The , is a suspension bridge

Suspension bridge

A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck is hung below suspension cables on vertical suspenders. Outside Tibet and Bhutan, where the first examples of this type of bridge were built in the 15th century, this type of bridge dates from the early 19th century...

 in Kitakyūshū

Kitakyushu, Fukuoka

is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is midway between Tokyo and Shanghai.- Demographics :Kitakyūshū has a population of just under one million...

, Fukuoka

Fukuoka Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Opened on September 26, 1962, it has a 367-meter main span and is two kilometers long. The name of the bridge comes from the characters

Kanji

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

 of the Kitakyūshū wards of Wakamatsu

Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu

is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. It has an area of 67.86 km² and a population of about 88,594 .Important facilities include: Green Park, Ecotown recycling area, Gakuen Toshi academic area, and Hibiki container terminal...

 (若松) and Tobata

Tobata-ku, Kitakyushu

is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan. It is the smallest ward of Kitakyūshū city at 16.66 km². The population was 64,330 as of the national census in 2000.-History and Geography:...

(戸畑) that the bridge connects across Dokai Bay.

History

The bridge passed into the control of Kitakyūshū on September 30, 2005.

Wakato Ferry

The Wakato ferry existed before the bridge was built; it has been retained by the city for pedestrians and cyclists, as the bridge is reserved for motor vehicle traffic only. The cheapest ferry ride in Japan, the three-minute journey costs 100 yen each way for adults, and 50 yen for children and older people. Bicycles can be transported for an additional 100 yen.