One unusual feature of the Hanshin Expressway, a network of elevated roads which links the cities of Kyota, Osaka and Kobe, is the way it was constructed.

The Expressway opened in 1962, and it was specially designed to resist earthquakes. Japanese architecture and engineering was and is very much formed by the need to protect against natural disasters, and the Hanshin Expressway was a notable example of this.

In 1995 Japan suffered the earthquake that became known as the Kobe Earthquake. Measuring almost 7 points on the Richter Scale, it killed well over 5000 people. This disaster caused parts of the Hanshin Expressway to collapse - no structure could resist the force of this earthquake - but rather than falling to pieces it fell over onto its side. This made it easier to repair, and by 1996 the Expressway was restored.

Yuo can get an idea of the damage done to the Expressway by the earthquake if you click here.