Sada's subsidence bridge

Sada Chinka-bashi is a type of bridge designed to submerge during high water: under normal conditions it functions as a bridge, but when the river rises, it sinks below the water surface. Sada Chinka-bashi is so narrow that only one car can barely pass, and there’s an unspoken rule that if a car is coming from one side, cars on the other side must wait. It has no guardrails, making it a thrilling bridge where it feels like you could fall at any time. It is a representative landscape of the Shimanto River. There are 47 chinka-bashi bridges in total, and Sada Chinka-bashi is the most downstream. Kochi Prefecture has decided to preserve these bridges as part of its “living cultural heritage,” and they are selected as an Important Cultural Landscape of Japan. The oldest chinka-bashi is said to be the Ittohyo Chinka-bashi on the Shimanto River built in 1935. Many tourists come daily to cross Sada Chinka-bashi and take photos. There is also a dedicated parking lot, and people cross on foot, by bicycle, or by car. Access is about a 15-minute taxi ride upstream from Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station.