# Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge

> A road bridge on Route 414 that turns two full circles, each about 80 meters across, to climb 45 meters in a narrow valley near the Kawazu Nanadaru waterfalls. There is no sidewalk, so walking across on the roadway is not advised, and people on foot look at it from the free parking lot inside the loop.

- Prefecture: Shizuoka
- Type: Landmark
- Address: Kawazu, Shizuoka, Japan
- Official site: https://kankou.town.kawazu.shizuoka.jp/attraction/203/

Route 414 climbs north out of Kawazu toward the Amagi Pass, and near the Nanadaru waterfalls it has to gain 45 meters inside a narrow valley. It does this by spiraling. The Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge turns two full circles, each about 80 meters across, over a total length of 1,064 meters. The old road clung to the hillside, and the Izu-Oshima Kinkai Earthquake of January 1978 brought landslides down on it. The loop, finished in 1981, carries the road on piers instead, and it won the Japan Society of Civil Engineers' Tanaka Award. It is a road for vehicles. Cars, motorcycles and bicycles use it, the speed limit is 40 km/h and there is no sidewalk, so walking across on the roadway is not advised. Driving it is more strange than scary: one long, tight curve, passing under the deck you will be on a minute later. To see the whole spiral, park in the free lot inside the loop (about 20 to 25 cars, with restrooms) and walk a little way. The Kawazu Nanadaru trail, about 1.5 km past seven waterfalls, is close by. A local guide reports repainting and repair work from March 2025, expected to run for several years.

## FAQ

### Can I walk across the Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge?

Not really: there is no sidewalk, and the bridge carries cars, motorcycles and bicycles at up to 40 km/h. On foot, view it from the free parking lot inside the loop.

### How do I get to the loop bridge without a car?

Take the Izukyu line to Kawazu Station, then Tokai Bus route C50 toward Shuzenji to the Kawazu Nanadaru Loop-bashi stop, about 30 minutes. At the time of writing there were seven C50 buses a day from Kawazu Station, the last at 17:05.

### Why was a double loop built here?

The Izu-Oshima Kinkai Earthquake of January 1978 caused landslides that cut the old hillside road. The replacement had to climb 45 meters in a tight valley, and two loops about 80 meters across let it do that on a total length of 1,064 meters. It opened in 1981.

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Source: Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge — Japan Voyage