Here stands Soube Bashi. Did you know that Soube Bashi is a pedestrian-only bridge in Tokyo’s Bunkyo ward? It carries people over the Kanda River.
Let’s talk about location. Soube Bashi is located at N35.709528 latitude and E139.734391 longitude. If you are tracking river distance Soube Bashi is 5.53 km from a confluence. The bridge connects水道2丁目 and 関口1丁目.
Now picture the view. Looking downstream you see one vista. Gaze upstream and another unfolds. To the downstream left bank or upstream right you will see another sight. Then look at the downstream right bank or upstream left. From the bridge center you see downstream views. Likewise upstream scenery appears. On the upstream left bank and downstream left bank are different perspectives. Finally view the bridge from the road.
Soube Bashi has neighboring stations. The closest train access is from Edogawabashi Station on the Yurakucho Line. 神楽坂 Station on the Tozai Line and 茗荷谷 Station on the Marunouchi Line are close too. 牛込神楽坂 Station on the Oedo Line is another option.飯田橋 Station on multiple lines is also nearby.
If buses are your thing several stops are convenient. 石切橋の上 and 江戸川橋 are near Soube Bashi. Also 山吹町 and 東五軒町 bus stops are options. 都立新宿山吹高校 is not too far.
Many landmarks surround Soube Bashi. 赤城神社 is to the south. 鳩山会館 is to the northwest. 印刷博物館 lies to the east. 江戸川公園 is to the west. 筑土八幡神社 is to the southeast.
Interestingly Soube Bashi underwent reconstruction. From January 2006 to March 2007 the bridge was rebuilt. The total project cost was 560 million yen. The old retro steel bridge was sadly removed.
Soube Bashi stands close to other bridges. 古川橋 is not far downstream. In the Edo period houses densely lined both river banks. Bridges were likely common then. Soube Bashi is smaller in scale.
The south side of Soube Bashi is now Sekiguchi 1-chome. In the Edo and Meiji eras it was 古川町. That name remains with the nearby 古川橋.
A small river once flowed into the Kanda River near Soube Bashi. This small river had a wide basin. It gathered flows from Shinjuku and 歌舞伎町. It also collected water from 戸山ハイツ and 尾張藩戸山下屋敷跡の湧水. The river flowed past Waseda University before joining the Kanda River.
Upstream this small river was called stage 川 加 荷 川 and 金川. The name near Soube Bashi might have been 古川. Soube Bashi is more than just a crossing. It is a landmark in Tokyo.