An aging "phantom bridge" now surrounded by water in man-made Lake Nukabira in Kamishihoro, Hokkaido, is attracting tourists who want to view it while it is still intact, with its arches expected to collapse soon.
Taushubetsu Bridge, made out of concrete, was erected in 1937 across the Taushubetsu River ahead of the extension of the old Japanese National Railways' Shihoro Line. The bridge subsequently fell into disuse when Lake Nukabira came into existence in 1955 as part of a project by Electric Power Development Co. to construct a hydropower dam. The line was rerouted around the lake.
Nicknamed the "phantom bridge" because it becomes completely submerged around June every year, when the water level in the lake rises due to rainfall and melting snow, the 130-meter-long, 10-meter-high span then reappears in wintertime when the level drops because of an increase in power generation.