Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Most visitors to Tokyo walk right past Nihonbashi without realizing they are standing at one of the most important places in Japanese history.
For more than 400 years, Nihonbashi served as the center of Japan. It was the official starting point of the great roads that connected the country, the place from which distances were measured, and the commercial heart of Edo, the city that would eventually become Tokyo.
In this video, we explore the history of Nihonbashi Bridge, from its construction in 1603 during the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate to its role as Japan's "mile zero." Along the way, we'll visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum's full-scale bridge replica, learn how this area became one of the wealthiest districts in Japan, and see how artists like Hokusai immortalized the bridge and its views of Mount Fuji.
We'll also take a look at the current bridge, completed in 1911, and examine the surprising details hidden in plain sight, from its bronze lions and mythical kirin to the elevated expressway that now looms overhead.
Finally, we'll uncover one of the bridge's most remarkable stories. During the Great Tokyo Air Raid of March 9-10, 1945, the deadliest conventional air raid in history, much of the surrounding district was destroyed. Yet Nihonbashi survived, and even today you can still see scars left by the fires more than eighty years later.
Join me as we explore the bridge where Japan's journey began.
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►Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/SidetrackAdventures
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►Also please follow Sidetrack Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/sidetrackadventures
►Music in this video is from Epidemic Sounds; use our link for a free trial: share.epidemicsound.com/v927fj
Most visitors to Tokyo walk right past Nihonbashi without realizing they are standing at one of the most important places in Japanese history.
For more than 400 years, Nihonbashi served as the center of Japan. It was the official starting point of the great roads that connected the country, the place from which distances were measured, and the commercial heart of Edo, the city that would eventually become Tokyo.
In this video, we explore the history of Nihonbashi Bridge, from its construction in 1603 during the rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate to its role as Japan's "mile zero." Along the way, we'll visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum's full-scale bridge replica, learn how this area became one of the wealthiest districts in Japan, and see how artists like Hokusai immortalized the bridge and its views of Mount Fuji.
We'll also take a look at the current bridge, completed in 1911, and examine the surprising details hidden in plain sight, from its bronze lions and mythical kirin to the elevated expressway that now looms overhead.
Finally, we'll uncover one of the bridge's most remarkable stories. During the Great Tokyo Air Raid of March 9-10, 1945, the deadliest conventional air raid in history, much of the surrounding district was destroyed. Yet Nihonbashi survived, and even today you can still see scars left by the fires more than eighty years later.
Join me as we explore the bridge where Japan's journey began.
○ Gear we use: amazon.com/shop/sidetrackadventures
►Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/SidetrackAdventures
►Please subscribe for weekly updates showcasing some of our adventures: youtube.com/channel/UCdueDRFYPVgzPAAOM_bxVWA?sub_confirmation=1
►Also please follow Sidetrack Adventures on Instagram: instagram.com/sidetrackadventures
►Music in this video is from Epidemic Sounds; use our link for a free trial: share.epidemicsound.com/v927fj
