Megane Bridge 3.36

or Spectacles Bridge, over the Nakashima River (中島川) was built in Nagasaki in 1634 by the Japanese monk Mokusu of Kofukuji Temple. It is said to be the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan and has been designated as an Important Cultural Property. It received the nickname "Spectacles Bridge" because its two arches and their reflection in the water create the image of a pair of spectacles. On July 23, 1982, a disastrous deluge washed away six of the ten stone bridges over the Nakashima River. Meganebashi was badly damaged but fortunately almost all the original stones were retrieved and the bridge was restored to its original appearance.There is a similar but larger "Spectacles Bridge" in Isahaya Park.