Seto Ohashi Memorial Park

A seaside park at the foot of the Seto Ohashi Bridge linking Honshu and Shikoku, with a free museum on how it was built and a rotating observation tower.

A park at the foot of the Seto Ohashi Bridge

The Seto Ohashi Bridge crosses the Seto Inland Sea to link Okayama Prefecture on Honshu, Japan's main island, with Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku. It opened on 10 April 1988. It carries both road and rail: cars run on the upper deck and trains (the JR Seto-Ohashi Line) on the lower one.

Seto Ohashi Memorial Park is a seaside park of about 10 hectares, laid out on the Kagawa-side site of the Seto Ohashi Expo held in 1988 to celebrate the bridge's opening. It is at Bannosu in Sakaide city, Kagawa Prefecture, and the bridge looms large right in front of you.

Seto Ohashi Bridge Museum: how the bridge came to be

The Seto Ohashi Bridge Museum in the park reused one of the expo pavilions and opened in November 1988. Entry is free. Using models, films and panels, it tells the story of how the bridge became reality and explains the construction work and engineering behind building such a huge bridge over the sea.

The museum's roof is an observation deck with views over the bridge and the park. It is also known as a spot for watching the bridge lit up at night.

Seto Ohashi Tower and the rest of the park

Rising above the park, the Seto Ohashi Tower is an observation tower whose 100-person cabin slowly rotates as it climbs to 108 metres above the ground. The ride takes about 10 minutes and gives a 360-degree panorama of the Seto Inland Sea and the bridge.

The park also has fountains shaped like a suspension bridge and a cable-stayed bridge (a type where cables run diagonally from towers to hold up the deck), a lawn, a children's play area and works by the sculptor Masayuki Nagare dotted around. Right next door is the Kagawa Prefectural Higashiyama Kaii Setouchi Art Museum.

Getting there

It is about 10 minutes by car from JR Sakaide Station. Drivers will find it close to Sakaide-kita Interchange, and there is free parking. The museum and the tower have closing days, and the tower charges a fee. Check opening hours and prices on the Sakaide city tourism website or other official sources.

Tips

• The museum is closed on Mondays (or the next day when Monday is a public holiday), but it stays open during the big holiday periods and the summer holidays.
• The museum and its rooftop view are free, so learn how the bridge works there first and then go up the tower: the view will mean much more.
• The park was also a filming location for the 2006 film "UDON".

Sources

• 瀬戸大橋記念公園・記念館｜おでかけかけはし坂出（坂出市観光協会公式） (opens in a new tab)
• 瀬戸大橋タワー｜坂出市ホームページ (opens in a new tab)
• 瀬戸大橋記念館 - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)
• 瀬戸大橋 - Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)

Updated 30 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.