Tamano (Japan Okayama)

Tamano is a port city in Japan's Okayama Prefecture (Honshu Island's Chugoku region) with population around 60,000.

Port Tamano (locode JPTAM) is on Sento Inland Sea/Seto Naikai that separates the islands separating Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. The road distance to the Province's capital Okayama City is 19 km (12 mi).

Regular ferries link Tamano-shi with Takamatsu (Shikoku Island) and the islands Shodoshima and Naoshima. Tamano City's economy is based on commercial fishing, shipbuilding and metal refining. The Port houses Tamano Shipyard (one of Japan's largest shipyards) which is owned and operated by Mitsui E&S Group's subsidiary Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co Ltd (1917-founded).

Great Seto Bridge (aka Seto Ohashi) has total length 13,1 km (8,1 mi), making it the world's longest double-deck bridge. Its longest span (Minami Bisan-Seto) is 1100 m (3600 ft). Seto Ohashi Bridge was constructed in 10 years (1978-1988) and combines several double-decker bridges connecting Japan's prefectures Okayama and Kagawa via 5 small islands. This is also the only rail bridge between Honshu (Tamano) and Shikoku (Takamatsu). The railway is served by JR Uno Line and also links to Okayama City.

The city is best-known among domestic tourists for its scenery (a surrounding thick forest) and Kurashiki (the historical downtown) founded as a trading town during the Edo/Tokugawa period (1603-1867).