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Setonaikai NP, Tokushima
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The bridge’s lower level was designed for Shikoku Shinkansen tracks, but the rail plan never materialized. In 2000, Uzu no Michi turned that reserved space into a 450m walk above the sea.
Harima Nada and the Pacific-facing Kii Channel do not reach high and low tide together. Their water levels can differ by about 1.5m, driving currents up to 20km/h and helping spin Naruto’s famous whirlpools.
A rotating Naruto whirlpool may remain visible for only a few dozen seconds, then travel hundreds of metres as it spins away. From the walkway, the sea’s signature spirals are brief, moving events—not fixed circles.
The Naruto Strait was once called “Aha no Mito,” or “Awa’s water gate.” Local cultural records connect this old name with the classical works Nihon Shoki and Tosa Nikki.
Uzu no Michi’s wire-mesh sides are intentional: they let wind pass instead of acting like solid walls beside the bridge. Visitors get the trade-off firsthand—sea breeze, wave sounds, and an open-air feel.
From the observation room, you can look toward both the Pacific and the Seto Inland Sea. Uzu no Michi sits above the Naruto Strait, where these very different waters meet.
Naruto was designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty on February 20, 1931—54 years before the Onaruto Bridge opened. The protected landscape included the park’s hills, coast, and islands as well as the whirlpool scenery.
The glass floor is triple-layered. Uzu no Michi staff say the top pane is replaced every year—and report that none of the panes has ever cracked.
Spring and autumn spring tides can bring the strongest Naruto currents, but the whirlpools aren’t on a fixed daily schedule. Their best viewing times shift with the tides, and they fade when the flow slackens.
Since 2025, visitors in the observation room can use smartphone augmented reality to layer computer-generated, moving whirlpools over the real seascape below.
