Take the Marine Liner Across the Great Seto Bridge to Takamatsu, a Scenic Spot in Shikoku Along The Golden Route to West Japan

The Golden Route to West Japan, connecting scenic sights from Osaka to Kyushu, is gaining momentum.
The route between Tokyo, Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, and Osaka has traditionally been known as the golden route for tourists in Japan. But further west beyond Osaka lies a multitude of Japanese experiences, including World Heritage sites, food culture, and hot springs.
The region will also host the Osaka-Kansai Expo and The Setouchi Triennale in 2025.

If you’re visiting Takamatsu from the Sanyo Shinkansen, the key transit line along the Golden Route to West Japan, the Marine Liner, which connects Okayama Station on the main island with Takamatsu Station, Shikoku, is a great choice.
It is more than just a convenient transit option. Let's explore what the Marine Liner has to offer.

From Okayama to Takamatsu - The Charm of Marine Liner on the Seto-Ohashi Line

A highlight of riding the Marine Liner is crossing the Great Seto Bridge over the Seto Inland Sea.

This bridge, which opened in April 1988, is 12.3 km in length. Made up of six bridges, the entire structure holds the world record for the longest combined railway-road bridge in the world. The bridge is comprised of two levels, with cars on the upper level and trains down below.

Riding the Marine Liner

After arriving at Okayama Station by Sanyo Shinkansen, head for the Local Train Transfer gate.

Let's head to the Seto-Ohashi Line platform.

The Marine Liner Train

The first car on the Marine Liner in the direction of Takamatsu is a double-decker car. This car was awarded the Blue Ribbon and the Good Design Award in 2004 by the Japan Railfan Club.

The train is decorated with two cheatline color patterns: deep navy, representing the Seto Inland Sea, and sunset crimson.

Popular Panorama Seats - Only Four Available

For this trip, we'll experience one of only four panorama seats with front-row views of the Great Seto Bridge.

Unreserved seating on the Marine Liner requires only a standard ticket, but the panorama seats also require a Green Car reservation.

Sitting in these special seats behind the conductor offers views both in front and beside you.

Another great feature is that the seats on the left, behind the conductor, are positioned slightly higher than those on the right.

After passing the cityscape of Okayama and rice fields, we arrive at the final station on the Okayama side: Kojima Station.

Enjoying the Great Seto Bridge for About 10 Minutes

We've finally reached the bridge.

We can now see the dynamic bridge structure ahead.

Scenes of the Seto Inland Sea and its islands unfold outside the windows on both sides. It takes about 10 minutes to cross the bridge. Don't miss the scenery, as it will quickly pass by.

The white lighthouse off to the left is the Nabeshima Light House, an Important Cultural Property of Japan. This is right at the midpoint of the bridge.

Once you can see the Ban-no-su Rinkai Industrial Park in Kagawa Prefecture, you're almost to the end of the bridge.

As you exit the bridge, you can catch a glimpse of a sign welcoming you to Shikoku on the righthand side of the viaduct.

The Last Section Between Sakaide and Takamatsu Stations

We've arrived at Sakaide Station.

From here, we press on as we admire Kagawa's unique cone-shaped mountains and picturesque rice fields.

Between Kokubu Station and Kinashi Station lies Takamatsu’s bonsai production area, where you can spot bonsai nurseries scattered here and there.

After passing Kozai Station, you can see the JR Shikoku Takamatsu rail yard off to your right. You can sometimes spot the popular Sunrise Seto sleeper train waiting here among the other trains.

We've arrived at the last stop, Takamatsu Station.

So, where to next?

60 Winning Tourist Spots to Visit in Takamatsu, Kagawa

Reserved and Unreserved Seating

The upper deck, accessible via the stairs behind the panorama seats, consists of reserved Green Car seating.
You can enjoy comfortable seats and the view from the large windows.

Green Car seats

The lower deck seats are all reserved seating. When crossing the Great Seto Bridge, you can enjoy a unique view, looking down at the sea for a different perspective from the upper deck seats.

Normal reserved seats

There are two wheelchair seats at the back of the lower deck.

Seats in cars 2 and up are unreserved. By changing the direction of the two-person seats, you can also create a four-person box seat.

Unreserved seats

Seto-Ohashi Anpanman Open-air Train

For families, we recommend the Seto-Ohashi Anpanman Open-air Train, where you can enjoy the scenery and feel the refreshing breeze of the Seto Inland Sea from an open-air train car. The train interior features Anpanman and his friends.