Guide · 瀬戸内海

Island-Hopping the Seto Inland Sea

Beyond Miyajima and Naoshima, the Seto Inland Sea holds hundreds of smaller islands most travelers never reach. Here's how to get to them — and why the trip matters.

Seto Inland Sea · 瀬戸内海

Japan's Inland Sea, Island by Island

瀬戸内海（せとないかい）は本州・四国・九州に囲まれた日本最大の内海で、700以上の島々が点在しています。宮島や直島、小豆島などの観光地が有名ですが、それ以外の多くの島々は小規模な航路を使わなければたどり着けません。現金払いの小さなフェリー、時刻表を頼りに島を巡る旅は、日本のもう一つの顔を見せてくれます。

The Seto Inland Sea (Seto-naikai, 瀬戸内海) is bounded by Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu and dotted with more than 700 islands. The famous ones — Miyajima's floating torii, Naoshima's Benesse art sites, Shōdoshima's olive groves — carry the tourist load. The other 690 don't. Many are inhabited by fewer than 500 people; some by fewer than 50.

The infrastructure to reach them still exists: local ferry lines run out of Yanai, Mihara, Takamatsu, Hiroshima, and Matsuyama, most operating on schedules that assume you can read a Japanese-only timetable and pay in cash. The reward is a view of Japan that predates modern tourism — narrow harbors, stone-walled lanes, terraced citrus groves worked by hand, festival grounds that fill once a year with a shrinking crowd.

Why the Small Islands

Beyond the headline islands, the Seto Inland Sea is a chain of micro-communities kept alive by fishing, citrus farming, and the ferry lines that connect them to the mainland. Population decline is visible everywhere — closed schools, abandoned houses, and ferry routes that run less often than they did a decade ago. For travelers, this means quieter harbors, local hospitality, and landscapes that haven't been reshaped for tourism.

For RSBF, these islands are also where our work begins: small-scale logistics, youth programs, and partnerships with local organizations that are trying to keep island life viable.

Routes · 航路

Ferry Routes Worth Taking

柳井 → 周防大島

Yanai → Suō-Ōshima (Yamaguchi)

The Ōshima Bridge connects Suō-Ōshima to the mainland at Yanai, but the island's smaller satellites — Okikamuro, Ukeshima, Maejima — are only reachable by local ferry from Iemitsu Port. Runs are limited to a few sailings per day and often shrink in winter. This is where RSBF's pilot program is based.

Highlights

  • Oshima Bridge viewpoint
  • Katazoe Beach
  • Hawaii emigration museum
  • Okikamuro fishing village

Access: Car over the bridge from Ōbatake/Yanai; or ferry from Ihota/Yanai ports.

Best for: First-time island visitors, beach days, history

三原・忠海 → 大三島・生口島

Mihara / Tadanoumi → Ōmishima & Ikuchijima (Shimanami sea)

The Shimanami Kaidō cycling route gets the headlines, but stepping off the bridge islands onto smaller ones like Ōsakikamijima and Ikinajima requires the Setoda and Habu ferry lines. Cash-only fares, single-lane roads, and terraced citrus groves that haven't been mechanized in 60 years.

Highlights

  • Shimanami Kaidō cycling
  • Kōsan-ji temple (Ikuchijima)
  • Ōyamazumi-jinja (Ōmishima)
  • Small citrus-farming villages

Access: JR Kōren-kyō or Mihara stations, plus local ferry or rental bike.

Best for: Cyclists, temple culture, citrus scenery

高松 → 男木島・女木島・小豆島

Takamatsu → Ogijima, Megijima, Shōdoshima

Ogijima's population sits under 200 and its narrow stone-walled lanes rise straight from the harbor. Megijima carries the Momotarō 'demon island' legend. Shōdoshima is larger and better-known for its olive groves, but the smaller ports on its northern coast — Fukuda, Sakate — see almost no foreign visitors.

Highlights

  • Ogijima art installations
  • Megijima caves / Momotarō lore
  • Shōdoshima olive groves
  • Angel Road tidal walk

Access: Takamatsu Port ferries; local buses on Shōdoshima.

Best for: Art islands, olive tourism, day trips from Takamatsu

広島 → 江田島・安芸諸島

Hiroshima → Etajima & the Aki Islands

Etajima connects to Kure by bridge, but the Aki-nada archipelago beyond — Kamikamagari, Shimokamagari, Toyoshima — is a slow chain of one-lane roads and bridge-hopping. Ferry access from Hiroshima Port serves the outer islands where population decline is most visible.

Highlights

  • Kamikamagari botanical gardens
  • Shimokamagari historic port
  • Etajima Naval Academy
  • Hiroshima Bay ferry crossings

Access: Hiroshima Port ferry or Kure-area bridge to Etajima, then island roads.

Best for: Hiroshima-based side trips, naval history, quiet coastal roads

松山 → 忽那諸島・中島

Matsuyama → Kutsuna Islands & Nakajima

The Kutsuna group off Ehime's northern coast — Nakajima, Nogutsuna, Muzukishima, Tsuwajishima — is served by the Nakajima Kisen ferry from Takahama. Mikan (mandarin) farming still shapes daily life; abandoned school buildings on the smaller islands mark where kids used to be.

Highlights

  • Nakajima Kisen ferry network
  • Mikan terraces
  • Nakajima's fishing ports
  • Small-island school ruins

Access: Takahama Port (Matsuyama) ferry to Nakajima; local island ferries onward.

Best for: Mikan culture, ferry network exploration, Ehime island life

Practical Notes · 旅のヒント

What to Know Before You Go

時刻表

Timetables

Local ferries change schedules seasonally. Confirm the day-of at the port office; JR schedule apps rarely list the smaller lines. Winter service is thinner across the board.

現金

Cash

Bring yen. Card readers are the exception on smaller boats and at island shops. There's often one ATM per island — sometimes zero.

自転車・車

Bicycles and cars

Most local ferries accept both, but capacity is limited and reservations are recommended for cars on the larger crossings. A folding bike solves most of it.

宿泊

Lodging

Minshuku and small guesthouses are the norm. Book ahead — there is rarely walk-up availability, and hosts often prepare meals to order.

地域への配慮

Respect the community

On the smallest islands, you may be the only outside visitor that day. A greeting in Japanese, quiet behavior near homes, and buying something at the local shop go a long way.

Why This Trip Matters

Every visitor who steps off the bridge islands and onto a smaller one is a data point in a ferry line's survival case. Ridership is what keeps these routes running; running ferries are what keep islands accessible; accessible islands are what let young people consider staying — or coming back.

Rito Saisei Bridge Foundation was built around this same premise. Our pilot program on Suō-Ōshima uses surf and skate culture to give young people a reason to stay connected to their island community. Travel is one piece of the same puzzle.

Explore Suō-Ōshima →Read About the Crisis