Normally the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge is only open to vehicular traffic, but if you join the Bridge World sightseeing tour, you can walk along the lower deck of the bridge for about one kilometer and then go up to the top of the main tower on the Kobe side from where you can enjoy the magnificent view.

Tours are held Thursday through Sunday and on holidays between April 1 and November 30 every year. There are two tours a day, one in the morning (from 9:30 a.m.) and the other in the afternoon (from 1:30 p.m.), each lasting about two hours and 40 minutes. The fee is 3,000 yen for adults and 1,500 yen for junior high school age (tax included in both fees). It is possible to sign up either online, by telephone, or by FAX (tours are limited to 42 people and are selected in the order in which they signed up).

Incidentally, one of the conditions for participating in the Bridge World tour is that participants must be junior high school aged or older and junior high school-aged children must be accompanied by an adult. Another condition is that participants must be able to walk two kilometers and be able to go up and down stairs without the use of walking aids. And most important of all, participants should not have a fear of heights. This writer did not think he had a fear of heights, but even so, it was a bit daunting.

After checking in on the second floor of the Bridge Exhibition Center, proceed to the room where the Bridge World tour participants gather (the cost of the tour is included in the admission fee to the Bridge Exhibition Center). Here you will be told what you need to be aware of when taking the tour. Also, you are given an earphone/mic used to communicate with the guide, a safety strap, and a helmet before for starting the tour.

Now it’s time to head out! In addition to the single guide you are also accompanied by a number of assistants to ensure your safety.

Before heading to the bridge, you will be taken down to the exhibition room on the first floor of the Bridge Exhibition Center for an explanation by the guide about how the bridge was built.

Construction of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge connecting Kobe City and Awaji Island began in May of 1986. Akashi Strait is famous for its fast tidal currents. It is also a strategic transportation route taken by about 1,400 ships each day, including supertankers and cruise ships, that enter the harbors of Osaka and Kobe. The guide explained that work was done on the bridge while ships passed below it.

Under these circumstances, round concrete foundations for the main towers were embedded in the 60-meter deep water, cables were strung between the main towers, and strong steel girders for the vehicular roads were installed. The construction took about ten years.

It is amazing to imagine how construction went on under such difficult conditions as fighting against strong tidal currents and the continuous passing of ships below.

There are three routes connecting Honshu and Shikoku and each consists of a number of bridges straddling islands in the Inland Sea. The Innoshima Bridge was the first suspension bridge built in the Inland Sea when it was constructed in 1983 and today it is part of the Shimanami Kaido [Sea Route]. After that the Great Seto Bridge was completed in 1988, connecting Honshu and Shikoku by land for the first time.

"Each time a bridge was built, safe and efficient construction methods were studied. Then in 1998 Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, proudly the world's longest suspension bridge, was completed," the guide went on to explain.

In fact, the assistant staff members accompanying the tour, including the guide, were also some of those who were actually involved in the construction of the bridge. You could feel the pride in his voice during his calm presentation.

So without further ado, head out to the bridge. You will take the Maiko Marine Promenade which was built inside the girders of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge.

The general public can enter the Maiko Marine Promenade for a fee (250 yen for adults; 300 yen on Saturday, Sunday, and national holidays. No charge for elementary school age and younger. Taxes are included in both fares and the fares are included in the cost of the tour). Going inside the bridge from the Anchorage and passing along the promenade in the bridge the spectacular view of Osaka Bay and the Inland Sea, as well as the Akashi Strait stretching out below one's feet, come into view.

This goes in the direction of Awaji Island and the main tower is about a 1-kilometer walk away.

Awaji Island on the other side often suffered from shortages of water in the summer. However, since the bridge was completed a stable supply of water has been supplied from Honshu eliminating such worry now.

You have now arrived at the main tower on the Kobe side! The bridge is gently elevated towards the middle, and this area is about 65 meters above the sea. From here you will enter the main tower and an elevator will take you briskly up the 284 meters to the top.

And in no time at all you are there! Taking the stairs up one more floor you come to a sliding door in the ceiling. Go through it and you have reached the top of the tower.

A view so stunning it is almost blinding awaits you here 300 meters above the sea!

You can also take videos from the main tower.

▲This space will probably convey sensations that photos cannot!

▲ The completely different landscapes of the Awaji Island side and Kobe side are stunning (this is the Kobe side).

When seen up close, the thickness of the main cables is truly amazing.

“If anything goes wrong with the cables, it would be the end of the bridge. For that reason they are continuously being maintained to prevent damage and rust to them. The goal is to keep them maintained so that they will last at least 200 more years,” the guide told us.

I was surprised to learn that the life of the bridge depended on the life of the cables. In order to prevent rusting, dry air is constantly being pumped through the inside of the main cables. Listening to the explanations of how the suspension bridge needs constant attention it seemed almost like a living thing to me.

Once again we boarded the elevator and descended to the Wide Management Route. We also were able to walk along the special walkway for workers that runs parallel to the Wide Management Route. It is much narrower than the other, so this is another new thrill.

It’s a shame that only cars can cross the bridge! The Bridge World tour that enables you to walk on the bridge above the sea and go 300 meters up a main tower where you are afforded a spectacular view is an experience you will not want to miss!

Here are some good spots for viewing the scenery from land after you have seen them from the top of the bridge.

The Maiko Marine Promenade under the road is open to normal traffic on the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge. Going along the promenade for about 150 meters towards the sea, you will come to a section where glass panels cover part of the floor.

There is also a cafe inside the Maiko Marine Promenade. The view, through the many glass windows, of Kobe and the streets of Akashi as well as Osaka Bay and the Inland Sea is very refreshing.

Maiko Park is located near the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge on the Kobe side. This is a popular place for families to relax on the grass in the evenings and on holidays and is also a popular spot with fishermen.

The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Ijokaku), with its unique triangular roof, is a Western-style building in the garden. It was the villa of a Kobe overseas Chinese wealthy merchant, Wú jǐn táng (Gokindo), and is currently designated as an important cultural property of the country. The historical Western-style building and bridge together make a great photo.

The majestic view at Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge is especially enjoyable in the company of family or friends, or better still, on a date.

And every night after the sun goes down the cables of the bridge are lit up until midnight. The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge appearing to rise up out of the sea in the pitch blackness of the night makes it seem vibrantly alive.

The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge is the first bridge in the world to install lighting equipment on its cables that can show 28 patterns of various colors of lights.

Normally only a pearl color is used, but to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its opening, until the end of October 2018 on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, other colors such as red, yellow, green, and purple were also used. This was a particularly good time to visit and take memorable photographs.

So what are your impressions? Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, the largest suspension bridge in the world, is together with its surroundings not only a joy to behold, but also offers another attraction that is highly recommended: the World Bridge tour led by a guide who actually participated in the bridge's construction.

For a thrilling experience and chance to see a truly spectacular view, why not join in the World Bridge tour someday?