Seto Ohashi Bridge

The Seto Ohashi Bridge spans the Seto Inland Sea, connecting Honshu and Shikoku, serving as a vital link in Japan's transportation network. Its construction was prompted by a tragic shipwreck in the Seto Inland Sea during the 1950s, which claimed over 160 lives, compelling the government to build a bridge between Honshu and Shikoku. Construction began on October 10, 1978, and after nearly a decade of arduous work, the bridge was fully opened to traffic on April 10, 1988. Stretching 37.3 kilometers in total with a 9.4-kilometer section over the sea, the bridge ingeniously combines three suspension bridges, two cable-stayed bridges, and one truss bridge. To ensure unimpeded ship navigation and maintain harmony with the coastal landscape, the bridge piers were built on five small islands in the sea, forming six interconnected bridges—a remarkable achievement in bridge engineering history. At the Seto Ohashi Bridge Memorial Hall, visitors can delve into the magnificent structure of this once world's longest dual-purpose railway and highway bridge through extensive architectural archives. Higashiyama Kaii, a master artist of 20th-century Japan, is celebrated at the Kagawa Prefectural Higashiyama Kaii Museum of Art, located along the Seto Inland Sea. Here, visitors can admire the artist's masterpieces while enjoying panoramic views of the entire Seto Ohashi Bridge through the café's expansive floor-to-ceiling windows.