Three day trip away - Part 2

Next stop on our mystery tour was the The Kokonoe "Yume" Otsurihashi suspension footbridge. It is famous for being the longest and highest of its type in the world.... whatever that type is! For engineering geeks click here for the technical information!
The children had already been there before and weren't particularly keen to wander again, but the bribe of an ice cream got them to keep us company and feel seasick together.
As much as I don't usually like "tourist attractions" this bridge is actually a very good example of a small town that has managed to bring in a lot of money for themselves through their creation without ruining too much of the environment. A few years ago there was a big push from central government for towns to all merge together to make bigger cities and most towns chose to do so rather than risk big cuts in their income. Kokonoe Town however was one of the towns that resisted this move and decided to stick it out alone and from what I have heard have managed to not only survive, but with the help of the bridge have actually managed to make money, which they have put back into the community through projects such as making all health care free for students right up until they finish junior high school - rather than until they begin primary school, which is standard in most towns.
As for the bridge - I actually quite enjoyed wandering over it. It was definitely high and I can imagine that in autumn the views are even more beautiful - although from what I've been told you can't really enjoy them as it is completely packed with tourists!