No, this photo wasn’t photoshopped.
And, as you could probably tell from the picture, people all over the world can’t believe how this bridge actually works.
This is called the Eshima Ohashi bridge, also known as “The Roller Coaster Bridge,” which people use on a daily basis in Japan.
Eshima Ohashi bridge connects the cities of Matsue and Sakaiminato, built from 1997 to 2004.
It’s not only the largest rigid-frame bridge in Japan, but also the third largest in the world.
How and why did the Eshima Ohashi bridge end up being designed in this way?
It’s mainly because the bridge has to cross over a large lake called Lake Nakaumi, where large ships regularly come and go to access ports.
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As a result, the bridge had to be built extremely high up to allow ships to pass underneath.
In fact, this unusually steep bridge has an incredible slope – about a gradient of 6. 1 per cent on the Shimane Prefecture side and 5. 1 per cent on the Tottori Prefecture side.
Even though the bridge may seem terrifying in the photo, the officials commented that the bridge is designed in a way so that cars gradually ascend, making it less scary for drivers.
The officials also said that there had been no accidents on the bridge yet, and that they are confident that there will continue to be none.
Because of its’ roller-coaster-like features, the Eshima Ohashi bridge actually secured the number four spot on TripAdvisor among 24 attractions in Sakaminato.
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People are even posting videos and photos of their own experience of crossing the bridge – whether or not it was as terrifying as they thought it would be. Some people actually said that it wasn’t scary at all, and that the view from the bridge was simply amazing!
Despite such positive reviews, however, I’m not really sure if I would be willing to cross the bridge.
What do you think? Would you want to cross the bridge?
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