Harimaya Bridge

This vibrant little vermilion bridge in the heart of the city of Kochi is a popular photo spot. Harimaya Bridge is also the setting of a legendary love story between a monk and a local woman, which has been immortalized in the lyrics of a local folk song called yosakoi-bushi. According to legend, a young monk called Junshin was seen buying a kanzashi hairpin for his beloved Ouma, a merchant’s daughter, at a shop near Harimaya Bridge. This was the beginning of the end for the star-crossed lovers, for at that time monks were forbidden to have relationships or marry. As punishment, Junshin was exiled and Ouma was sent far away, never to meet again.
In recent years, the area around the bridge has been turned into a pleasant strolling park, with a little man-made stream recreating the river that once passed beneath Harimaya Bridge. Across the street an elaborate clock announces each hour with mechanical figures that seem to dance to the sound of chimes. Several shops nearby sell kanzashi hairpins and sweets shaped like the hair ornament as a nod to this Kochi legend.