Land Of Bridges

Over the past week or so, I have become interested in Japan. I’ll be honest, I’ve never given this faraway country a lot of attention before, aware of the things it is famous for (cleanliness, efficiency, respectfulness, Bullet Trains, cherry blossom, manga and sushi) but never really exploring these aspects of Japanese culture any further. Then came the Tokyo Olympics and suddenly I’m intrigued by this fascinating nation.
I had an idea that Japan was made up of islands…maybe two or three? In fact Japan is made up of five main islands and a staggering 6,847 remote ones! It is the fourth largest island country in the world with the 6th sixth longest coastline. As such, Japan has many bridges, always a point of interest to us here at Structural Engineers Reports, loving a structure as we do.
Large and small, a staggering number of bridges cross crystal blue waters, linking this nation of islands. One of the most famous is the so-called Rainbow Bridge, a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba waterfront development in Minato. It was constructed between 1987 and 1993 with a main span of 580m. Officially called the ‘Shuto Expressway No.11 Daiba Route – Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge’ I can see why the public decided to call it by it’s more romantic nick name. The bridge’s towers harmonise with the skyline and the wires supporting the deck are illuminated every night by lamps of different colours, using solar energy made during the day.