While I waited for the walk sign, a young guy on the opposite side chanted in a monotone. No one took any notice, and once I crossed, I didn’t either because I spied the birthplace of Ekiden.
Ekiden was a long distance relay race first held in 1917 where competitors ran from Sanjo-O-hashi Bridge in Kyoto to Ueno in Tokyo.
While I stood at the starting point of the race, I discovered that the location was also the starting point on the old Tokaido Road between Edo and Kyoto. However, the full scale bridge that measured seventy-four metres, wasn’t built until 1590.
