Shodoshima in One Day by Car: the Ferry, Fresh Somen, Olive Park and the Tide Table

We crossed to Shodoshima on the ferry from Takamatsu and drove around the island in a single day: Tonosho port, fresh somen at the Furusato-mura roadside station, Olive Park, and then Angel Road.

One thing first. Plan the day around Angel Road’s tide table, not the other way round. We missed it by a little.

Takamatsu to Tonosho, with the car on board

From Kagawa we crossed to Shodoshima by ferry from Takamatsu Port. Our destination was Tonosho Port, the island’s western gateway, and we drove our rental car straight onto the boat.

Driving on board

Once the car is parked, you just take the stairs up to the cabin or the deck. That day’s boat had the characters of Teasing Master Takagi-san painted on its walls.

How is this different from the ferry across Tokyo Bay?

I have taken the ferry from Yokosuka across to Chiba a few times. But the view from this ferry was something else.

What makes the difference?

The view from the Yokosuka–Chiba ferry is fairly rural too. Here, though, you see islands of every size covered in green, the occasional beautiful beach, and cliffs as well.

Everything together made a view that cleared my head. I forgot the noise of the city entirely, and felt the kind of excitement I had as a child.

So this is what the Seto Inland Sea is about, I thought.

Before you board

• Route: Takamatsu Port to Tonosho Port (operated by Shodoshima Ferry)
• Crossing time: about 60 minutes. 15 sailings a day in each direction
• Passenger fare (one way): adults ¥700, children ¥350
• Vehicle fare (one way, includes one passenger): under 4 m ¥5,030, under 5 m ¥6,330, under 6 m ¥7,120
• There is also a passenger-only high-speed boat, but if you are taking a car, you need the ferry

Fares and sailings were checked on the Shodoshima Ferry official website in September 2026. They may change, so please check the official timetable and fares before you travel.

Fresh somen at the Furusato-mura roadside station

On our first day on Shodoshima we had fresh somen at the roadside station Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Furusato-mura. Our daughter loved it so much that we came back the next day and had it again.

Fresh somen from Marukatsu Seimenjo

The menu at the entrance read: “Marukatsu Seimenjo, limited quantity each day — fresh somen, ¥880.” These are somen made by a noodle maker on the island, served before they are dried.

It is different from dried somen: chewy, with a little firmness to it, and delicious. Partly because you can only eat it here, I recommend it.

Olive somen, too

We also had the olive somen. The noodles are a clear green, and you can taste the olive in them.

Somewhere to eat it without a reservation

Not many places on Shodoshima serve fresh somen. When we looked, the other shops were almost fully booked. Being able to eat it here without a reservation was a relief. It is well worth the trip.

Before you go

• Address: 2084-1 Muro, Shodoshima-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa (Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Furusato-mura)
• According to Shodoshima Town, the light-meals corner is open 8:30–17:00 (last order 16:00); open every day from March to November, closed Wednesdays from December to February
• According to the town, fresh somen is a spring and summer menu item (in autumn and winter it is replaced by fresh kobiki udon)
• Fresh somen is limited each day, so it may sell out later in the day
• Prices on the day of our visit: fresh somen ¥880, olive somen ¥850

Details are from our visit in September 2026 and the Shodoshima Town official website. Menus and opening hours may change, so please check before you go.

Olive Park, and three of us on brooms

We went to Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Olive Park, a park of olive groves and a white windmill on a hill above the Seto Inland Sea.

Jumping on a broomstick

The park was a filming location for the live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the film set is still here. Perhaps because of that, taking photos of yourself astride a broomstick, as if flying like a witch, seemed to be all the rage. The park lends broomsticks free of charge.

We took ours too, the three of us jumping in front of the white windmill. At times like this, our daughter takes the best pictures.

Green and blue

The vivid green of the olives and the blue of the sky. It was a place where you could take in both, and it felt good to be there.

Buying olive oil

We bought several bottles of olive oil here. Of the Shodoshima-grown oils on the shelves, we chose mostly Toyo Olive.

Before you go

• Address: 1941-1 Nishimura-ko, Shodoshima-cho, Shozu-gun, Kagawa
• Hours: 8:30–17:00 (varies by facility). Open every day (the hot spring is closed on Wednesdays)
• A roadside station surrounded by about 2,000 olive trees, with a Greek windmill on the hill
• The “magic broomsticks” are lent free of charge
• There are cafés, a restaurant and souvenir shops in the park

Details were checked in September 2026 on the Michi-no-Eki Shodoshima Olive Park official website and Shodoshima Town’s information pages. Please check the official site for the latest information.

Angel Road runs on the tide table

We went to Angel Road on Shodoshima, a sandbar path that only appears from the sea at low tide. It is said that if you cross it holding hands with someone dear to you, your wish will come true.

Just a little too late

Whether you can cross depends on the tide — in other words, on whether you can get there at the right time.

We were just a little too late. By the time we reached the beach, the path to the island was already under the sea.

There were plenty of couples and groups of women travellers on the beach, and all of them looked disappointed.

If the timing works out some day, it would be good to come back.

Check the tide table before you go

So that you do not make the same mistake, here is what to check beforehand.

• The sand path appears at low tide, twice a day
• Shodoshima Ferry’s official website has an Angel Road tide table showing the times you can cross each day. For example, on 19 September 2026 the window was 6:59–12:59, and there was no second window that day
• Weather and tidal conditions can mean the times do not match the table exactly
• Getting around the island takes time. Fix your Angel Road time first, then plan the rest of the day around it

Tide information was checked against the tide table on the Shodoshima Ferry official website in September 2026. Always check the latest table for the day you visit.

What a day on the island actually takes

Sixty minutes on the water, noodles that were never dried, a white windmill on a hill, and a sand path we arrived too late for. Moving between places on Shodoshima takes longer than the map suggests. If you have one day, fix the Angel Road window first and fit everything else around it.

From the same trip

• Yamaroku Shoyu on Shodoshima: a wooden-barrel brewhouse
• Three udon shops in Kagawa, compared
• SolaVilla Umi Terrace Minami-Awaji