Taushubetsu River Bridge Warm your hands out on the snow-covered lake and look through the arches to the sky

In January, my friend and I came to Nukabira to see the bridge in winter. That morning, as we left the hot-spring town, all I could see was forest thick with snow. But once our tour took us out across Lake Nukabira, the sky between those trees suddenly opened up. A long line of arches came into view beyond the snowfield stretching out at our feet.

On the way to Taushubetsu River Bridge, our footsteps sounded so soft, as if the snow were swallowing them. I’d seen the bridge in photos, but had imagined it as something much thinner, almost like a line. The closer we got, the larger each arch seemed. My friend stopped too, slowly looking from one end of the bridge to the other. For a while, neither of us said a thing.

My gloved hands poked out from the cuffs of my navy down jacket as I cupped them near my mouth and breathed on them. My cheeks were cold, so I tucked my face a little deeper into my scarf and looked up. I could see sky through the arches too. Rather than dividing the snowfield, the bridge seemed to frame the sky arch by arch. I never imagined a view like this over a frozen lake before I came here.

This concrete arch bridge was completed in 1937 as part of the former Japanese National Railways’ Shihoro Line. It stretches for 130m. It appears and disappears as the lake’s water level changes, which is why it’s known as the Phantom Bridge. I may not see it in this same shape come summer. That makes me want to remember it against today’s clear sky.

When my friend said, “The sky goes all the way through those arches,” I took another look at the same spot. I thought I’d come to see the bridge itself, but I found myself noticing the forest beyond it and the sheer spread of snow too. Once my hands had warmed up, I moved a little to take it all in. The bridge I knew from head-on photos seemed to have a whole new depth today.

After all that walking, I’d love to stay in Nukabira and enjoy some local mountain fare. Nukabira Onsen Hotel serves dishes featuring ingredients from the Daisetsu area, including river fish and venison. It sounds just right for dinner after breathing in the cold and taking my time looking at the bridge. I want to make this part of the trip too: coming back to a warm table and talking about the lake.