---
name: "Kintaikyo Bridge"
lat: 34.1675
lng: 132.1775
official_url: "https://kintaikyo.iwakuni-city.net/"
fee: "Until 31 August 2026, crossing the bridge costs ¥310 for an adult, meaning junior high school age and up, and ¥150 for a primary school child; groups of fifteen or more pay ¥260 and ¥120. Pre-school children are free. The fare changes on 1 September 2026 — the new amounts are in a separate table linked from the fee page. Tickets are return only — there is no one-way fare — and same-day only. The combined ticket for the bridge, the ropeway and Iwakuni Castle is ¥970 for an adult and ¥460 for a primary school child, ¥170 less than buying the three separately; a bridge ticket cannot be changed into it later. Showing a disability certificate brings the bridge down to ¥150 and ¥70 and the set to ¥560 and ¥260. Parking at the Shimokawara car park is free on weekdays and ¥300 at weekends and on holidays in March, April, May, September, October and November, and ¥300 even on weekdays during the cherry blossom season and Golden Week."
last_verified: "2026-08-15"
---

# Kintaikyo Bridge

The lord of Iwakuni had a wooden bridge built here in 1673, and the river washed it away almost at once. The improved rebuild stood 276 years, until a typhoon took it in 1950. Townspeople asked for wood again, and the bridge came back in 1953. It is held together with iron bands and clamps, in a joinery whose arched form still impresses bridge engineers. Cherry blossom comes in spring, cormorant fishing works the river in summer, and the hillside turns color in autumn.

- Area: yamaguchi
- Type: sightseeing
- Average stay: 90 min
- Hours: The bridge itself is open 24 hours, every day. The 8:00-17:00 you see quoted is the tollhouse; when nobody is there you put the fare in the night box and cross. The two official pages word the tollhouse hours differently — the bridge page says 8:00-17:00, to 18:00 in the tourist season and 19:00 in summer, while the Q&A page says 8:00-18:00 in summer, to 19:00 during the school holidays, and 8:00-17:00 in winter. The lights go out at 22:00, so crossing after that is in the dark. The ropeway runs 9:00-17:00 at :00, :15, :30 and :45, with the last car up and down at 17:00, and Iwakuni Castle is open 9:00-16:45; both close on ropeway inspection days. High water on the Nishiki river, typhoons and strong wind and rain can close the bridge.
- Last verified: 2026-08-15

## Family facts (value + conditions + source + verified date)

| Feature | Value | Conditions | Verified | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indoor / outdoor | Outdoor | Completely outdoors — it is a bridge over the Nishiki river with no cover anywhere on it. Rain and snow make the boards slippery, and high water on the river or a typhoon can close it altogether. If the weather turns, the covered options nearby are Iwakuni Castle at the top of the ropeway (9:00-16:45), the Kikkawa Archives, the Kashiwabara Art Museum and the Iwakuni White Snake Museum, all of which the set ticket discounts. | 2026-08-15 (web) | [source](https://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/kintaikyo.html) |
| Steps & slope caution | Many steps | The bridge has steps. Of the five spans, the first and the fifth have few steps and can be crossed in a wheelchair, but the second, third and fourth are stairs and are difficult. Rain and snow make them slippery. Iwakuni Castle has no lift and many steps, so a wheelchair cannot get inside; the ropeway station has a chair lift, though carrying the wheelchair and helping with the transfer is left to you. | 2026-08-15 (web) | [source](https://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/faq) |
| English support | English menu & signs | Both official sites have English pages, and the tourism site also has simplified and traditional Chinese and Korean. Nothing is stated about staff at the tollhouse speaking English. | 2026-08-15 (web) | [source](https://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/kintaikyo.html) |
| Best-fit ages (guide) | Yes | Pre-school children cross free; the child fare is for primary school, and adult starts at junior high. The crossing is about 193 m of arched wooden spans with steps, and only the first and fifth spans are close to level. Pets may cross the bridge but not enter the castle. Wheelchairs are lent, first come first served, from the ropeway lower station (1), the upper station (2, power-assisted) and the Iwakuni tourist association (1). | 2026-08-15 (web) | [source](https://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/faq) |
| Stroller access notes | Yes | From JR Iwakuni station, the bus for Kintaikyo from stand 1 outside the west exit takes about 20 minutes and runs every 10 to 15 minutes; a taxi is about 15 minutes. From Shin-Iwakuni station it is 15 minutes by bus, 10 by taxi, and from Iwakuni Kintaikyo airport a bus meets the flights and takes about 30 minutes. On the Iwakuni side the bridge is a minute's walk from the Kintaikyo bus stop and a minute from the Shimokawara riverbed car park. Shimokawara holds about 300 cars and the car park by the Yokoyama riverside ground about 30. Accessible spaces: 5 at Shimokawara, 3 beside the ropeway lower station, 2 at Yokoyama — Shimokawara is gravel, so watch your footing. Coin lockers are at the Kintaikyo bus centre, both ropeway stations, JR Iwakuni, Shin-Iwakuni and the airport; luggage can be left at the bus centre for ¥500 a piece from 9:35 to 17:00. Littering and smoking on the street are banned around the bridge. | 2026-08-15 (web) | [source](https://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/faq) |
| Stroller friendly | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Stroller rental | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Diaper changing table | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Nursing space | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Family restroom | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Elevator | No | No lift anywhere on this outing. Iwakuni Castle, at the top of the ropeway, says in its official FAQ that it "has no lift and many steps, so entering by wheelchair is difficult". The bridge itself is a flight of arches: the 1st and 5th spans have few steps and can be crossed in a wheelchair, but the 2nd to 4th are stairs. The ropeway boarding point has a stair lift (not a lift), so you can board in a wheelchair — you carry the chair and manage the transfer yourselves. Wheelchairs are lent free at the ropeway foot station (1), the summit station (2, power-assisted) and the Iwakuni Tourist Association (1), all first-come. | 2026-08-15 (web) | [source](https://kankou.iwakuni-city.net/faq) |
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet |  |  |  |
| Child switch (rider swap) | Not checked yet |  |  |  |