Shodoshima Guide: Olive Park, Kankakei Ropeway, Soy Sauce Breweries and How to Get Around by Bus (2026)

Quick answer: Shodoshima is a large island in the Seto Inland Sea, an hour by ferry from Takamatsu. See Olive Park (the white Greek windmill — borrow a free broom for a “flying witch” photo), ride the Kankakei Ropeway over the gorge, visit a soy sauce brewery and the Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village. Get around on the Olive Bus with a 1-day pass (¥1,600; ¥2,000 in November 2026). Note that the high-speed boat from Takamatsu now runs only 8 times a day (since May 2026). One busy day works; two days is more relaxed.

I’ve taken the ferry from Takamatsu to Shodoshima and got around the island on the Olive Bus. I’ve been to Olive Park, ridden the Kankakei Ropeway (and seen the autumn leaves there), visited a soy sauce brewery and the Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village. Here’s how to plan it.

Getting there

• There’s no ferry from Takamatsu to Kusakabe any more (suspended since 2021), so don’t plan around older guides.
• Foot passengers can’t reserve the Takamatsu–Tonosho ferry; just turn up. Car spaces can be booked online.
• Check the last sailing back before you set out.

Getting around: the Olive Bus

I used the Olive Bus. It connects the ports with the main sights.

• 1-day pass: ¥1,600 for adults (¥2,000 in November 2026 only, when the seasonal Kankakei line runs and is included). Buy it on board, at Tonosho Port or on the Jorudan app.
• Single rides: ¥200–500.
• Frequency: the south coast (Tonosho – Kusakabe – Sakate) is the busiest corridor; inland and northern routes run much less often. Check the timetable before each leg.
• Other options: e-bike share (HELLO CYCLING, about 30 stations) and rental cars near Tonosho Port.

What to see

Olive Park

Olive groves on a hillside above the sea, with a white Greek windmill — the island’s most famous photo spot. I’ve been here. You can borrow a broom for free and take a “flying witch” photo in front of the windmill (the park was a location for the live-action Kiki’s Delivery Service).

• Admission: free. Hours: 8:30–17:00, open every day.
• Bus: on the Olive Bus Sakate line.

Kankakei Ropeway

The ropeway glides over a gorge of rock towers, with views over the Inland Sea from the top. I’ve ridden it, and seen the autumn leaves here.

• Fare: ¥2,340 return (adults); ¥2,700 in November (autumn fare). About 5 minutes each way.
• Hours: 8:00–17:00 from 21 October to 30 November (8:30 start most of the year).
• Autumn leaves: usually early to late November. See Autumn Leaves in Setouchi.

Soy sauce breweries

Shodoshima is known for soy sauce, some of it still brewed in big wooden barrels (kioke). I’ve visited a brewery here.

• Marukin Soy Sauce Museum: ¥500 for adults (raised in 2024). 9:00–16:00 (until 16:30 from 16 October to 30 November). Try the soy sauce soft-serve.
• Yamaroku Soy Sauce: a small brewery famous for barrel brewing; free to look round, no booking. Its café serves soy sauce ice cream.

Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village

A film set turned into an open-air museum for the movie Twenty-Four Eyes, with an old-style village street by the sea. I’ve been here.

• Admission: ¥1,000 (21 July – 30 November), ¥850 (1 December – 14 March). 9:00–17:00, open every day.
• A combined ticket adds the Misaki-no-Bunkyojo, the original branch school.

Angel Road (I haven’t been)

A sandbar that appears at low tide, connecting the shore to small islands near Tonosho. The ferry company publishes daily crossing windows for each date — check them before you go.

More

• Nakayama Senmaida: about 800 terraced rice paddies in the hills.
• Somen: Shodoshima has made hand-pulled somen noodles for about 400 years.

A one-day plan by Olive Bus

1. Morning ferry from Takamatsu to Tonosho; buy a 1-day bus pass.
2. Olive Park (broom photo).
3. Soy sauce district — Marukin and the old brewery streets.
4. Kankakei Ropeway — in November on the seasonal bus; otherwise check how to get there.
5. Ferry back from Tonosho.

With two days, add the Movie Village and Angel Road at low tide.

Where to stay

• Tonosho: the main port, most ferries, near Angel Road.
• Uchinomi / Kusakabe: near Olive Park, the soy sauce district and the Movie Village.

See Naoshima and Shodoshima from Takamatsu for combining the two islands.

FAQ

Can I do Shodoshima as a day trip from Takamatsu?
Yes. Take an early ferry and pick three or four sights. Check the last sailing back.

Do I need a car?
No. The Olive Bus 1-day pass covers the main sights, though some routes are infrequent.

Is the Setouchi Triennale on?
Not now. The 2025 edition has ended; the next is in 2028.

Where can I take the flying broom photo?
At Olive Park, in front of the white windmill. Brooms are lent free.

Ferry fares, bus passes and admission checked on the official operator and facility websites on 28 October 2026.

Kaz

Tokushima local with family roots in Hiroshima

I live in Tokushima and my family is from Hiroshima, where I also used to live. I still go back several times a year. The guides here come from places I have actually been. Where I haven't tried something myself, I say so.