Great Seto Bridge
瀬戸大橋
Completed in 1988, a group of road-and-rail bridges linking Okayama on Honshu with Kagawa on Shikoku, crossing islands of the Seto Inland Sea. It is a defining landscape of the Seto region.
The Great Seto Bridge is a group of six bridges with a total length of about 13 km, carrying road traffic on the upper deck and JR trains on the lower deck. It opened in 1988, linking Kojima in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, with Sakaide in Kagawa Prefecture and crossing several small islands of the Seto Inland Sea. It is one of the world's largest road-and-rail bridge systems. On the Shikoku side, you can visit the Seto Ōhashi Memorial Park in Sakaide (free; includes a memorial hall and observation tower) or climb to Yoshima PA for a close-up view of the bridge. On the Honshu side, the observation deck on Mount Washū offers the best views. From Takamatsu, take the JR Marine Liner toward Okayama to cross the bridge by train, about 20 minutes over water, with island views from the window. The bridge is lit up at night on weekends and holidays. Sakaide Station is about a 20-minute ride from Takamatsu.
Opening hours
Bridge viewpoint open all day; memorial hall approx. 09:00–17:00, closed Mon
Nearby sights
- Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art (MIMOCA)
- Marugame Castle
- Red Pumpkin
- Naoshima Bath "I Love Yu"
- Zentsu-ji Temple
- Chichu Art Museum
- Lee Ufan Museum
- Benesse House Museum