SUMMARY
Replace the existing unattractive truss bridge with a showcase bridge built in traditional Japanese style. This is the best hope for saving Okayama City's tourism industry.
Next photo: The existing Tsukimi-bashi.
Next photo: The existing Tsukimi-bashi.
Next photo: The Kintaikyo (Brocade Sash Bridge) in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
JUSTIFICATION
Korakuen is Okayama’s star tourist attraction. Okayama Castle is its icon. Unfortunately, these two gems are connected by an unsightly, rusting steel truss bridge, a purely functional structure that allows people to pass from one side to the other but utterly disregards the architectural style of the castle and garden it connects. It is as if a ruby and a sapphire were joined by a tin chain. Replacing this structure with a showcase traditional bridge would do more than anything else to catalyze the rebirth of this area and raise Okayama’s profile as a tourist destination.
Next 3 photos: close-ups of today’s Tsukimi-bashi
Let's free Okayama Castle from this iron cage:
Here's one entrepreneur who would benefit from a rebuilt Tsukimi-bashi:
Currently, the majority of tourists who visit Okayama arrive directly to Korakuen by bus. After touring the garden, they get right back on the bus and depart for Kurashiki or another destination, without crossing Tsukumi-bashi to visit Okayama Castle or other attractions such as the Hayashihara Art Museum. As a result, only a small percentage of the visitors to Korakuen either dine in Okayama or stay here overnight, which of course means that the majority of the revenue from these visitors ends up in other areas. The best solution to this problem is to build a showcase bridge at Tsukimi-bashi, both as a major attraction in its own right, and as a means of encouraging visitors also to visit Okayama Castle and other attractions besides Korakuen. With a longer itinerary in Okayama, more visitors will decide to stay here overnight.
There will be those who will argue that there is no historical substantiation for building a traditional bridge in this spot, since there never was a traditional bridge here. Let us remember, however, that history is something we create. There were no bridges in San Francisco until the 1930’s, but today its bridges are its best-known public monuments. Sydney did not have the Harbour Bridge until 1932 or the Opera House until 1973, but today we can hardly imagine the city without them. While these structures were all modern in design, it is also possible to be forward-looking while remaining faithful to a traditional style. A relevant example in this respect is the Shikoku Mura (Shikoku Village), an assemblage of traditional-style buildings in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture that opened in 1976.
Next 3 photos: close-ups of today’s Tsukimi-bashi
Let's free Okayama Castle from this iron cage:
Here's one entrepreneur who would benefit from a rebuilt Tsukimi-bashi:
Currently, the majority of tourists who visit Okayama arrive directly to Korakuen by bus. After touring the garden, they get right back on the bus and depart for Kurashiki or another destination, without crossing Tsukumi-bashi to visit Okayama Castle or other attractions such as the Hayashihara Art Museum. As a result, only a small percentage of the visitors to Korakuen either dine in Okayama or stay here overnight, which of course means that the majority of the revenue from these visitors ends up in other areas. The best solution to this problem is to build a showcase bridge at Tsukimi-bashi, both as a major attraction in its own right, and as a means of encouraging visitors also to visit Okayama Castle and other attractions besides Korakuen. With a longer itinerary in Okayama, more visitors will decide to stay here overnight.
There will be those who will argue that there is no historical substantiation for building a traditional bridge in this spot, since there never was a traditional bridge here. Let us remember, however, that history is something we create. There were no bridges in San Francisco until the 1930’s, but today its bridges are its best-known public monuments. Sydney did not have the Harbour Bridge until 1932 or the Opera House until 1973, but today we can hardly imagine the city without them. While these structures were all modern in design, it is also possible to be forward-looking while remaining faithful to a traditional style. A relevant example in this respect is the Shikoku Mura (Shikoku Village), an assemblage of traditional-style buildings in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture that opened in 1976.
DESCRIPTION
A bridge to be celebratedThe reconstruction of Tsukimi-bashi would present a unique opportunity to create a distinctive landmark and dramatically raise the city’s stature as a tourist destination. Consequently, it is essential that the bridge be replaced not by a cement or steel structure that makes only perfunctory concessions to traditional style (in the manner of the nearby Tsurumi-bashi), but by a structure of the highest beauty and craftsmanship, built from natural materials. The designer for this project should be selected on the basis of a high-profile international competition.
Next 4 photos: Nearby Tsurumi-bashi, which leads to the main entrance of Korakuen. From a distance, the bridge looks like an attractive Japanese-style bridge. But on closer inspection, we find that one side of the bridge is coated in plastic, while the other side is made of concrete that is scored and painted to imitate wood grain. Click on any photo to see a larger image.
If Tsukimi-bashi were rebuilt, it is important that it not follow Tsurumi-bashi’s example of a low-budget and superficial attempt at a traditional-style bridge. In my opinion, it would be better to leave Tsukimi-bashi the way it is now than to replace it with another Tsurumi-bashi. If it were rebuilt, the new structure must be a heritage site, a bridge that will be cherished, that will be celebrated, that will fundamentally transform the area around it. The only way to achieve this is to aim as high as we possibly can: to build the most beautiful bridge in Japan, even more beautiful than Korakuen and the castle itself. With its privileged natural location, the new Tsukimi-bashi deserves to be the centerpiece of Okayama’s historic riverside.
Financing
Certainly no such bridge would be possible without a creative mix of public and private funding - especially given the state of Okayama’s public finances. In this connection, let us consider the example of another landmark project that was achieved in an economic slump, using a minimum of public financing. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, the people of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA built the “Cathedral of Learning,” the icon of the city’s university.
Next photo: The “Cathedral of Learning,” University of Pittsburgh (1937)
With little public funding to spare for the project, the people of Pittsburgh came together to help finance the building with private donations. 97,000 people (roughly one seventh of the population of Pittsburgh at the time) donated to the project, through the “Buy a Brick” campaign. To make possible a heritage bridge for Okayama, the city and prefecture might organize a “Buy a Timber” campaign, to encourage residents and businesses of Okayama to be a part of this project. If the Mayor or Governor of Okayama ask for our support, let you and I be among the very first to “buy a timber” for the new Tsukimi-bashi.
Examples from other places and times
To conclude this section, let’s look at some other examples of traditional Japanese bridges, both extant and extinct:
Next 2 photos: The Togetsukyo in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Illuminated from below, the bridge is even more beautiful at night than it is during the day.
Next 2 photos: The Kintaikyo in Iwakuni. This bridge’s steep arches are breathtaking to behold, but such a steep bridge would be pretty inconvenient for regular users!
Next 2 photos: A small-scale bridge at a Japanese garden in North America. A more gently-sloping bridge like this one would create less of an impediment for local people who need to cross the bridge every day.
Next photo: Nikko's Shinkyo
Next photo: Tennyo-bashi in Naha, Okinawa
Next 5 pictures: Ukiyo-e prints of Edo-era bridges, by Hiroshige.
Restrict building heights east of the river
One of the great assets of Okayama's castle district is that there are virtually no tall buildings east of the river to disturb views over the bridge and castle. Thanks to the presence of Korakuen, eastward views from the vicinity of Ishiyama koen take in a nearly unblemished horizon of greenery, including distant hillsides. Here, only a stone's throw from the bustling traffic and tall buildings of Momotaro-dori, one feels as if one has traveled to a remote forest or a bygone time. This capacity to take people out of their everyday experience is the highest purpose a park can achieve. To preserve this pristine view, we should restrict building heights east of Korakuen and Okayama Castle. Let's protect this wonderful asset for future generations.
Looking east over Tsukimi-bashi, the Korakuen and the distant eastern hillsides blend into single green backdrop, spoiled only by a single structure on the far hillside:
Here's what the view would look like without this building:
Here's what the view would look like without the building or the bridge!
This aerial photograph reveals the apparent location of this building:
Notice the tall apartment building in the center of the next photo, taken from Tsukimi-bashi looking east:
This building appears to be the one indicated by the yellow line below. The orange line indicates another relatively tall structure east of the castle (click on the photo for a larger image):
Any tall structures built inside the blue region below would have the potential to detract from Okayama's much-loved Asahi River vistas:
For the benefit of tourism, for the benefit of property owners in this area, and for the benefit of all Okayama residents, let's restrict building heights east of Korakuen and the castle. On the hillsides, let's not allow any kind of structures to be built. In low-lying areas, buildings 5 or 6 stories high would be acceptable, but not 10 or 12 stories high. Let’s concentrate the tallest structures where they fit in best, such as along Momotaro-dori or Yanagawa-dori.
Examples from other places and times
To conclude this section, let’s look at some other examples of traditional Japanese bridges, both extant and extinct:
Next 2 photos: The Togetsukyo in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Illuminated from below, the bridge is even more beautiful at night than it is during the day.
Next 2 photos: The Kintaikyo in Iwakuni. This bridge’s steep arches are breathtaking to behold, but such a steep bridge would be pretty inconvenient for regular users!
Next 2 photos: A small-scale bridge at a Japanese garden in North America. A more gently-sloping bridge like this one would create less of an impediment for local people who need to cross the bridge every day.
Next photo: Nikko's Shinkyo
Next photo: Tennyo-bashi in Naha, Okinawa
Next 5 pictures: Ukiyo-e prints of Edo-era bridges, by Hiroshige.
Restrict building heights east of the river
One of the great assets of Okayama's castle district is that there are virtually no tall buildings east of the river to disturb views over the bridge and castle. Thanks to the presence of Korakuen, eastward views from the vicinity of Ishiyama koen take in a nearly unblemished horizon of greenery, including distant hillsides. Here, only a stone's throw from the bustling traffic and tall buildings of Momotaro-dori, one feels as if one has traveled to a remote forest or a bygone time. This capacity to take people out of their everyday experience is the highest purpose a park can achieve. To preserve this pristine view, we should restrict building heights east of Korakuen and Okayama Castle. Let's protect this wonderful asset for future generations.
Looking east over Tsukimi-bashi, the Korakuen and the distant eastern hillsides blend into single green backdrop, spoiled only by a single structure on the far hillside:
Here's what the view would look like without this building:
Here's what the view would look like without the building or the bridge!
This aerial photograph reveals the apparent location of this building:
Notice the tall apartment building in the center of the next photo, taken from Tsukimi-bashi looking east:
This building appears to be the one indicated by the yellow line below. The orange line indicates another relatively tall structure east of the castle (click on the photo for a larger image):
Any tall structures built inside the blue region below would have the potential to detract from Okayama's much-loved Asahi River vistas:
For the benefit of tourism, for the benefit of property owners in this area, and for the benefit of all Okayama residents, let's restrict building heights east of Korakuen and the castle. On the hillsides, let's not allow any kind of structures to be built. In low-lying areas, buildings 5 or 6 stories high would be acceptable, but not 10 or 12 stories high. Let’s concentrate the tallest structures where they fit in best, such as along Momotaro-dori or Yanagawa-dori.
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