rollercoasters or skydiving. Heck, I didn't even ride the torture-looking Vikings ride in Tagaytay with Hive PH friends (read cthings' post about our epic adventure) because even just by looking at it, my heart races like I'm riding on it. I'm no fun in those aspects but at least I have my fun in other areas.
So why did I cross one of Japan's longest suspension bridges?
It was a Sunday when I hurriedly went down the stairs to ask my companions the epic question Where are we going?. We, rather they, hadn't decided yet but in those limited minutes my partner's mother burst out of Totsukawa's suspension bridge. I went back to the room feeling excited but moments later, I realized, wait, this seems like facing my fears. I didn't want to go!
But too late, we're already on our way to Totsukawa. Totsukawa is a quiet town in the south of Nara Prefecture, still in Yoshino-gun, almost near Wakayama Prefecture. It's located in the mountains so it was refreshing during the heat of summer.
On the way to the suspension bridge, we almost met an accident because while the road in the mountain was so narrow, a car was speeding up and didn't even bother to speed down passing us. It was driven by a beginner driver because of the beginner sticker in the car but still, that driver should slow down. A kid was with us and we were really worried.
After that incident, it was a smooth ride. We passed by great views of the mountains and the river. Then we reached the suspension bridge.
There's a wide parking space if you wanted to pass the bridge. The ones in charge there were kind enough to give directions not just to the bridge but to the other sightseeing areas of the town. I remembered we paid 800 yen for our entire parking stay.
The moment of truth: we're finally stepping into the bridge.
Tanize Suspension Bridge (谷瀬の吊り橋) is Japan's longest suspension bridge used in daily life. People in the town use this bridge in their day-to-day life and what's epic is that some people even ride bicycles or motorcycles crossing the bridge. Incredible, right?! During summer, their festival was even held at this bridge. I could imagine every beat to the taiko drum, this bridge would sway. Aren't they scared?!
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When I learned about the history of this bridge, I was moved. Tanize was built in 1954 from the pockets of the townspeople. Each household donated around 200,000 yen and above, which was a fortune during that time, just for the construction of this bridge that is used even today. If not for the sacrifices of the ancestors, this bridge wouldn't be here today.
Before this was just a normal log bridge but now, it's one crazy and thrilling experience. Up to 20 people can use the bridge at the same time. There were villagers on both ends that would monitor if it was a go or a no to enter the bridge.
It's really for thrill seekers and not like me. Every time you take a step, little or not, the bridge would sway. My partner's family was with me, so I really had to pretend I wasn't frightened. I had to remain composed but it's so hard! They didn't know I was afraid of heights until I told them past halfway crossing the bridge.
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My heart was beating so fast and for every step I took, I had to make sure I wasn't stepping on something old, in case it wouldn't make a hole. Mind you, the suspension bridge was made of steel wires I assume from what I've seen and they added wood for people to step on it. I wasn't looking down the entire time because if I did, I would be in panic mode realizing we're up high, and falling down to the river below would mean instant death for me.
Every time we cross paths with another group, my pretentious self would be polite in greeting others. Deep inside though, I was cheering for them to go past me right away or else my anxiety wouldn't stop. If only I could tell people to only walk in one direction. 😅
You might be wondering why I could take photos. Well, of course. 😂 I was maintaining my balance, trying to hold on to me. Most of these photos though were from the journey back where I finally had the courage to take many photos.
In my thoughts, I've been running simulations in case danger would happen but fortunately, we made it to the other side without any harm. The kid with us was very brave unlike me. She enjoyed the entire walk on the swaying bridge while I was in horror.
Whew! Made it to the other side!
The other side had a small store but we decided to walk a bit further to explore the village. Apparently, there's a walking trail so we hiked a little.
It wasn't a little.
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The village was so serene on a summer Sunday. From the map detailing the trail, we would be seeing fields, goats, cosmos photo spots, and many more but it was summer. The fields were empty, few flowers were blooming but we see a lot of scarecrows. It wasn't the best time to be on this trail but walking in this simple town made me feel positive and refreshed.
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Seeing these fields in layers reminded me of the famous rice terraces in the Philippines.
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We're going to the observation area. We thought it's just right there but we're walking uphill for more than 30 minutes already with no observation deck in sight. Our cue was passing a waterwheel and we did, maybe 45 mins after.
The water was so fresh and cold. Even the water in the canal was. Didn't see fish in the canal though.
We asked for directions to the observation area from the people we passed by and they said it's still about 15-20 minutes walk from where we were, which was the waterwheel.
It's a lie. 15 to 20 minutes became more than half an hour.
We had to climb 227 steps of the stairs going to the temple. It was painful for my knees and legs but my partner's mother was so healthy I was so envious of her strong knees. I almost gave up halfway but every time I look up, I would cheer myself I could do this.
We rested for a bit around the temple premises before proceeding further into the forest. The temple was small and we saw no one around.
We thought we didn't have to dive deep into the forest to reach the observation deck but we were descending and ascending til we reached the area. This kind of stairs I could tolerate because I could hold onto something and I could calculate the shortest and easiest way down. The path wasn't that nice if you're wearing white shoes or sandals because it was muddy from the rain in the morning.
We finally reached the observation area. There's an area where you could sit and enjoy the view and we were there, taking in all the wonders that we could see. The breeze was cool and the lushes of green in the mountains were so wonderful to the eyes.
From here, we could clearly see the length of the suspension bridge and I couldn't believe my eyes - I crossed that long bridge?! No wonder I was praying for the walk to end asap while crossing it. 😅
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Under the bridge was the Totsukawa River that's so inviting with its nice colors. There's a camping ground near it so aside from the suspension bridge, maybe to camp is also a good option to explore this town.
After staying there for maybe 15-20 minutes, we decided to go back before it got dark. Going back was fast. We reached the store just beside the bridge in no time, where we enjoyed eating ice cream. I had their yuzu sorbet which was sour but just the right kind.
We had to pass the bridge again. I was really wondering about my life choices at that time. What if when we were still in the house, I told them I didn't want to go to the suspension bridge area? What if I got courageous enough and told them I just want to take it easy, maybe a cafe or something? But no, I had to face my fears again. This time, I was at the rear and you'd see the gap between me and the ones at the front.
When I was almost at the end, I got lionhearted and looked around. Ah, this scenery. I will cherish this for a lifetime.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
With love,
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.