Iwakuni Town

Kintai Bridge...no metal fasteners

Iwakuni Castle

WES-PAC Tours to Japan

Iwakuni

I was stationed here for 2 years. I came aboard as a fleet transfer. I met a guy from the USS San Juaquin County LST1122 in the Philippines while I was on the Mt. Katmai AE16. He wanted sea duty and I thought it would be cool to spend some time in Japan. It was a great deal for me as I enjoyed the experience very much.

It was a very quaint and beautiful place when I was there, now it is a city with a population of over 100,000. There are factories, hotels and tourists. The main tourist attraction is probably the Kentai Bridge.

Kintai Bridge is located in Iwakuni. The bridge spans the Nishiki River. The wooden structure consists of five arches, each 16.5 ft. wide, 22 ft. high, and spans 132 ft. however, because of the arches it is about 660 ft. long. The elegance of the form inspired the name Kintai, which means gold brocade sash, because of a similarity to the traditional Nishiki obi for kimono. It is one of the three most famous bridges in Japan.