The Eshima Ohashi Bridge Ramp

[media=https://youtu.be/ox6GrsnGLNo]
In the photo and 15-second video posted above, the ramp to the Eshima Ohashi Bridge in Japan looks like it’s almost at a 90-degree angle. The incline is so steep that you’d think it would be impossible to drive up or down the ramp, yet people are apparently doing so without difficulty.

But what you’re seeing is an optical illusion and the slope really isn’t as precipitous as it seems. The illusion is due to the angle and distance from which the ramp is photographed or filmed, the use of a telephoto lens, and the height of the bridge.

An article in The Japan News explains this in more detail:
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/features/japan-focus/20210508-62433/

The photo below, taken from the side of the bridge, provides a more realistic view. The incline still looks pretty steep, but certainly less formidable than it appears in the video and first photo…

This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »

Vivaci

Wow! That optical illusion is mind-blowing! 😲

I have this fear of heights and somehow steep roads like these don’t help either. I remember driving uphill in SF towards the city center and there’s this road that leads straight to the old bridge 🌁 and it feels like you’re on a rollercoaster 🎢 lol…there are so many slopes and slants that it’s impossible to see ahead when you’re driving uphill, and parking at that angle is scarier. 😬 I used to be particularly scared if there was slow moving traffic so that meant I couldn’t accelerate and my car could slide backwards…😖😖😖😰

Rutterman · 46-50, M

@Vivaci Indeed it is, Miz.

Parts of Seattle are like that. I try to avoid driving on these super hilly streets as much as possible. It's especially scary when it's raining. 😬 😱

Vivaci

Mummaaaa! 😖 I’m not coming to Seattle..or will only Uber drive in that case!

Haha…now I understand your driving jitters, Pah…yikesy-pikesy! 😳@Rutterman

Rutterman · 46-50, M

@Vivaci Fortunately, I no longer live in Seattle and don't even have to go into work there. My mother still lives in the city, though.

Driving around here is treacherous, even in non-hilly areas outside Seattle, but Seattle is its own special case of traffic horror.

Vivaci

Phew 😮‍💨 For a moment I thought you had moved back there…coz I know you’re not living in the city per se….haha…

It sounds exactly like SF! It’s never ending traffic and expensive parking is a major deterrent for me…Does it have good seafood like SF too? ☺️@Rutterman

Rutterman · 46-50, M

@Vivaci Yes good seafood and grossly inflated housing prices, just like San Francisco. 😅

Vivaci

@Rutterman 😅 How coastal-ly posh!