Sumatakyo Gorge

Most people make the trip to Sumatakyo for one thing: the Yume no Tsuribashi, a 90-meter suspension bridge hung 8 meters above the milky turquoise water of the Oma dam lake. The color comes from fine particles in the water scattering blue light, and it looks best on bright days. Only 10 people may be on the bridge at once. On weekends, holidays and in the foliage season it runs one way, and November waits of one to three hours are normal, so come in the morning. The bridge is about a 30-minute walk from the Sumata Onsen village, and the full promenade loop takes about 90 minutes, including a climb of about 300 steep steps straight after the crossing. The trail gate opens at 8:00 and is locked at 17:00, so be across the bridge by 16:00. Rockfalls have shut the path before (a slide in September 2024 closed it until mid-October), so check the notices. Back in the village there are soba shops and a public open-air bath.