Last updated: December 21, 2020
Hike a disused railway bridge from a bygone era
Usui 3rd Bridge is the largest arched brick bridge in Japan and part of a beautiful 6-kilometer trail called Apt Road. The trail follows a disused rail line that passes over six bridges and ten tunnels, and is surrounded by national park. The bridge is nicknamed “Megane bashi,” meaning “spectacles bridge,” because of its four arches.
It was built in 1892 in collaboration with British engineer Charles Assheton Whately Pownall during the Meiji era (1868–1912) when Japan was rapidly modernizing. It served as a railway passage between Yokokawa in Gunma and Karuizawa in Nagano. Services stopped in 1963, and the bridge was repurposed as part of a nature trail in 2001.
Sakamoto, Matsuidamachi, Annaka ( Map)
About 1 hour 30 minutes on foot along the on the Abt promenade from Yokokawa Station
About 15 minutes by bus from Yokokawa Station
About 15 minutes by car from Matsuida-Myogi IC of Joshin-Etsu Expressway
