Bridge · Tsukiji / Kachidoki

Kachidoki-bashi Bridge 勝鬨橋

A 1940 double-leaf drawbridge, once the largest in Asia, whose twin arches and machinery towers light up at night in front of the Kachidoki skyline.

About

Kachidoki-bashi, completed in 1940, is a bascule bridge whose central section could open in two leaves to let tall ships pass up the Sumida. It was last raised in 1970 and has stayed closed ever since, but the enormous steel arches, operator houses and riveted girders remain, and the bridge is a national Important Cultural Property. From the Sumida River Terrace on the Tsukiji (west) bank just north of the bridge, you get the full span with the residential towers of Kachidoki and Harumi behind, a great blue-hour composition. The Kachidoki Bridge Museum in the old substation at the Tsukiji end shows the machinery and offers occasional tours inside the bridge.

Highlights

• Twin steel arches and the central drawbridge leaves
• Kachidoki and Harumi towers lit behind the bridge
• Riveted steel and operator houses for detail shots
• Small free museum at the Tsukiji end
• Five minutes from the Tsukiji Outer Market

Tips

• Blue hour from the Tsukiji-side terrace gives the classic view; the bridge is lit after dark.
• The Kachidoki Bridge Museum has limited days and hours; check before visiting.
• Combine with breakfast at Tsukiji Outer Market and a walk along the river terrace to Tsukuda.
• Traffic makes the deck vibrate, so shoot from the terraces, not the bridge itself, for long exposures.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Namiyoke Inari Shrine Lion HeadsPhoto Spot · 210 m away
• Takeno ShokudoIzakaya · 220 m away
• Sushi KeitaSushi & Seafood · 270 m away
• Tsukiji Sushisei HontenSushi & Seafood · 360 m away
• Tsukiji Outer MarketMarket · 390 m away
• Plat TsukijiTourist Info · 420 m away
• Tsukiji HongwanjiPhoto Spot · 430 m away
• Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji HontenSushi & Seafood · 440 m away