 There are bridges (like the Eshima Ohashi Bridge) and roads that connect the east and west shores of the lake through the two islands.Nakaumi is a brackish lake because it is connected to the Sea of Japan by a short channel, the Sakai Channel, and lies so low that the tides reverse the flow of the rivers all the way into Lake Shinji.Nakaumi (中海) literally means "middle sea".