Inside Japan's Rollercoaster Bridge
The Eshima Ohashi Bridge is an amazing feat of engineering—and also an incredibly fun drive.
Written by Tom Hindle
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Is it a bridge or is it a rollercoaster? If you're talking about Japan's world-famous Eshima Ohashi, it could well be a bit of both. The mile-long bridge spans the waters of Lake Nakaumi, which separates the prefectures of Shimane and Tottori. In terms of
road safety
, it looks about as scary as it gets. Fortunately, the reality isn't as bad as the perception.Of course, you'll still want a car with plenty of power and a good transmission if you plan on tackling it. You'll also want to make sure you have the best brakes available!
How the Eshima Ohashi bridge came to be
A bridge united Shimane and Tottori before Eshima Ohashi was built, but had several annoying quirks. Every time a ship wanted to pass, traffic was held up for as long as eight minutes. Furthermore, no vehicle weighing more than 14 tons was allowed to use the bridge—and use was limited to 4,000 vehicles per day. Leave work late and you might have to take the long way home!
Japanese engineers and architects began working on the unique (and slightly terrifying!) Eshima Ohashi bridge in 1997. Their goal was to unite the two prefectures while still allowing ships to safely pass beneath. That meant going up—way up! The bridge is 144' tall at its peak, among the tallest rigid frame bridges in the world.
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Is it really as steep as it looks?
According to
ZME Science
, the two slopes of the bridge have gradients of 5.1% and 6.1%. To put it into perspective, DangerousRoads.org
lists the ten steepest roads in America as having gradients between 31.5% and 37%. Of course, only pedestrians or people with 4-wheel drive vehicles are allowed on some of those steep roads—and they are significantly shorter.Fortunately, you won't need a 4-wheel or all-wheel drive vehicle to climb Eshima Ohashi. Just a good set of nerves as you approach the ascent! Luckily, the bridge isn't really quite as steep as it appears in photographs.
Eshima Ohashi is a popular tourist attraction
It might be just an everyday commute to work for locals, but people travel from all over the world to experience this amazing bridge for themselves. There are sidewalks on both sides for those who would rather experience it at a slower pace.
Once you've made your way to the top, there are telescopes and binoculars available so you can enjoy the lovely views of the lake and surrounding area. Be sure to scope out the Japanese garden on nearby Daikon Island. It's Japan's largest producer of seedling peony plants.
If you time your visit right, you might get a peek at these magnificent plants in bloom. It would surely be a sight to behold since the island is home to around 20,000 peonies representing 250 different species. That's a lot of these massive and gorgeous blooms!
Sometimes choosing car insurance can feel like a rollercoaster ride
Just like Eshima Ohashi, shopping for car insurance has its highs and lows and even an occasional bump in the road. Fortunately, the
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