Which Japanese bridge is famous for its steep-looking roadway connecting the cities of Matsue and Sakaiminato?

The Eshima Ohashi Bridge is the Japanese bridge famous for its steep-looking roadway between Matsue and Sakaiminato.

Completed in 2004, the bridge crosses Lake Nakaumi and connects Shimane and Tottori prefectures. Its high clearance allows ships to pass beneath it, so the approaches rise sharply before reaching the central span. The bridge carries ordinary road traffic and is not a roller coaster, despite photographs that make its slope appear dramatic.

Its gradient is approximately 6.1 percent on one side and 5.1 percent on the other. The bridge became internationally famous after advertising photography used a low perspective that exaggerated the apparent steepness.

Eshima Ohashi is sometimes confused with Japan’s much larger Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, a suspension bridge with a record-setting central span. Eshima Ohashi’s fame comes from its unusual visual profile and steep approaches, not from having the longest suspension span.