Crossing the Akashi Strait by Highway Bus
Maiko Marine Promenade and the Bridge Exhibition Center at the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
My first stops were the Maiko Marine Promenade and the Bridge Exhibition Center, both just across from Awaji Island after the highway bus ride.
The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge looks incredibly impressive from below, but unfortunately it was rainy and cold…
The Maiko Marine Promenade is a facility where you can actually go into the floor space beneath the roadway of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.
https://hyogo-maikopark.jp/facility/f01/
It does feel rather stark and bare, but then again, it’s a bridge, so I guess that’s to be expected (lol).
There are sections where the floor is made of glass, and if you keep going to the far end, you have to turn back there.
You can’t walk all the way across the bridge.
There are also relocated Western-style houses at the foot of the bridge, but I decided not to go because the weather was so bad. I couldn’t help wondering whether it was really okay to move them to a place that seems so exposed to wind and rain.
Next up was the Bridge Exhibition Center. It has a lot of detailed exhibits, and it’s a genuinely worthwhile place to learn a lot (lol).
http://www.hashinokagakukan.jp/
A comparison of bridge sizes. The one glowing green is the Golden Gate Bridge. After all, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is the world’s largest suspension bridge.
You can also try operating an exhibit that demonstrates how the bridge’s lighting system works.
You can even experience the sinking operation of a steel caisson through one of the exhibits! (lol)
There were plenty of other exhibits too, but I’ll leave the rest for you to discover when you go.
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