Photo/Illutration The Goda Bridge, Japan’s longest pedestrian-only suspension bridge in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture, is seen from the top of its main tower on June 20. (Shinnosuke Ito)

IBARAKI, Osaka Prefecture--Not for the faint of heart, the longest pedestrian-only suspension bridge in Japan meets the demands of travelers who are in search of thrills and magnificent scenic views. 

There even is a swing that allows one to feel like Heidi, the young girl who lives in the Swiss Alps. 

Goda Bridge, as the structure is called, hangs over Aigawa Dam lake in Ibaraki, Osaka Prefecture. 

At 420 meters in length, the bridge, which travelers have to pay, in principle, to cross, opened for business here in March. 

“Oh, how long!” an Asahi Shimbun reporter shouted at the entrance to the bridge, which takes about 10 minutes to walk across each way at a leisurely pace.

The structure is designed to wobble and sway on the walk across to arouse trepidation in those who enter it.

Approximately midway across the bridge, the reporter saw a group of people counting down in excitement as they peered downward.

“Three, two, one,” they were seen shouting.

The reporter followed the direction of their gazes and saw people bungee-jumping toward the dam lake surface some 50 meters below.

That is one of a variety of optional attractions that are available in the bridge complex, although there is a charge for those activities.

“You could try being Ibaraki’s Heidi,” the reporter had been told of the Bridge Swing, another attraction the bridge complex offers.

The remark refers to “Heidi: A Girl of the Alps,” a famed Japanese TV anime series based on “Heidi,” a work of fiction by Swiss writer Johanna Spyri.

One section of the opening credit for the 1974 anime series shows Heidi rocking across the air on a gigantic swing.

The reporter bought the pitch and decided to try that out.

She got on a swing in a safety belt attached to a lifeline and fell about 45 meters toward the lake surface until she found herself swinging widely.

When the initial fright was gone, she found herself rocking back and forth, cutting through the wind. She thought she was finally the girl of the Swiss Alps.

The suspension bridge has support towers at both its ends, which differ in height. The taller one rises 60 meters and has an observation deck at its top.

The reporter tried out Tower Climb, yet another attraction, going up a flight of steps to the tower’s top in a safety harness.

The stairs, which lead straight to a height of about 20 stories, have 210 steps each way.

The reporter found the walk hair-raising but, once she was on the observation deck, the magnificent scenery dispelled all her fright.

Nothing blocked her view, 360 degrees around. The urbanized areas of Osaka were seen stretching to the south.

The “Tower of the Sun,” the iconic artwork in the Expo ’70 Commemorative Park in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, was seen turning its slightly stooped back toward the reporter.

Officials of the Ibaraki city authorities said the decision to build Aigawa Dam was prompted by a torrential rain disaster in 1967.

Residents of a district that was to be submerged by the dam requested a means of easy access to the opposite bank of the dam after its completion, whereupon it was decided to build the bridge.

Concerned parties agreed on the present bridge design after they sought to make it both the best in Japan and also fun, the city officials added.

Back from the observation deck, the reporter found that she had worked up an appetite, so she ate an “Aigawa Dam Curry” dish at a cafe on the premises.

The curry roux embodied the dam lake, and saffron rice the dam. A wafer imprinted with an image of the suspension bridge was served on top of a block of tender chicken meat.

The charms of the bridge and the dam were now happily ensconced in the reporter’s stomach and mind. 

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