Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo Bay, Japan

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Rainbow Bridge

 

A suspension bridge over the port of Tokyo City, the Rainbow Bridge is located on Tokyo Bay’s northernmost area, spanning the distance from the Shibaura Wharf to Odaiba, the city’s new waterfront area for development in Minato-ku, Tokyo.

Bayside Tokyo’s new symbol, the Rainbow Bridge was finished in 1993. It is over five hundred meters long and ferries 3 lines of public transportation, namely the Rinkou Douro or Portside Avenue, Metropolitan Expressway (on the upper deck), and the Yurikamome New Transit (on the lower deck). Walking across the bridge is possible during times when they open the walkway.

To fit in with Tokyo’s central skyline, the towers keeping the bridge up were colored white, and can be viewed from Odaiba. Lamps located on the bridge’s supporting wires illuminate the bridge at night with 3 different hues, green, white, and red, powered by solar energy harnessed during the day, an ingenuous way to keep the city “earth friendly”. What is more, the Rainbow Bridge collects no toll.

The easiest way to access the bridge on foot is to take the Yamanote line and go down at the Tamachi stop. Continue walking southwest from the station and you are sure to end up at the Rainbow Bridge’s Shibaura anchorage.