A little of each town’s story

The Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge and the Shimanami Kaido

From: Shimanami Kaido: sea-bream rice and a salty breeze

Looking out at the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge from the railing

The Shimanami Kaido (Nishiseto Expressway) is a roughly 60-kilometer motorway that threads through the islands of the Geiyo archipelago, linking Onomichi in Hiroshima with Imabari in Ehime. At its Shikoku end, the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, three suspension bridges in a row with a total length of 4,105 meters, opened on May 1, 1999 as the world's first triple suspension bridge. The Kurushima Strait below is counted among Japan's three fastest tidal currents.

Sources: mlit.go.jp city.imabari.ehime.jp

This moment in the journey

The Shimanami Kaido, and juice from a tap

All right, let's go see the spectacular view of the Seto Inland Sea. I headed for Imabari, to the lookout at a service area above the Kurushima Strait. Up the stairs, the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge of the Shimanami Kaido, the road that links the beautiful islands, stretched white across the blue water.

"In Ehime, mandarin orange juice comes out of the faucet." I thought it was an urban legend, but I could confirm it with my own eyes. Turn the tap sticking out of a wall painted with an orange, and real orange-colored juice pours into the cup. I raised it to the sky and the sea and took a sip. Oishii vitamin C, tasty and fun.

I stood at the railing looking out at the bridge, and then in front of the big letters spelling out SHIMANAMI.

Watch this scene on YouTube1:58

Read this scene in the full journey