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The First Crossing: Nihonbashi and the Beginning of Tokyo

Why Do  Travel YouTubers Start at Nihonbashi?

“Cycling from Tokyo to Osaka.”
“Walking across Japan alone.”
“Visiting every prefecture one by one.”

YouTube is full of these grand travel projects.

And not just in Japan. Nearly every country seems to have its own version of the “epic journey” video — someone crossing the nation from end to end while documenting the long road along the way.

In Japan, when these journeys begin in Tokyo, there is one place that appears again and again — almost as often as Tokyo Station itself.

An unassuming bridge called Nihonbashi.

At first glance, it hardly looks like the starting point of great adventures.
But for more than 400 years, that is exactly what it has been.


The Bridge That Became Japan’s Starting Line

Morning Scene at Nihonbashi, from the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido, by Utagawa Hiroshige, c. 1833
The name Nihonbashi literally means “Japan Bridge,” and in many ways, it lives up to that grand title.

Since the early Edo period in the 1600s, Nihonbashi has served as the symbolic and official point from which journeys began. It marked the eastern starting point of the Tōkaidō, the great highway connecting Edo (present-day Tokyo) with Kyoto.

Merchants carrying goods, pilgrims heading toward famous shrines, government officials, wandering artists, and even samurai once departed from this very spot.

One of the best ways to imagine the atmosphere of those journeys is through The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō, the famous ukiyo-e series by Utagawa Hiroshige, first published around 1833.

The woodblock prints begin at Nihonbashi itself and depict travelers crossing bridges, climbing mountain roads, resting at inns, and enduring rainstorms along the route. Even today, the series shapes how many people imagine travel in old Japan.


The Spirit of the Tōkaidō Lives On

The original road may have changed, but its role has never completely disappeared.

Modern transportation infrastructure still follows almost the same corridor as the old Tōkaidō. The Tokaido Shinkansen, Japan’s famous bullet train line, traces the historic route, as does National Route 1.

And Route 1 does not merely resemble the old highway — legally, it begins at Nihonbashi.

That means if someone decides to drive, cycle, or even walk all the way from Tokyo toward Kyoto, Osaka, or farther west, this bridge remains the official starting point.

Embedded near the center of the bridge, close to the median strip, is the “Japan National Highway Starting Point” marker — effectively Japan’s Kilometer Zero.

The current monument was installed in 1972. However, the one most visitors see today is actually a replica. Because the real marker sits in the middle of heavy traffic, a copy was placed near the side of the bridge where pedestrians can safely view it.

Perhaps that explains why modern cyclists, travelers, and YouTubers still gather here before beginning long-distance journeys. Starting at Nihonbashi connects modern adventures to centuries of travelers who once stood in the same place.


A Historic Landmark Hidden Beneath a Highway

For such an important location, Nihonbashi can feel surprisingly underwhelming at first sight.

The bridge today sits beneath a huge elevated expressway built ahead of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Instead of open skies and river views, visitors are greeted by concrete overhead.

Even at the time of construction, many people criticized the project for damaging the historic scenery. The highway blocks sunlight, casts shadows over the bridge, and makes it difficult to appreciate the surrounding river.

Fortunately, that may finally change.

The Tokyo metropolitan government is currently moving forward with a large redevelopment project that will relocate sections of the expressway underground. The long-term goal is to restore Nihonbashi’s historic landscape and create a more open waterfront environment.

In other words, after decades hidden beneath concrete, the bridge may finally reemerge into the light.

Details Worth Slowing Down For

Even now, Nihonbashi rewards visitors who take time to look closely.

The current stone bridge dates to 1911, replacing earlier wooden versions destroyed over the centuries. Elegant carvings decorate the structure, alongside bronze lanterns and statues of kirin — mythical creatures resembling dragon-like deer.

The surrounding neighborhood also preserves traces of earlier Tokyo. Nearby stands Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi, regarded as Japan’s oldest department store, along with office buildings and commercial architecture dating back to the Meiji and Taisho eras.

Compared with the neon energy of places like Shibuya or Shinjuku, Nihonbashi feels quieter and more restrained. But that calm atmosphere allows the area’s long history to emerge more clearly.


Where Countless Journeys Have Begun

Even if you have no intention of walking to Kyoto or cycling across Japan, Nihonbashi is still a meaningful place to begin something.

Stand on the bridge for a moment. Watch the river below and the traffic moving overhead. Imagine the travelers who once gathered here centuries ago — some seeking fortune, some escaping hardship, others simply hoping to reach the next post town before sunset.

Nihonbashi is more than a bridge.
It is a place where departures accumulate.

And perhaps that is why so many journeys in Japan still begin here.

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