Manzekibashi Bridge

　　We landed at a port in the southern part of the island and went up north by bus. A red bridge abruptly appeared in front of us and its name was Manzekibashi Bridge. Our tour leader advised us to walk on the bridge and I followed his words. Looking down from the bridge, I noticed that both sides of the shore were surely artificial. According to the guide, the channel, which we were looking at, was secretly constructed just before the Russo-Japanese War to make it easier for military vessels to move between the eastern and western areas of the island. A signboard was attached saying "Don't Dive Here!" in Korean, and I found a Korean restaurant on the opposite side of the bridge. I realized that this island was really the border island.

위험　　危険
뛰어들지마시오　飛び込まないでください

対馬の南部の港へ上陸して北部へ向かっていた我々の前に立派な橋が現れた。万関橋という名前だった。我々のリーダーが是非この橋は歩いて渡ろうというのでバスから降りて歩いた。下を見ると、両側の岸辺は明らかに人の手が加えられている。聞けば、日露戦争に備え、島の東西を迅速に軍艦を移動させることが出来るよう極秘裏に運河が作られたのだという。飛び込むなと朝鮮語で書かれた板が橋に取り付けられていた。朝鮮語でメニューの書かれた食堂もあった。聞いてはいたが、朝鮮人観光客が多いのだろう。