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Hyogo Prefecture’s Maiko Park

HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Hyogo Prefecture’s Maiko Park

Get a close-up view of a suspension bridge over the Seto Inland Sea that ranks among the world’s longest from this seaside park

HYOGO TOURISM BUREAU

Established in 1900, Maiko Park is Japan’s oldest prefectural urban park. This 7.8-hectare park, about 20 kilometers west of Kobe, was once Maiko Beach. It’s long been a highly scenic spot with a white sandy seashore dotted with pine trees offering a picturesque view across to Awaji Island. Since 1998, the park has also been a prime vantage point for a close-up view of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, one of the world’s longest suspension bridges.

Standing in the park is the rock sculpture Dream Lens by the sculptor Ushio Keizo. Created to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the bridge, this donut-like monument is a Mobius strip composed of three different rock surfaces that are said to represent people, nature, and science, as well as Honshu, Awaji, and Shikoku—the three islands the bridge connects.

There are plenty of other things to do and see in the park. The Maiko Marine Promenade is a glass-enclosed walkway that hangs beneath the bridge about 47 meters above the sea. You can also visit three historical buildings: the Former Residence of Muto Sanji (also known as the Kanebo Maiko Club), dating from 1907; the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (also known as the Ijokaku), a three-story octagonal building dating from 1915 housing an exhibition on the Chinese revolutionary leader who once visited the park; and the Former Residence of the Kinoshita Family, an elegant Japanese-style home and garden dating from 1941.