Photos of Umihotaru PA

Tokyo Bay Cross-sea Expressway: Another amazing masterpiece of Japanese engineering technology. The highway passes through Tokyo Bay, with a 4.4-kilometer-long sea-crossing bridge in the east, a 9.5-kilometer submarine tunnel in the west, and a man-made floating island (Hai Ying Island) in the middle. Costing 1.5 trillion yen, it was officially opened to traffic on December 18, 1997. This is a 9-kilometer-long bridge tunnel connecting Kawasaki and Kisarazu in Japan, known as the Tokyo Bay Crossroad. Bridges and tunnels meet at an artificial island called Umihotaru. The main function of this artificial island is a rest area for drivers, with shops, restaurants and an observation deck with views of Tokyo Bay. The Tokyo Bay crossroads have many bends, but for commuters who often drive between Kawasaki and Kisarazu, this is not a problem at all, after all, it reduces the driving time from an hour and a half to 15 minutes. Another nearby artificial island provides ventilation for the entire tunnel and is driven by the nearly constant wind that passes through Tokyo Bay.