空の駅, Railway bridge in Amarube, Japan.
The Sky Station is a railway viaduct that stretches across a deep valley, connecting rail lines through mountainous terrain. It consists of steel structures that span the valley, carrying trains over challenging landscape where conventional tracks would be impossible.
Construction started in the 1910s and finished in 1924, creating the first railway connection between cities across this isolated region. It represented a major engineering effort to link mountainous areas with the wider rail network of Japan.
The bridge serves as a working transport link that people rely on for travel through the mountains, making it part of everyday routines for commuters and travelers. Its presence shaped how communities in this region connect with each other.
You can reach it by taking trains on the Sanin Main Line, which runs regularly through the valley. Early morning or late afternoon hours offer the best light for viewing and photographing the surroundings from the bridge.
The name refers to how train passengers see the sky and surrounding mountains during their journey across it. It is an unusually high viewpoint for a railway crossing, experienced only by those traveling on the trains that pass through.
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