From the Shirahige Bridge, the Tokyo Skytree was stuck in the sky

Tokyo Skytree seen from Shirahige Bridge

As I crossed the Shirahige Bridge over the Sumida River on my way to Minami-Senju, I looked back and saw a pencil-thin structure. It was the Tokyo Skytree. Although I was not aware of it until it came into view, the distance from the Shirahige Bridge where I took the photo to the Tokyo Skytree is quite close. The straight line distance is about two kilometers.

The Shirahige Bridge is named after the nearby Shirahige Jinja Shrine. The bridge was originally built near a ferry crossing on the Sumida River, and the people of the neighborhood raised funds to build the bridge. It may seem like a long time ago that private citizens raised funds to build a bridge, but it was not that long ago, in 1914, during the Taisho Era (1912-1926).

A bridge that could be crossed by people would not have been cheap. The people who lived in this area were not particularly wealthy, and it is said that they planned to collect tolls from users after the bridge was completed in order to recover the funds for its construction. It was a bridge that could not be crossed without payment.

This episode reminds me of a bridge made of bamboo in Luang Prabang, Laos. The bridge, which would wash away during the rainy season, had to be paid for each time it was crossed. Not everyone had to pay, but only foreign tourists did. At the time, I felt like I was being cheated, but now I think it was inevitable because it cost money to build the bridge, no matter how much it was made of bamboo.

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