Rodan's Saikai Bridge - Then & Now

Above, Toho Studios's craftsmen faithfully re-created the Saikai Bridge under the direction of Eiji Tsuburaya.

by Armand Vaquer

(Originally published in G-FAN #80)

During my April 2007 trip to Japan, I made a stop at Sasebo City to pay a visit to the Saikai Bridge near the city that was featured in Rodan (1956). After checking into my hotel room in Sasebo City, I went to the nearby bus depot to take the bus line that terminates at the bridge. The bus depot is across the street from Sasebo's Japan Rail train station.

While my trip to Kyushu's Mt. Aso National Park didn't fare too well due to blizzard conditions, my trek to Saikai Bridge was quite the opposite. The weather was clear and views of the bridge were spectacular.


Above, the Saikai Bridge (the real one) as it appears today.

The Saikai Bridge is a fixed-brace arch bridge 244 meters in length and 1,927 meters tall. The bridge was completed in 1955. Today it has a companion bridge, the Shin-Saikai Bridge, that was completed in 2006.

The first, or Rodan's Saikai Bridge, spans the Hario Seto Straits which is noted for its swift sea current and whirlpools. At the time of its completion, it was the longest arch-type bridge in the world. The scene when the waters of the Ohmura Bay flow out through this narrow strait at ebb tide is very dramatic.



Nearby, the three Hario Wireless Towers, which transmitted the coded message that launched the attack on Pearl Harbor and triggered the Pacific War on December 7, 1941, can still be seen. These towers also could be seen in Rodan with one of the Rodans flying in the distance (above).

Below, the Hario Wireless Towers as they look today.




In Rodan, people were seen fleeing the bridge (above) and running to buses parked nearby. This area is now tree-lined and landscaped (below) and has sidewalk food vendors. There is still a parking lot at this location, but it does not look as it did back in 1956.



A visit to the Saikai Bridge is a must for Rodan fans.