If you are crossing the Seto Ohashi Bridge with kids in the car, the decision is whether to just drive through or stop and let them run on grass under it.
We stopped at Yojima PA, roughly the midpoint of the bridge, and ate breakfast on the lawn there. This covers what that stop actually involves: the picnic spot itself, when the Anpanman train passes, the drone question, and whether it is worth doing with small kids.
Where is Yojima PA and why stop here
Yojima PA sits close to the midpoint of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, the two-tiered crossing that links Honshu and Shikoku over the Seto Inland Sea. The PA has a lawn and an observation deck. We pulled off, spread a sheet on the grass, and ate bakery bread with the bridge structure right above us. The scale of it is different from photos. You are standing under one of its main spans, not looking at it from a distance.
It is a toll road service area, so there is no entrance fee. That is the main reason it works as a stop — you are not paying to get out and look at the bridge, you are just pulling into a PA like any other, and the lawn happens to be there.
INFO ・ Yojima PA
- Location: roughly midpoint of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, reached from the expressway
- Fee: free, it is a toll road service area, not a paid attraction
- Facilities: lawn area, observation deck
When does the Anpanman train pass
JR Shikoku runs Anpanman-liveried trains on the Seto Ohashi Line, which crosses the bridge’s lower deck. We were mid-picnic when someone said one might be coming. A few minutes later it actually passed. Trains run roughly every 15 to 20 minutes, so if you time your stop to last half an hour, there is a good chance you will see one without waiting around for it.
Our three-year-old is deep in an Anpanman phase right now, and the older girls called it out before we even had a chance to point.
The Anpanman train’s here.
INFO ・ Anpanman train
- Line: JR Shikoku, Seto Ohashi Line, runs on the bridge’s lower deck
- Frequency: roughly every 15–20 minutes
- Best approach: plan to stay 20–30 minutes rather than a quick photo stop
Can you fly a drone here
We flew ours. But this is a bridge with rail and expressway traffic directly below and beside it, so it is not a casual decision. If you are bringing a drone, check the aviation rules for the area before you go, not after you arrive. We are not going to state specific restrictions here because they can change and depend on your drone and where exactly you fly from — check before you fly, not us telling you it is fine.
Is this a good stop with small kids
For us this was the find of the day. Grass to sit on, a bridge close enough to feel its size, and hardly anyone else around. No queue, no ticket gate, nothing to manage except a sheet and some bread. That combination is what makes it work with small kids — there is nothing to rush through and nothing breakable nearby. They can run, they can sit, and if a train happens to pass while you’re there, that is the bonus, not the reason to stop.
From here we crossed the rest of the bridge into Okayama and carried on to Kurashiki. If you are already driving this route with kids in the car, Yojima PA is worth the ten minutes it costs you. If you are passing through without kids and without a reason to stretch your legs, the observation deck view alone is not enough to justify pulling off — you will see the bridge just as well from the car.
