Guide · 瀬戸内海
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cash: Bring yen. Card readers are the exception on smaller boats and at island shops. There's often one ATM per island — sometimes zero.
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.
Lodging: Minshuku and small guesthouses are the norm. Book ahead — there is rarely walk-up availability, and hosts often prepare meals to order.
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.
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.