Uzu no Michi
A 450-meter walkway inside the Onaruto Bridge, ending in an observation room over the sea.
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Uzu no Michi
SaveA 450-meter walkway inside the Onaruto Bridge, ending in an observation room over the sea.
Children stay glued to the glass floor panels 45 meters above the strait, whirlpools or not.
MoreWhat kind of place
Uzu no Michi is a walkway built into the girder space of the Onaruto Bridge, 45 meters (150 feet) above the water, running 450 meters (about 1,500 feet) out to an observation room you can walk all the way around.
The current below it is often counted among the world's three great tidal currents, alongside the Strait of Messina in Italy and Seymour Narrows in Canada.
At spring tide that current tops 20 kilometers per hour (about 12 mph) at its fastest, and the whirlpools it throws up reach 20 to 30 meters (65 to 100 feet) across, said to be the biggest anywhere.
Sources and evidence (17)
- It is a walkway out over the sea built into the girder space of the Onaruto Bridge, running 450 meters (about 1,500 feet) to the observation room.source
- The walkway sits 45 meters (about 150 feet) above the whirlpools.source
- The official site says plainly that the whirlpools cannot be seen at all times.source
- The whirlpools have a best viewing window, and the hours it falls in change from day to day.source
- The best viewing runs two hours either side of the time given on the tide table at spring tide, an hour and a half on middle tides, and an hour at neap tide.source
- The tide table shows the times when the Naruto Strait current runs fastest at flood tide, flowing north, and at ebb tide, flowing south.source
- The current in the Naruto Strait is said to be one of the world's three great tidal currents, alongside the Strait of Messina in Italy and Seymour Narrows in Canada.source
- At its peak during spring tide the current runs faster than 20 kilometers per hour (about 12 mph), and the whirlpools reach 20 to 30 meters (65 to 100 feet) across, said to be the largest in the world.source
- The Naruto Park parking lot also lends wheelchairs free of charge.source
- Both Uzu no Michi and Eddy have a nursing space and a baby changing seat, which you use by asking a staff member.source
- The coin lockers are free and can be used up until closing time.source
- The main exhibits are labeled in foreign languages as well as Japanese.source
- Pets can come in inside a carrier or held in your arms, and guide dogs and service dogs may come in without a carrier.source
- There is no dedicated parking lot, so anyone arriving by car uses the paid Naruto Park parking lot.source
- The major credit cards are accepted: Visa, JCB, Mastercard, American Express, and Diners Club.source
- The address is 65 Fukuike, Tosadomari-ura, Naruto-cho, Naruto City, Tokushima, inside Naruto Park, a three-minute walk from Eddy.source
- The copyright line on the site reads Neoviento Co., Ltd. and the Tokushima Prefecture Tourism Association.source
With kidsThe part that matters
Even on a day with no whirlpools, this walkway still holds children: glass panels are set into the floor at the far end, and they can look straight down at the strait 45 meters (150 feet) below.
The walk out is 450 meters (about 1,500 feet) inside the girders of the Onaruto Bridge, ending in an observation room you can circle all the way around.
Strollers are lent free, so nobody is carrying a tired child the whole way back.
Both this walkway and the bridge museum a few minutes away have a nursing space and a baby changing seat, which you use by asking a staff member.
If the whirlpools themselves matter, check the tide table before you fix the hour: they run strongest for an hour or two either side of the time it gives, that time shifts daily, and being up there inside that window is what decides whether you see them.
Sources and evidence (5)
- The observation room at the end of the walkway is a loop you can walk all the way around, with glass panels in the floor for looking down at the Naruto Strait.source
- About an hour there and back with a baby and a 2-year-old; adults alone need 30-45 minutes, step-free path 7.source
- The children were fixed on the glass floor panels. Strollers go in. Colliding currents do not always make a whirlpool.source
- On a holiday the Naruto Park parking lot was full. The walk is about 1km round trip; they stayed an hour and a half.source
- With an 8-year-old, arriving half an hour before the 11:10 peak: no whirlpools yet, then growing as the hour came.source
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1The walkway runs 450 m inside the girders of the Onaruto Bridge to a loop-shaped observation room. Hold the baby over one of the glass panels in the floor and the Naruto Strait is straight below, 45 m down. Six strollers are lent free of charge (along with six wheelchairs and four walking carts), and because the observation room is a loop you circle round and come back without turning in a dead end.Both Uzu no Michi and the Eddy museum have a nursing space and a baby changing seat; tell a staff member and they let you use it. The slope between the two is steep, so each keeps three power-assisted walkers on hand. The coin lockers are free and stay usable until closing. Children under 6 get in free.
- Ages 2-3The glass panels are set into the floor, so a toddler can crouch right down on them and stare at the strait 45 m below. One family with a baby and a 2-year-old took about an hour there and back; adults on their own do it in 30-45 minutes.The official site says outright that the whirlpools cannot be seen at just any hour. The best window moves every day: centred on the time in the tide table, two hours either side at spring tide, an hour and a half at middle tide, one hour at neap tide. Check the tide table and fix your time before you set out and it will not land on a nap. In summer (March-September) it is open 9:00-18:00, with last entry at 17:30.
- Ages 4-6They can walk the 450 m through the bridge girders to the observation room on their own legs. Under the glass floor panels is the Naruto Strait 45 m down, where the current tops 20 km/h at peak spring tide and the whirlpools reach 20-30 m across, said to be the largest in the world.Under-6s are free and elementary schoolers pay 260 yen. Advance online tickets let you skip the queue, though online sales stop at the combined ticket with the Eddy museum; the other combination tickets are bought at each facility's counter. The main exhibits are labelled in foreign languages as well as Japanese.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe main draw is the walkway out over the sea inside the Onaruto Bridge girder space, 450 meters to the observation room at the end. There is no dedicated parking lot, so drivers walk over from the Naruto Park lot.
- Hot dayNot checked yet
- Cold dayNot checked yet
Time needed1 h
How was it with your kids?
Not greatGreat
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Family WCFamily restroom：not checked
- Own foodOutside food allowed：not checked
- EnglishEnglish support：with conditionsconditions
* Other not checked (2)
Diaper disposal bin, Kids' toilet seat & step stool
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
Worth a look before you go
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
About an hour there and back with a baby and a 2-year-old; adults alone need 30-45 minutes, step-free path 7.
Whirlpools from 45 meters up: walking the Onaruto Bridge promenade
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
The children were fixed on the glass floor panels. Strollers go in. Colliding currents do not always make a whirlpool.
Around Shikoku with children, day 2: where to stand and when, to see the whirlpools
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
On a holiday the Naruto Park parking lot was full. The walk is about 1km round trip; they stayed an hour and a half.
Naruto whirlpools with elementary-school children: will they enjoy it, and how long does it take?
Japanese · opens translatedFirst-hand
With an 8-year-old, arriving half an hour before the 11:10 peak: no whirlpools yet, then growing as the hour came.
Golden Week with an 8-year-old: the Onaruto Bridge walkway and the Eddy museum
Uzu no Michi · Links & reads ▾
Where to go next
Where it is
65 Fukuike, Narutocho-Tosadomariura, Naruto-shi, Tokushima 772-0053source
Before you go
Basics
- Fee：¥510 for adults, ¥410 for junior and senior high school students, ¥260 for elementary school children, free under six. Groups of 20 or more pay ¥410 / ¥330 / ¥200. A combined ticket with the Eddy bridge museum next door costs ¥900 / ¥660 / ¥400 instead of ¥1,130 / ¥820 / ¥520, and under-sixes stay free; combined tickets also exist with Escahill Naruto (¥710 / ¥410 / ¥280) and the Naruto German House (¥730). Visitors with a disability pay ¥250 / ¥200 / ¥130. School outings pay ¥200 for secondary and ¥130 for elementary students, with teachers free. The parking lot at Naruto Park is charged separately.source
- Hours：March to September, 9:00-18:00 with last entry at 17:30; during Golden Week and the summer holidays, 8:00-19:00 with last entry at 18:30; October to February, 9:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30. Closed on the second Monday of March, June, September and December only. Whirlpools have their best hours, which shift every day — the tide table gives the times, and viewing is best within two hours either side at spring tide, an hour and a half at middle tide, and an hour at neap tide.source
- Time to allow：1 hsource
- Booking：Tickets are sold at the door; an advance online ticket lets you skip the queue. Only the combined ticket with the Eddy museum can be bought online — the other combination tickets are sold at each site's own desk. Groups of 20 or more, and school outings, book ahead. Major credit cards are accepted.source
Basics in detail (15)
- Admission is 510 yen for adults, 410 yen for junior high and high school students, 260 yen for elementary students, and free for children under six.source
- Groups of 20 or more pay 410 yen for adults, 330 yen for junior high and high school students, and 200 yen for elementary students.source
- A combined ticket with the Onaruto Bridge Memorial Hall Eddy costs 900 yen for adults, 660 yen for junior high and high school students, and 400 yen for elementary students, with children under six free.source
- A combined ticket with Escahill Naruto costs 710 yen for adults, 710 yen for high school students, 410 yen for junior high students, and 280 yen for elementary students.source
- A combined ticket with the Naruto German House costs 730 yen for adults and 730 yen for high school students.source
- The rate for visitors with disabilities is 250 yen for adults, 200 yen for junior high and high school students, and 130 yen for elementary students.source
- For elementary, junior high, and high school field trips the rate is 200 yen for junior high and high school students and 130 yen for elementary students, with accompanying teachers free.source
- In the summer season, March through September, hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with last entry at 5:30 p.m.source
- During Golden Week and the summer holiday period, hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. with last entry at 6:30 p.m.source
- In the winter season, October through February, hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with last entry at 4:30 p.m.source
- It closes on the second Monday of March, June, September, and December, while Eddy is open every day.source
- The slope between Uzu no Michi and Eddy is steep, so each site keeps three power-assisted walkers on hand.source
- Car navigation set to Uzu no Michi sometimes routes you somewhere else, so set it to Eddy instead.source
- Naruto Park has no highway bus stop, so take a local bus 20 minutes to the Konaruto-bashi stop and catch the highway bus at Kosoku Naruto.source
- It is about a five-minute drive from the Naruto-kita interchange, or about 45 minutes from the Awaji service area.source
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (7)
- Official: Stroller friendly, Nursing space, Diaper changing table
- Official: Indoor / outdoor, Best-fit ages (guide)
The walkway runs through the girder of the Onaruto Bridge, 450 meters out over the water. At the far end, an observation room lets you look through glass panels in the floor to the strait 45 meters below. The currents here are called one of the world's three great tidal races. The whirlpools are biggest at spring tide in spring and autumn, said to reach 20 to 30 meters across. Whirlpools are not there all day, though: the best hour shifts daily, and the tide table gives it.
| Stroller friendly | Yes | Six strollers are lent free, along with six wheelchairs and four walking trolleys. The slope between here and the Eddy museum is steep, so both sites keep three power-assisted walkers. The parking lot at Naruto Park also lends wheelchairs free. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | uzunomichi.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing space | Yes | A nursing space here and another at the Eddy museum — ask a member of staff. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | uzunomichi.jp |
| Diaper changing table | Yes | A baby changing sheet here and another at the Eddy museum — ask a member of staff. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | uzunomichi.jp |
| English support | English menu & signs | The main exhibits are labeled in foreign languages as well as Japanese, and the website has English and traditional-Chinese versions. Next door at the Eddy museum, how the whirlpools form and how the bridge is built are explained in English, simplified and traditional Chinese. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | uzunomichi.jp |
| Indoor / outdoor | Indoor & outdoor | The walkway runs inside the bridge girder, so it is roofed, but the sea air comes through and it is 45 meters above the water. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | uzunomichi.jp |
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Yes | Children under six get in free. The observation room at the far end has glass panels in the floor, looking straight down at the strait 45 meters below. It is a 450-meter walk each way, and strollers are lent free. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | uzunomichi.jp |
| Stroller access notesExtra info — guide only | Yes | About 5 minutes by car from the Naruto-kita interchange, or 45 minutes from the Awaji service area. There is no parking lot of its own — use the paid Naruto Park parking lot. Set the car navigation to 'Eddy' rather than 'Uzu no Michi', which can send you somewhere else. No highway buses stop at Naruto Park: take a local bus 20 minutes from Naruto Koen to Konaruto-bashi, then the Kosoku Naruto stop on the expressway. Coin lockers are free until closing time. Pets may come in a cage or carried; guide and assistance dogs need neither. | Web-checked | checked Aug ’26 | uzunomichi.jp |
| Family restroom | Not checked yet | ||||
| Diaper disposal bin | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Not checked yet |