Overview: Traveling across Japan, we can find many bridges of all shapes and sizes. In Tokyo, building modern bridges was one way to join the club of advanced industrial nations in the late 19th century, when Japan was vying to catch up with Western technology. A small bridge in Iwate Prefecture is hand-made. Even if relatively few people use it, it is an important crossing for the local community. Today, we hear the story of bridges linking communities throughout Japan.