Kajika Bridge

The red bridge is small. there were many people taking pictures. I enjoyed walking around ikaho. There are many hot springs here but also it’s a good hiking area.

Stunning autumn folliage. We visited in early November evening after 5:30pm. Many people were enjoying the scenery during this time. The bridge is a 5-10mins stroll from the shrine on top of the Ikaho stone steps. Snacks and hot beverages are available near the bridge.

Ikaho's vermillion Kajika Bridge is a must-visit place in Autumn season in Gunma. This picturesque and stunning view is a perfect background for family portraits during autumn foliage. We went up here by car and there is a free parking space near the bridge. You need to be there before 10am because many cars lined up for this parking space. Some people chose to park on the municipal parking near Idaho stone steps starting point. But we’ve decided to go here first so it is not too crowded. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of people before 10am but we managed to take beautiful pictures. There is a restroom and a small coffee stall near the bridge. You can enjoy the colorful leaves up here. We went down taking the local road for cars and went directly to the starting point of Idaho stone steps. After reaching 365 steps, we walked back to Kajika bridge and went back to our car.

It was mid April when I came and so there is minimal crowd for this very popular bridge in autumn. One usually hike up from the stone steps to get here so recommend to also do the open air onsen if you come here post a hike! If you are only here for the IG post, the bridge is quite small so it won't be easy to picture when there is a crowd.

Having said to be one of the areas of inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away" with Kajika Bridge being a reference point for the main red bridge depicted in the movie, you can clearly see why when visiting. Although not quite as picturesque as visiting in mid-Autumn, December/Jan is still an excellent time to visit Ikaho Onsen and Kajika Bridge. Well worth the trip up and also combining a visit to the local Onsen.