Official
All the roads do not go to Nihonbashi-Asia Highway
The other day, I had the opportunity to travel by boat from Hakata Port in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture to Busan Port in Busan Metropolitan City, Korea.
What I saw at Hakata Port at that time was the sign of "AH1-ASIAN HIGHWAY" in the photo.
The route from Hakata to Busan is a maritime section of the Asia Highway No. 1, starting from Japan / Tokyo, passing through Asian countries to Turkey / Capkule (a town on the border with Bulgaria in Europe).
Well, where is the starting point of this Asia Highway No. 1 in Tokyo?
The starting point of Asia Highway No. 1 is Nihonbashi!
…You may know who is good intuition.
The correct answer is that the Toshin Beltway Metropolitan Expressway, which runs directly above Nihonbashi, is the starting point of Asia Highway No. 1.
(In addition, there is a document starting from the entrance to Edobashi, a little further away, and it seems that a strict starting point has not been determined. There is no doubt that it is near Nihonbashi.
From Nihonbashi, go west on the Toshin Beltway and go to Hakata Port via Metropolitan Expressway Route 3, Tomei Expressway, Meishin Expressway, Chugoku Expressway, Sanyo Expressway, Kyushu Expressway, etc.
And the above-mentioned "AH1" sign is also installed directly above Nihonbashi, the starting point (one in each direction).
You can see the signboard itself from the top of Nihonbashi, but unfortunately you can only see the back side ...
Look for a place that can be seen from the ground…！
Of course, if you drive on the Metropolitan Expressway by car, you can see the "AH1" sign.
It is extremely difficult for paper driver watakushi to run in the capital city.…。
In order to emphasize the fact that Nihonbashi is the starting point of the Asia Highway, is there a place where you can see the motive surface of the signs from public spaces on the ground?…？ I'm looking for it every time around Nihonbashi for the past year or so.
The other day, I finally found one point that I can barely see!
This angle looks like the entrance to Edobashi from the sidewalk in front of the Nihonbashi Diamond Building (formerly Mitsubishi Warehouse Edobashi Warehouse Building) in Minamizume in Edobashi. Here, if you zoom well ...
It's really the level of "slightly"…Under the sign of "Nihonbashi Road Sign", I was able to find the word "AH1".
However, because there is quite a distance to the sign, it is very difficult to see with the naked eye. I would like to continue looking for places that can be seen with the naked eye.…！
From Gokaido to the starting point of national roads in Japan and Asian roads…
According to the history of Nihonbashi, after being bridged in 1603, it was positioned as the starting point of Gokaido in 1604, became the starting point of all national roads at that time in 1876, and in 1972, the "Japan Road Signpost" was established. It has been known as the starting point of Japanese roads.
And with the entry into force of the Asia Highway Agreement in 2005, the implications have expanded to the starting point of Asian roads.
It is a bit twisted idea, but the Metropolitan Expressway on Nihonbashi, which has been treated as a "nuisance" in the landscape, may have inherited Nihonbashi's identity in a sense.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway on Nihonbashi is under consideration for undergrounding and removal of elevated tracks, so it may be within the moment that you can enjoy the "AH1" sign from the ground!