Here’s The Bridge That Is So Scary, People Have Panic Attacks Driving On It

If you want to experience what a real roller coaster feels like, then the bridge of Eshima Ohashi is ready to provide you with such an opportunity. Although there is no "dead loop", it will be scary to drive up to it even on the steep-climbing SUV.Show more

Eshima Ohashi is a concrete two-lane road bridge that connects Matsue City in Shimane Prefecture with Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture. With a length of 1.7 km and a width of 11.3 meters, it is the largest concrete bridge in Japan and the third largest in the world.

The bridge unexpectedly became famous, as it was used in the advertisement of the Tanto minivan from Daihatsu Motor Co. The commercial was shot from such an angle that exaggerates the slope of the bridge. Special compression with a telephoto lens makes the viewer believe that the bridge is extremely steep. Daihatsu Motor thus decided to show the strength and power of their car. In fact, the bridge has a rather convenient angle of inclination of 6.1% on the side of Shimane Prefecture and 5.1% on the side of Tottori Prefecture, which is easily overcome for any car. Some websites report that a bridge trip can be compared to a "roller coaster ride", although, in reality, it does not have anything to do with reality.

The Eshima Bridge is also called Betabomizak, which essentially means "lifting the pedal to the floor" - this name is due to the fact that you will not be able to get on a steep bridge lift unless you push the gas pedal to the floor.

But in fact, if you go to the bridge, you will realize that this is quite an ordinary bridge - the bridge surprises only if you look at it from afar. If you look from the driver's or passenger's seat, nothing remarkable can be noticed - a concrete path on stilts passing over Lake Nakaumi from the city of Matsue to the city of Sakaiminato. Such a descent-climb can be overcome by any machine.

In the advertisement, the bridge is shown in such a way that the entrance to it seems incredibly steep. The compression of the perspective by the telephoto lens makes the viewer believe that the bridge is extremely steep. "Daihatsu Motor" wants you to believe that the bridge is frighteningly steep to demonstrate the power of your car. According to some sites, a trip across the bridge is similar to "roller coaster", which is an exaggeration of the media.

Ti is often presented as "Terrifying: Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan looks more like a rollercoaster than a bridge.", or described as "The terrifying rollercoaster bridge" which forces drivers to navigate down a steep descent so ships can pass underneath.

These are some facts about the Eshima Ohashi bridge: it is 1,446 meters long; a 250 meters of continuous concrete in the center (the third longest Ramen bridge in the world!); there is a 6.1% grade slope on the Shimane Prefecture side; there is a 5.1% grade slope on the Tottori side; the bridge needed to be high in the center to allow large ships to pass under; from the Shimane side, you can get the optical illusion view at the end of the street by the sea.

If you want to take a photo of the bridge to see the famous "rise to the sky", then it is recommended to photograph from the side of Matsue. From JR Sakaiminato station, you can reach the bridge in 10 minutes. On the high-speed road, you can reach the bridge in 45 minutes: you reach the junction of "Jonago" - from there to the bridge.