Today, August 4, is Bridge Day, a pun on the words eight (ha) and four (shi), which form hashi, or “bridge” in Japanese. It was first held in Nobeoka City, Kyushu Prefecture, known for its many bridges and is now celebrated in all 47 prefectures. However, there’s a competing holiday, Suspension Bridge Day, that also takes place today and was started by Totsukawa Village, Nara Prefecture, whose mountainous terrain is home to 60 bridges.
There’s always something a bit breathtaking about driving across a bridge, or any massive piece of engineering, and thinking about, however briefly, the vast amount of brainpower and muscle that we tiny humans put forth to build such a structure.
What’s your favorite piece of infrastructure?
The most entertaining comment by next week will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “Daily, Garage, or Sell — Transformers, Go-Bots, or MASK“.
The winner last week was Frank G., who said out loud what we all know to be true:
Transformers were the best and are the most valuable, so garage that. I still have a small collection of those. Go-Bots were a lame copy, so sell. Yes I know they’re all repackaged toys from Japan. That leaves Mask… not the most fun to play with but my choice for daily.
Omedetou, your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop!
Roads
Good answer!
This better win. Next year they’ll have to be more specific for the QOTW.
That’s the winner right there 🙂
That big spiral ramp that leads to Daikoku Futo PA is pretty freakin incredible, not only for the backdrop it provides, but for the sense of occasion. I first experienced it in a beautiful blue showroom-fresh~15k kilometer ’79 Subaru Leone Swingback in 2019. It was drizzling and only a handful of cars showed up, but I’ll never forget slowly winding down that massive spiral toward mecca. Still gives me chills.
I’ve always been kind of obsessed with the loop bridges in Japan. I know they exist elsewhere in the world, but the Japanese ones always seem to just be a little over-the-top. The Okuizumi Orochi Loop in Shimane is probably the coolest one I’ve been on.
The Frankenstein Trestle, located within Crawford Notch State Park in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Built in the 1800’s and still in use today by the Conway Scenic Rail Road.
https://i0.wp.com/briansolomon.com/trackingthelight/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Rhonda_Lee_at_Frankenstein_DSC_0388-2.jpg?resize=1038%2C576&ssl=1
There’s this bent, dented, and otherwise distorted guardrail on the most horrible 70-degree off camber turn on my favorite mountain road, Nope, never “used” it myself but I get a laugh every time I heel/toe set up for the curve. “Not this time, evil road builder!! Begone!”
Really like your comment, but “roads” should win.
Really cool idea to like a specific piece of guardrail, though.
As far as bridges are concerned, one of my all time favourites is the Viaduc de Millau in southern France, designed by the architect Sir Norman Forster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct
Best regards
Sebastian
I like empty parking lots lined with pylons forming a race course with timing equipment on Sunday mornings
I live in the Netherlands where we don’t have much in the way of elevation changes, no need for corners around mountain passes BUT we do have the A15 between Rotterdam and the Maasvlakte a stretch of road that takes you from bustling city lights through industrial zones where you see thousands of lights at night.
We’d meet up at a cellphone tower in Rotterdam, a mixture of beat up civics, miatas, WRX’s and the odd one out, my ratty old 91 trans am.
most nights were spent just cruising the 40 or so kilometer stretch up and down and try to spot other cars, get a soda at a service station and be on our way again. from car clubs named ‘apex chasers’ to ‘wangan dreamers’, starlit runner(that was me) you’d see loads of young car kids living their shuto expressway dreams on those summer nights.
My favorite is the sodium lighting found in streetlights.
That orange-ish glow that kills colors and makes everything appears as a kind of grayscale but with a warm feel to it. Nothing else makes me feel more in a urban area than this lighting.
The newer LED based white streetlights always tick me off because there are no easy way to know if the lighting I see comes from headlights belonging to a vehicle or if it is the simple streetlights, while the orange glow was enough to see pretty much everything, and make it obvious if anything else was lighting up anything.
But mostly, nightly photo-ops will never be the same when they are gone.