Tsunoshima Bridge

The bridge opened in 2000 and runs 1,780 metres from the mainland to Tsunoshima, curving around a small uninhabited islet on the way rather than taking the straight line, which is what gives it the shape people photograph. It was toll-free from the start, unusual for a bridge of that length, and it is low - the deck sits close to the water, so driving it feels like being on the sea. The colour is the other half: the sea bed here is pale sand and the water is shallow and clear, so on a sunny day the strait reads as turquoise. A viewpoint on the mainland side gives the full curve. The island itself has a white lighthouse of 1876 designed by the Scottish engineer Richard Henry Brunton, open to climb, and a beach at Yuya. The whole thing works only in good weather and good light.

History

Before the bridge, a ferry made seven round trips a day and was often delayed or cancelled in bad weather, and in 1983 about 100 islanders formed a group to press for a bridge; construction began in September 1993 (Wikipedia, Tsunoshima Bridge).

What you'll find

• A curving 1,780 metres - the bridge bending round an islet instead of running straight.
• A low deck - close enough to the water that the drive feels like being at sea.
• Turquoise shallows - pale sand bed and clear water in sun.
• The 1876 lighthouse - a Brunton design on the island, open to climb.

When to go

April to October, on a sunny day. Half a day.

Things to know

The colour depends entirely on sun - in cloud it is grey and ordinary. Public transport is poor; a car is effectively required. The mainland viewpoint car park fills at weekends. Wind closes the bridge to some vehicles.

Nearby

Motonosumi Inari is east along the coast; Shimonoseki is south.

Key facts