Tatara Bridge

Tatara Bridge is a 1,480-meter-long bridge spanning from Ikuchijima Island to Omishima Island in the Seto Inland Sea. At the time of its completion, it was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world. It lies along the route of the "Shimanami Kaido" cycling road and is located almost exactly midway between Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture and Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture. Immediately after crossing from Omishima to Ikuchijima, you will find the "Setoda Parking Area," while on the Omishima side there is the roadside station "Michi-no-Eki Tatara Shimanami Park." At the uphill lanes of Setoda Parking Area, visitors can discover a wide variety of dishes and souvenirs made with lemons, for which Ikuchijima boasts the highest production volume in Japan. From Setoda Parking Area, you can also walk directly onto the pedestrian and cycling path of Tatara Bridge. Beneath the tower on the pedestrian path, clapping your hands creates the "Crying Dragon" phenomenon, where the sound echoes through the tower and seems to rise up into the sky. At Michi-no-Eki Tatara Shimanami Park, there is a farmers’ and fishermen’s market, a food court, and even live fish pens where the elusive high-end fish "Mahata" can be seen swimming. Cyclists should be sure to take a commemorative photo at the "Cyclist Sanctuary" monument.