ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Akashi Kaikyō Bridge

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen a really, really long bridge that goes over the water? Well, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan is one of the longest and coolest bridges in the world!

To understand how cool it is, let me break it down for you. The bridge is made up of several big parts called "towers" that hold up the giant cables that keep the bridge from falling down. There are also many smaller parts called "beams" that go across the cables to make the road you drive on.

But what makes this bridge really special is how tall it is. You know how tall buildings have lots of floors? Well, this bridge has the same thing, but for cars! Instead of going up, they go across. The highest point of the bridge is around 280 meters (918 feet) above the water, which is kind of like having a building with 70 floors!

The cool part is that you can drive across the bridge and see the beautiful ocean below you. It's like being on a really high roller coaster, but not scary at all.

Now, building the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge was really hard work. It took many, many years and lots of smart engineers to figure out how to make it strong enough to hold up all the cars and trucks that drive on it. But they did it and now we have this awesome bridge that people can use to get from one place to another.

So, next time you're driving over a bridge, think about how amazing it is that people can make something so cool and useful. Especially the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge!