Bridge · Asakusa / Mukojima

Kototoi Bridge 言問橋

A bold, straight-lined 1928 Gerber girder bridge between Asakusa and Mukojima, named after a classical poem and flanked by the cherry trees of Sumida Park.

About

Kototoi-bashi was one of the Sumida "reconstruction bridges" built after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, and with Ryogoku Bridge and Osaka's Tenmabashi it was called one of Japan's three great Gerber bridges. Novelist Kawabata Yasunari contrasted its straight, masculine lines with the feminine curves of Kiyosu Bridge. The name comes from a waka by Ariwara no Narihira asking the miyakodori birds about his beloved. The bridge saw terrible loss of life in the 1945 air raids, and some blackened stones from its old railing are kept as a memorial in Sumida Park. Both ends sit inside Sumida Park, so in late March it is surrounded by cherry blossom.

Highlights

• Sumida Park cherry trees on both banks
• Clean 1928 Gerber girder design, a reconstruction-era landmark
• Front-on views of Tokyo Skytree from the bridge deck
• Memorial stones from the 1945 Tokyo air raid

Tips

• Walk it as part of a loop: Asakusa, Kototoi Bridge, Mukojima side of Sumida Park, Sakura-bashi and back.
• Kototoi Dango, a sweet shop dating from the Meiji era, is near the east end.
• Busy with picnickers in cherry blossom season: go early morning.

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

Nearby

• Tokyo Mizube Cruising LineActivities & Experiences · 170 m away
• Ushijima ShrineShrine · 210 m away
• Sumida ParkPark · 220 m away
• Matsuchiyama ShodenTemple · 280 m away
• Mimeguri ShrineShrine · 320 m away
• Yamato Transport · Azumabashi CenterLuggage Storage · 390 m away
• Skytree from Genmori-bashiPhoto Spot · 410 m away
• Tokyo Mizumachi Riverside and SkytreePhoto Spot · 440 m away