Collapsed Aso Bridge Viewpoint

photo by Sanjo (ja:User:Sanjo) · CC BY 4.0

photo by Sanjo (ja:User:Sanjo) · CC BY-SA 3.0

The girders of the bridge that collapsed in 2016 have stayed where they fell: you can see them from the viewpoint.

From the viewpoint you look down on the girder of the old Aso Bridge, still where it fell on 16 April 2016 and fixed with steel cables in 2021. On the mountain side the scar of the landslide remains; beside it stands the stele that commemorates it, and farther on the new bridge, opened on 7 March 2021.

On 16 April 2016, with the main shock of the Kumamoto earthquake, Aso Bridge (阿蘇大橋, built between 1970 and 1971) collapsed completely. At first a large nearby landslide was blamed; later investigations point to a shift of the ground under the piers. A university student from Aso, who was crossing the bridge by car, died in the collapse. The part of the girder left at the collapse site is preserved as 震災遺構, a ‘sign of the earthquake’ left in place, and in 2021 it was fixed with cables. The landslide is called 数鹿流崩れ (Sugaru-kuzure), and the stele 数鹿流崩之碑 commemorates its damage. The new bridge, the 新阿蘇大橋, is 525 m long in total and has been open since 7 March 2021. About 570 m away on foot is Sugaruga Falls (数鹿流ヶ滝), with a drop of 60 m and a width of 20, on the list of the ‘Hundred Waterfalls of Japan’ (日本の滝百選): it can be seen from the new bridge, not from the stele.

ℹ️ Open-air viewpoint, in the village of Minami-Aso (tourist office 0967-67-1112): no opening hours, ticket or official site found, and it is not stated that it is always accessible. From Kumamoto IC about 40 minutes by car (Jalan); from JR Tateno Station, Hōhi Line, about 5 minutes by taxi (Wikipedia, for the waterfall). A review mentions a free car park about 500 m from the viewpoint, with stairs: this is not confirmed by an official page. The visit takes less than an hour. After the earthquake of 28/07/2026 no official page gives its status: check with the village before going.

Sources: jalan.net · ja.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org

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