Tokyo · Central Tokyo
Nihonbashi Bridge
The first bridge here was built in 1603, at the start of the Edo period, and from then on it was the zero point from which all the main roads of Japan were measured. The current version, of stone and steel in Renaissance style, was completed on 3 April 1911 in place of a wooden bridge from 1873. Set into the center of the bridge is the 'national zero marker' (道路元標), still the official measuring point.
The pillars of the bridge carry statues of lions and kirin (a Chinese mythological animal), designed by the architect Yorinaka Tsumaki. The kirin have wings, which do not exist in the traditional depiction: they stand for setting out on the road from the zero point. The whole bridge is designated an Important Cultural Property.
Since 1963 an elevated expressway has run above the bridge. It was built under time pressure ahead of the 1964 Olympics and has hidden the sky above the bridge ever since. Work to move it underground has actually begun: the new tunnel is planned to open in 2035, and the demolition of the elevated road itself in 2040, in a project of about 320 billion yen.
Good to know
- The zero point marker in the middle of the bridge is small and easy to miss: it is set into the asphalt and not marked with a big sign.
- From the Nihonbashi pier next to the bridge, small boats leave for cruises on the canals, under the expressway and the old bridges.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Nihonbashi Bridge.
- HereNihonbashi Bridge
- ~2 min
Yamamoto Noriten Nihonbashi Honten Shopping
A nori seaweed shop since 1849, at the northern end of the bridge near exit B6 of Mitsukoshimae, with a hand-roll counter from 11:00. The tea shop Yamamotoyama is a different business, in Takashimaya south of the bridge.
- ~3 min
Mitsukoshi Nihombashi Main Store More to see
Mitsukoshi's flagship department store, with a lion statue at the entrance from 1914, inspired by Trafalgar Square in London. The pipe organ in the central hall is played Friday to Sunday, at noon, 15:00 and 17:00.
- ~3 min
Nihonbashi Taimeiken (3rd Generation) Food
A Western-style Japanese restaurant from 1931, currently in a temporary building next to the bridge since 2021, while it waits for its permanent building. The signature dish: Tampopo omurice, named after the film 'Tampopo' by Juzo Itami, about ¥2,800.
- ~4 min
Nihonbashi Kiya Honten Shopping
A shop for knives and metal tools from 1792, today on the ground floor of Coredo Muromachi 1. Japanese chef's knives and hair-cutting blades. 11:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, 10:30 to 19:00 on weekends.
- ~4 min
Ninben Nihonbashi Dashiba Food
A shop for shaved bonito (katsuobushi) from 1699, with a counter for tasting hot dashi in a cup. In Coredo Muromachi 1. 11:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, 10:30 to 19:00 on weekends.
- ~5 min
Bank of Japan Currency Museum More to see
A free museum on the history of money in Japan, one minute from Mitsukoshimae Exit B1. 09:30 to 16:30, closed Mondays (open on holidays).
- ~6 min
Fukutoku Shrine More to see
A small Shinto shrine from the 9th century, which was moved four times because of disasters and development and stands today next to Coredo Muromachi Terrace. Known as a place for luck with money, because in the Edo period it ran a lottery under the patronage of the shogunate.