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Tourist Attractions and Experiences

Yodoyabashi Bridge

Suspended over the Tosabori River, this bridge was nominated as the city's most attractive by the people of Osaka.

Yodoyabashi spans the Tosabori River—around the bridge, visitors will find any number of famous examples of modernist architecture. These examples include the Bank of Japan, Osaka City Central Public Hall, and Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library. In its first incarnation, the bridge was constructed by Japan’s premier lumber magnate Yodoya Joan (who gives it its name) to measure about 65 meters in length and 4 meters in width. The Yodoya Family are said to have made considerable contributions to the founding of the Dojima Rice Market, Temma Produce Market, and Zagoba Fish Market, but in 1705 they were suddenly stripped of all fortunes and assets, destroying the family and relegating them to the annals of history. The original Yodoyabashi was washed away in the Great Flood of 1885. The present bridge came about as part of the First Urban Planning Project, which started in 1922. Proposals and submissions were collected for a design contest, a prize issued, the design adopted, and the bridge completed in 1935. Owing to its superlative design and the way it harmonizes with the surrounding environment, the bridge was nominated as the city's most attractive by Osaka residents in an opinion poll focusing on the city’s bridges. Every day, 70,000 pedestrians and 60,000 cars cross its deck.

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