Built in the 1590s to link Hoi An’s Japanese community with the Chinese community across a stream, the Japanese Bridge has become a symbol of the town and its most popular sight. Solidly constructed to protect it from earthquakes, over the years the bridge’s ornamentation has stayed faithful to the simple and elegant Japanese design. Either end of the bridge is guarded by a pair of statues – monkeys at one end and dogs at the other, whilst there is a small temple half way across.