About Great Seto Bridge
Seto Ohashi Bridge is a bridge that crosses the Seto Inland Sea between Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, Honshu, Japan and Sakaida City, Kagawa Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan, and is one of the three routes of the Shikoku Link Bridge Network in Honshu. The entire bridge is connected by three suspension bridges, two inclined tension bridges, a truss bridge and a girder bridge, forming a spectacular bridge complex that not only plays a great role in transportation, but is also one of the famous tourist attractions in the region.
The construction of Seto Bridge began on October 10, 1978, and took nearly 10 years to complete before it was fully opened to traffic on April 10, 1988. The bridge is 9.4 kilometers long and is divided into two levels: the upper level is the 4-lane Seto Chuo Expressway and the lower level is the JR lane, making it the world’s largest road-rail bridge. Visitors can see the entire Seto Ohashi Bridge from the top of Mt. Washibu, which rises above the bridge on the Okayama prefectural side, and there is a lounge at the second observation deck slightly below the top of the hill, where you can also enjoy a beautiful view from afar. The bridge is decorated with colored lights every Saturday and at night during festivals, making it a popular night spot in Japan.
How to get there
The nearest stations to the Seto-ohashi Memorial Park are Utazu Station and Sakaide Station. It takes about 16 minutes by car cab (about 6.9 km) from Sakaide Station to the Seto-ohashi Memorial Park. By Sakaide City Bus, it takes about 18 minutes from Sakaide Station.
It takes about 12 minutes by car cab (about 6.1 km) from Utazu Station to the Seto-ohashi Bridge Memorial Park.
Tips
I have crossed the bridge by car before, but this was my first time to cross the Seto Ohashi Bridge and back by train.
I thought it was a very rare experience to cross a suspension bridge by train (laugh).
We were in a group tour and enjoyed the view from the train window to the fullest.
Website
https://www.jb-honshi.co.jp/seto-ohashi/
