Kobe Trip Part 12: Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the Longest Suspension Bridge in the World

[Introduction]

I traveled to Kobe in early March. In Kobe, major tourist spots such as bay area, Kitano Ijinkan-gai and Chinatown were concentrated, which was convenient for tourists. In this article, I will write about Akashi Kaikyo Bridge as part of Day 4.

[Visit Places (series of articles)]
* Day 1: Fly to Kobe with Skymark
* Day 1: Chinatown and Former Foreign Settlement etc.
* Day 1: Meriken Park and Harborland
* Day 1: Meriken Park and Harborland (Light-up)
* Day 2: Kitano Ijinkan-gai
* Day 2: Ikuta Shrine, Nunobiki Herb Gardens etc.
* Day 2: Kobe Great Bridge (Light-up)
* Day 3: Kobe Oji Zoo
* Day 3: Kobe Animal Kingdom
* Day 3: Chinatown and Old Foreign Settlement (Light-up)
* Day 4: Himeji Castle
* Day 4: Akashi Kaikyo Bridge [This article]
* Day 4: Sannomiya

[Travel Date]
2018.03.08 – 11

[Main Part]

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋) in Maiko Park (舞子公園)

Following the previous post, I moved from Himeji (姫路) to Maiko Park (舞子公園) on the return way to Kobe (神戸).

The reason why I stopped by Maiko Park (舞子公園) is because I would like to see Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋).

Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋) is a suspension bridge, which links the city of Kobe on the Japanese mainland of Honshu to Iwaya on Awaji Island, with its total length of 3,911 meters. The construction of the bridge started in May 1988 and was completed in April 1998.

There was “Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Center (橋の科学館)” near the bridge, but unfortunately it was closed when I visited on Monday.

I will watch the bridge from different angles.

View beneath the bridge.

I heard the bridge is lighted up in the evening.

Ships often passed through the bridge.

This circular monument is called “Dream Lens”.

The monument was developed to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋).

As if I looked through binoculars.

There was also “Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Ijokaku)” near the monument, but the facility was closed.

When you plan to visit Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋), perhaps it might be better to avoid Monday as several facilities are closed on Monday.

Instead, there were less people, so I was able to go around it without crowdedness.

Then, I will move to the next destination.

Maiko Beach Walking Path

I will walk through Maiko beach walking path to move to “Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe (三井アウトレットパークマリンピア神戸)”.

I looked back Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋) and “Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Ijokaku)”.

I found they were impressive even when they are seen from a distance.

It looked like I was not in Japan.

As it was not a sea bathing season, I didn’t see people so much.

It was so cute, wasn’t it?

I would like to revisit the beach in summer.

Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe (三井アウトレットパークマリンピア神戸)

The building of “Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe (三井アウトレットパークマリンピア神戸)” came into sight.

There was a yacht harbor adjacent to the mall.

It became cloudy a little bit around this time.

I went around inside the mall, though taking photos were prohibited.

The mall had an observation deck where visitors were able to enjoy scenery.

The concept of the mall was “A harbor city in South Europe”, so I felt as if I was in a seaport town.

I found a pirate ship.

The pirate ship served as a playground equipment and there was a slide in the ship.

Finally, I took photos of the yacht harbor again and

I left “Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe (三井アウトレットパークマリンピア神戸)”.

[Closing]

That’s it for the article about Akashi Kaikyo Bridge as part of Day 4.

Just like “Himeji Castle” in the previous article, I had longed to visit Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋) for many years and this time I made an excursion from Kobe (神戸) to realize my wish. I found Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋) was so impressive as the longest bridge in the world. Next time, I would like to take photos of Akashi Kaikyo Bridge (明石海峡大橋) with its light-up in the evening 🙂

In the next article, as the final of my Kobe trip series, I will write about evening scene in Sannomiya (三宮) and return home as part of Day 4.

[Map]

1 Maiko Park
2 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
3 Mitsui Outlet Park Marine Pia Kobe

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