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Stone bridge lures couples as 'lovers' mecca'

KUMAMOTO, Japan - The Futamata-bashi bridge in Misato, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, attracts couples and photographers as a "lovers' mecca" because its shadow on the surface of the river below forms a heart shape, as seen in this photo taken on Nov. 22, 2014.

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Stone bridge lures couples as 'lovers' mecca'

KUMAMOTO, Japan - The Futamata-bashi bridge in Misato, Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, attracts couples and photographers as a "lovers' mecca" because its shadow on the surface of the river below forms a heart shape, as seen in this photo taken on Nov. 22, 2014. (Kyodo)

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Futamata and Momotani-bashi Bridge

This is where the Zeniya river (present-day main stream of Nakashima River) from Himi Pass and the Narutaki area and the Domon river from the Nishiyama area merge. Momotani Bridge is an arched stone bridge 12.4m in length and 3.4m width built in 1679 by Nagashima Nizaemon, also known as Monk Bokui, over the Domon river in Dekidaiku-machi. Since there were many peach trees along the river, the town was called Momonoki-Daiku-machi and the area Momotani (peach valley). The area around the big pine tree on the left is Fudomyoh-do. The bridge is located a little upstream of where the two rivers merged and therefore survived the Nagasaki Flood.==Date:about 1874, Place:Nagasaki, Photo:Ueno Hikoma?, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images)