The Photogenic Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni Japan
The Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) Iwakuni, Japan -- Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/5.6, ISO 450 — map & image datanearby photos
The Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋)
Iwakuni, Japan

The load photo on the other day's post (Why Does Photography with an iPad Look so Silly?) showed the picturesque Kintai Bridge in the background.

According to its Wikipedia page, it was first built 340 years ago, but was destroyed by a typhoon 60 years ago and rebuilt 50 years ago, and refurbished 10 years ago.

It's a few miles from my father-in-law's childhood home, so we stopped by during a visit last month.

More Arches than McDonald's -- Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/2.5, ISO 200 — map & image datanearby photos
More Arches
than McDonald's
Fairly Steep -- Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Fairly Steep
Angle of Incidence -- Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/250 sec, f/8, ISO 640 — map & image datanearby photos
Angle of Incidence
Apogee -- Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/1250 sec, f/1.4, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Apogee
Locked -- Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Locked

Some of the huge stones at the top of the piers were locked to other stones via small bowtie-shaped insets, four of which (of presumably six total) for one stone are visible in the shot above. (What's the right word for these things? Sort of similar to lynchpin, but that's clearly not the right one...)

Kintai Bridge (錦帯橋) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos

Near the north end of the bridge is an apparently-famous ice-cream shop with more than 100 flavors. According to the sign, there were 120 flavors the day we visited...

むさし 100 種類 アイス -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
むさし 100種類アイス

Some flavors are nothing more than various things sprinkled on vanilla, and perhaps many are just whipped in after you order, but there are a lot of strange results to choose from...

Menu (very partial) -- Iwakuni, Yamaguchi, Japan -- Copyright 2013 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/320 sec, f/2.5, ISO 100 — map & image datanearby photos
Menu
(very partial)

Some of the flavors visible...

88  Strawberry Yogurt
89  Banana Yogurt

Seems fine, but then...

90  Garlic
91  Natto (pungent fermented soybeans)
92  Soy Sauce
93  Seven-Spice Mixture (on the spicy-hot side)
94  Habanero
95  Curry
96  Ramen
97  Chazuke

... and then we come to what I ordered, 98, Wasabi (Japanese horseradish, the green paste you get with sushi).

It was good, but it took a while before I noticed anything besides the plain vanilla ice cream that was its base. I think they had mixed in some very mild wasabi bits or something. Eventually I started to notice the flavor, and it was quite pleasant. I like wasabi. Your mileage would be different if you didn't. 🙂


All 5 comments so far, oldest first...

The “bowtie” shaped stones locking the larger ones together are called “Keys” in woodworking, (logical for something that locks. not?) so we may assume the same could be used in stonework. I, too, would be interested if there is a different name.

— comment by Grandma Friedl, Ohio, USA on November 16th, 2013 at 10:32pm JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

The joint in the stone is a “butterfly key” (also called a “bowtie key”). It is a type of dovetail joint used in woodworking, and apparently in stone work too.

— comment by Daniel Clements on November 16th, 2013 at 11:10pm JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

Great compositions on the bridge photos. It’s a very interesting structure.

Here is a link to a stone working glossary:

http://www.marble-institute.com/consumers/glossary.pdf

Check out the “dovetail” entry.

— comment by Tom in SF on November 17th, 2013 at 2:39am JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

Those stone links are properly called bowtie keys or butterfly keys. Sometimes stone, sometimes metal, sometimes wood, depending on what your making/ building with.

Mike.

— comment by Mike Nelson Pedde on November 17th, 2013 at 3:32am JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink

Apogee . ?
What is the wood, looks like Elm, the way it is weathered. It is exquisite .
The picture of the girl though the trees is amusing, looks like she is in some sort of precarious pose on the edge ! of course you noticed that.

Hah, actually, I hadn’t! —Jeffrey

— comment by PaulM on November 18th, 2013 at 10:38pm JST (10 years, 4 months ago) comment permalink
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