From Matsuyama Airport to Ainan: the closed Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall and the Sotodomari stone walls village

The Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall has been closed since September 1, 2026; the new hall is planned for around autumn 2027

You cannot enter the Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall in Ainan Town now. The page of Ehime Prefecture’s Urban Development Division (updated March 19, 2026) says the following.

　紫電改展示館のリニューアル（建替え）に伴い、現在の紫電改展示館は令和8年9月から休館することになりますので、お知らせいたします。 　なお、現在、建設中の新展示館は令和9年秋頃のオープンを予定しております。

Translation: “We would like to inform you that, because of the renewal (rebuilding) of the Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall, the current Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall will be closed from September Reiwa 8 (2026). The new exhibition hall now under construction is scheduled to open around autumn Reiwa 9 (2027).”

Source: リニューアル工事に伴う紫電改展示館の休館について - 愛媛県庁公式ホームページ（都市整備課）

The “Ainan Zone” page of Minami Rec (updated September 1, 2026) gives dates.

【休館期間】 令和8年（2026年）9月1日～新展示館オープンまで 【新展示館オープン予定】 令和9年（2027年）秋頃

Translation: “[Closure period] From September 1, Reiwa 8 (2026) until the new exhibition hall opens. [Planned opening of the new exhibition hall] Around autumn Reiwa 9 (2027).”

Source: 紫電改（しでんかい）展示館 - あいなんゾーン - 南レクへようこそ！

The same page says the new exhibition hall will “continue to preserve and exhibit the only surviving Shiden-kai in Japan”. The pages we checked do not say where the aircraft can be seen during construction.

Baseyama Park itself also has restrictions. The notice of the Ainan Tourist Association is as follows.

※工事期間中は、県道横駐車場を除き馬瀬山公園の利用ができません。

Translation: “Note: during the construction period, Baseyama Park cannot be used except for the parking lot beside the prefectural road.”

Source: 紫電改展示館の休館についてお知らせします！ | 愛南町観光協会 公式ホームページ

The page of Minami Rec’s children’s zoo says it has been closed since October 1, 2025.

※令和7年10月1日から紫電改展示館建て替え工事に伴い、安全確保のために工事完了までの間休園と致します。

Translation: “Note: from October 1, Reiwa 7 (2025), because of the rebuilding of the Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall, the zoo will be closed until the work is finished to ensure safety.”

Source: こども動物園 - あいなんゾーン - 南レクへようこそ！

The page of the Uwakai Observation Tower (updated October 21, 2019) still carries the notice “Operation will be suspended from Tuesday, July 9, 2019” (「2019年7月9日（火）より運行を休止いたします。」). We could not find a newer notice to confirm whether the tower is still stopped.

Iyokan-net’s page still carries the pre-closure information: opening hours 9:00-17:00, closed at year-end and New Year (December 29 to January 1), free admission, and parking “about 60 regular cars / 2 large vehicles / 3 disabled-access spaces” (free). This information cannot be used now during the closure, and the pages we checked do not give the opening hours, closing days, fees or parking of the new exhibition hall.

If your purpose is to see the aircraft, what the pages we checked guide to is the opening of the new exhibition hall (planned around autumn 2027). This article focuses on the roads you can drive even during the closure, and the Sotodomari stone walls village along the same Prefectural Road 34.

Ainan Town’s guide: about 1 hour 20 minutes from Matsuyama IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC, then about 35 minutes

We did not find an official page that gives the time from Matsuyama Airport to Ainan Town as one number. Ainan Town’s “Transportation access to Ainan Town” guides cars from the Matsuyama City and Uwajima City direction as follows.

松山自動車道→津島岩松ICを降りる→国道56号を愛南町方面へ 松山ICから津島岩松ICまでの所要時間…約1時間20分 津島岩松ICから愛南町への所要時間…約35分

Translation: “Matsuyama Expressway, leave at Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC, National Route 56 toward Ainan Town. Time from Matsuyama IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC: about 1 hour 20 minutes. Time from Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC to Ainan Town: about 35 minutes.”

Source: 愛南町公式ホームページ／ 愛南町の交通アクセス

The original text does not say where in “Ainan Town” it means. The starting point is Matsuyama IC, not Matsuyama Airport. Ehime Prefecture’s tourism site writes the time from the airport to Yogominami IC separately.

マイカーをご利用の場合 松山空港～宇和島駅（約1時間30分） 松山空港 県道22号線・190号線約15分 余戸南IC 松山外環状道路、松山自動車道約1時間10分 宇和島朝日IC 県道268号線、国道320号線約5分 宇和島駅

Translation: “If you use your own car. Matsuyama Airport to Uwajima Station (about 1 hour 30 minutes). Matsuyama Airport / Prefectural Roads 22 and 190, about 15 minutes / Yogominami IC / Matsuyama Outer Ring Road and Matsuyama Expressway, about 1 hour 10 minutes / Uwajima-Asahi IC / Prefectural Road 268 and National Route 320, about 5 minutes / Uwajima Station”

Source: 松山空港から宇和島駅へ｜アクセス（愛媛県内の移動）｜愛媛県の公式観光サイト【いよ観ネット】

Section (direction from Matsuyama toward the south)	Number written	Who writes it
Matsuyama Airport to Yogominami IC	About 15 minutes	Ehime Prefecture (Iyokan-net)
Yogominami IC to Uwajima-Asahi IC	About 1 hour 10 minutes	Ehime Prefecture (Iyokan-net)
Matsuyama IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC	About 1 hour 20 minutes	Ainan Town
Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC to Ainan Town	About 35 minutes	Ainan Town
Matsuyama IC to Uwajima-Asahi IC	83.5 km	Uwajima City (Uwajima Castle guide)
Uwajima-Asahi IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC	Length 15.3 km	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (night closure notice)

Calculation: Matsuyama IC to Ainan Town is about 1 hour 55 minutes. It is the sum of Ainan Town’s two numbers (about 1 hour 20 minutes and about 35 minutes). It does not include the time from the airport to Matsuyama IC or the time for rests.

Uwajima City’s “Uwajima Castle - Various guides” has the following sentence.

　自家用車でお越しの方:宇和島朝日ICから約1キロ（約4分）※松山ICから宇和島朝日IC間は83.5キロ

Translation: “If you come by private car: about 1 km (about 4 minutes) from Uwajima-Asahi IC. Note: Matsuyama IC to Uwajima-Asahi IC is 83.5 km.”

Source: 宇和島城－各種案内－ - 宇和島市ホームページ　｜　四国・愛媛　伊達十万石の城下町

The expressway section from Yogominami IC through Matsuyama IC, Uchiko PA and Ozu IC to Uwajima-Asahi IC is written in detail in the article on the way to Uwajima Castle. This article focuses on the part beyond Uwajima-Asahi IC.

Beyond Uwajima-Asahi IC, the Uwajima Road to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC, and after that National Route 56

The order of interchanges that we checked in OpenStreetMap (map data) is Uwajima-Asahi IC, Uwajima-Sakashitatsu IC, Uwajima-Betto IC, Uwajima-minami IC, Tsushima-Takada IC and Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC. Map data is not an official road register. What we could confirm is the position where an interchange of that name is recorded and the order in which they line up.

Ehime Prefecture’s page “High-standard trunk roads” (高規格幹線道路) describes the opening of the Uwajima Road as follows.

1993(H5)年3月に宇和島北IC～宇和島朝日IC間が開通した後、順次、部分開通（暫定2車線）し、2015(H27)年3月の津島高田IC～津島岩松IC間の開通（完成2車線）により、全線開通しています。なお、2012(H24)年3月には、西予宇和IC～宇和島北IC間の開通により、四国横断自動車道と接続しています。

Translation: “After the section between Uwajima-kita IC and Uwajima-Asahi IC opened in March 1993 (Heisei 5), it opened in parts in turn (provisional two lanes), and with the opening of the section between Tsushima-Takada IC and Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC in March 2015 (Heisei 27) (completed two lanes), the whole line is open. In March 2012 (Heisei 24), with the opening of the section between Seiyo-Uwa IC and Uwajima-kita IC, it connected to the Shikoku Odan Expressway.”

Source: 高規格幹線道路（四国8の字ネットワーク・中四国連携ルート） - 愛媛県庁公式ホームページ（道路建設課）

The same page describes the Uwajima Road (17.5 km) as a free motorway. It also says that the National Route 56 Tsushima Road (10.3 km) beyond Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC is being developed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as a free motorway (the page was updated on June 25, 2025).

The Ministry’s Ozu River and National Highway Office page (PDF) gives the state of the work on the Tsushima Road from Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC to Uchiumi IC (tentative name). The “efforts this fiscal year” are survey and design, land acquisition, tunnel work, bridge superstructure work, bridge substructure work and improvement work. The time of opening is not written on the pages we checked.

The way Ainan Town guides is to leave the expressway at Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC and come out onto National Route 56. The prefecture’s page also lists the Sukumo-Uchiumi Road (29.2 km), which connects Sukumo-Wada IC in Kochi Prefecture and Uchiumi IC (tentative name) in Ainan Town, as under construction.

The Tsushima Road page (PDF) has a photo with the heading “National Route 56 (Sunokawa area) wave overtopping”. The photo has no date or weather explanation.

Toll: 1,890 yen from Matsuyama IC to Seiyo-Uwa IC in the Driveplaza search result

In the toll and route search of Driveplaza (NEXCO East Japan), searching from Matsuyama IC to Seiyo-Uwa IC for a regular car at 5:50 on October 13, 2026 gave the following result. This is a search result, not an official toll table.

Section	Distance	Normal toll
Matsuyama Expressway (Matsuyama IC to Ozu IC)	42.0 km	1,300 yen
Ozu Road (free)	6.3 km	Free
Matsuyama Expressway (Ozu-kitamata IC to Seiyo-Uwa IC)	15.7 km	590 yen
Total	64.0 km	1,890 yen (the ETC toll is also 1,890 yen)

We could not confirm the toll for the section from Seiyo-Uwa IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC. Ehime Prefecture’s page says the Uwajima Road is free, but we have not found a page that says whether Seiyo-Uwa IC to Uwajima-kita IC is paid or free. This article treats it as a route that has a paid section. Before you leave, check in NEXCO West Japan’s toll search.

Night closures: Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC until the morning of October 17 (with spare dates), Uwajima-Asahi IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC from the night of October 19

As of October 13, 2026, night closures by different operators have been announced on this route.

NEXCO West Japan’s notice (July 13, 2026) gives the hours as follows.

夜間通行止めは、毎夜19時から翌朝6時まで実施します。

Translation: “The night closure is carried out every night from 19:00 to 6:00 the next morning.”

Source: 四国内の高速道路の対面通行区間において秋季夜間通行止めを実施します | NEXCO 西日本 企業情報

Section (both directions)	Dates	Detour
Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC (42.6 km)	14 nights, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, from the night of Monday, September 28, Reiwa 8 (2026) to the morning of Saturday, October 17. Spare dates: from the night of Monday, October 19 to the morning of Friday, October 23	National Routes 33 and 56
Ozu-minami IC to Seiyo-Uwa IC (16.5 km)	5 nights, from the night of Monday, October 26, Reiwa 8 (2026) to the morning of Saturday, October 31	National Route 56, Prefectural Road 29

The notice of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Ozu River and National Highway Office (October 8, 2026) gives the hours and the detour as follows.

■規制時間：２０：００ ～ 翌朝６：００（夜間のみ）

※迂回路は国道５６号（現道）をご利用ください。

Translation: “Restriction hours: 20:00 to 6:00 the next morning (nights only). Note: please use National Route 56 (existing road) as the detour.”

Source: E56 松山自動車道 夜間全面通行止めのお知らせ（大洲河川国道事務所 令和8年10月8日の記者発表、PDF）

Section	Dates
Uwajima-Asahi IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC	From the night of Monday, October 19, Reiwa 8 (2026) to the morning of Saturday, October 24, and from the night of Monday, October 26 to the morning of Saturday, October 31
Seiyo-Uwa IC to Uwajima-Sakashitatsu IC	From the night of Monday, November 2 to the morning of Tuesday, November 3, and from the night of Wednesday, November 4 to the morning of Saturday, November 7
Seiyo-Uwa IC to Uwajima-kita IC	From the night of Monday, November 9 to the morning of Saturday, November 14, from the night of Monday, November 16 to the morning of Saturday, November 21, and from the night of Tuesday, November 24 to the morning of Saturday, November 28. Spare dates: from the night of Monday, November 30 to the morning of Saturday, December 5
Ozu IC to Ozu-kitamata IC	From the night of Monday, November 30 to the morning of Saturday, December 5, and from the night of Monday, December 7 to the morning of Saturday, December 12. Spare dates: from the night of Monday, December 14 to the morning of Saturday, December 19

The construction-only page of NEXCO West Japan has the following note.

※土曜日・日曜日・祝日に夜間通行止めは行いませんが、金曜日の夜間通行止めの解除が土曜の早朝となります。

Translation: “Note: night closures are not carried out on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, but the Friday night closure is lifted early on Saturday morning.”

Source: 徳島道・徳島南部道・松山道・今治小松道・高知道 維持修繕工事・建設工事のため夜間通行止 | NEXCO 西日本の高速道路・交通情報 渋滞・通行止め情報

The same page also says that if the weather or other causes delay the work, it may move to the spare dates. The Ministry’s contacts are the Ozu River and National Highway Office (0893-24-6526) and the Uwajima National Highway Office branch (0895-22-3419). Both are open 8:30-17:15, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

Uwajima-Asahi IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC is the last 15.3 km of the expressway toward Ainan Town. If you drive during these hours, the detour is National Route 56 (existing road), and the travel time of the detour is not written on the official pages we checked.

Places to rest: Iyonada SA, Uchiko PA, the roadside station at Tsushima-Takada IC, and Misho MIC in Ainan Town

On the outbound lanes of the Matsuyama Expressway, the rest areas listed on official pages are Iyonada SA (outbound) and Uchiko PA (outbound). Details of parking spaces, toilets, shops and construction are collected in Expressway SA/PA in Ehime. Driveplaza’s page for Uchiko PA (outbound) lists Iyonada SA (outbound) in the “previous SA/PA” column, and the “next SA/PA” column is empty. No next facility toward Uwajima is listed.

Beyond that, the places to rest that we could confirm are two roadside stations. The parking spaces and business hours are written differently on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s page and the national Roadside Station Liaison Council’s page.

Roadside Station Tsushima Atsuta Onsen (道の駅 津島熱田温泉) (Takada, Tsushima-cho, Uwajima) is described on the Ministry’s page as follows.

「津島熱田温泉」は、宇和島市の南部の宇和島道路津島高田ＩＣ出口に位置し、また国道56号からも150mの場所にあり、道路利用者の方々が立ち寄りやすくなっています。

Translation: ““Tsushima Atsuta Onsen” is located at the exit of Tsushima-Takada IC on the Uwajima Road in the southern part of Uwajima City, and it is also 150 m from National Route 56, so it is easy for road users to stop by.”

Source: 道の駅情報｜津島熱田温泉

Item	Ministry’s station page	National Roadside Station Liaison Council page
Parking	309 regular cars, 6 large vehicles, 4 disabled-access (available 24 hours)	7 large, 100 regular cars
Local products shop	Summer (May-October) 8:00-18:00, winter (November-April) 8:00-17:00. Open every day	8:00-18:00 (17:00 winter hours)
Hot spring facility	10:00-22:00. Closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month	10:00-22:00
Restaurant	11:00-14:00, 17:00-21:00. Closed on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month	11:00-21:00

The Liaison Council’s page says “April 23, Reiwa 8 (2026) reopened after renovation” (「令和８年４月２３日　リニューアルオープン」).

Roadside Station Misho MIC (道の駅 みしょうMIC) (Hirajo, Misho, Ainan Town) is described on the Ministry’s page as follows.

駐車場：普通車29台／大型車3台／身障者用1台（24時間利用可能）

営業時間 午前7時～午後7時 （駐車場・トイレ・電話は24時間） 休館日 年中無休

Translation: “Parking: 29 regular cars / 3 large vehicles / 1 for people with disabilities (available 24 hours). Business hours: 7:00 to 19:00 (parking lot, toilets and telephone are 24 hours). Closing days: open all year.”

Source: 道の駅情報｜みしょうMIC

The national Roadside Station Liaison Council’s page gives the parking as “Large: 3, regular cars: 20 (including 1 for people with disabilities)” and the business hours as “8:00-17:30”, so the numbers differ from the Ministry’s page. The official site shown on the Council’s page (m-mic.jp) did not open when we tried to get it (404).

For fuel, no place on the expressway or at a roadside station was confirmed officially

Since the route is long, we looked into where to get fuel. We could confirm 4 things.

NEXCO West Japan’s “GS map and gasoline prices” page calls out as follows.

高速道路での燃料切れは重大事故につながります。 余裕をもって早めの給油をお願いします。

Translation: “Running out of fuel on an expressway can lead to a serious accident. Please refuel early, with time to spare.”

Source: GSマップ・ガソリン価格｜NEXCO西日本のSA・PA情報サイト

• The GS map (PDF; information as of September 7, Reiwa 8 (2026)) on the same page says that on the Matsuyama Expressway it is 98 km from Iyo-Komatsu JCT to Seiyo-Uwa IC and 2 km from Iyo-Komatsu JCT to Ishizuchisan SA. The gas station mark on the diagram is at Ishizuchisan SA, and none is seen between Iyo-Komatsu JCT and Seiyo-Uwa IC. In the diagram, Ishizuchisan SA is east of Matsuyama IC. The margin of the diagram says that SAs and PAs without a gas station are omitted and that “distances are a guide”.
• In the “fuel and charging” column of the Iyonada SA (outbound) page, only an EV quick charger (open 24 hours) is listed.
• The Shikoku Regional Development Bureau’s “Search for attached facilities” page says the following about gas stations at roadside stations.

現在四国には、ガソリンスタンドがある道の駅はありません。

Translation: “Currently, there are no roadside stations in Shikoku that have a gas station.”

Source: 付帯施設の検索

We could not confirm on official pages the gas stations on National Route 56 beyond Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC, or around Misho, Johen and Sotodomari. It is safest to make your fuel plan before you get on the expressway. The refueling rules for rental cars are written in Before returning a rental car at Matsuyama Airport.

Beyond Misho MIC, go west on Prefectural Road 34 to Baseyama Park and Sotodomari

The route from here is not written on official pages. We write what we confirmed in OpenStreetMap (map data).

In map data, Prefectural Road 34 (Hirajo-Komomisaki Line) continues west from just west of Roadside Station Misho MIC. This road passes near Baseyama Park, where the Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall is, and further west passes very close to the Sotodomari stone walls village (about 50 m by the position in map data), and extends toward Cape Komo (高茂岬). The points in this article follow the order along this Prefectural Road 34: Misho MIC, Baseyama Park, Sotodomari.

The places to turn at intersections, the entrance of the parking lot beside the prefectural road at Baseyama Park, and the entrance of the Sotodomari parking lot are not confirmed on official pages.

Sotodomari stone walls village: parking for 30 cars, free; narrow roads in the settlement; Dandan-kan has closed

Ainan Town’s official page introduces Sotodomari as follows.

入江に面した急斜面には民家が山の中腹まで続き、それぞれの民家は、台風や季節風から家や暮らしを守るため、軒に達するほどの石垣が整然と積み上げられています。

Translation: “On the steep slope facing the inlet, houses continue up to the middle of the mountain, and each house has stone walls neatly piled up to the height of the eaves, to protect the house and life from typhoons and seasonal winds.”

Source: 愛南町公式ホームページ／ 外泊（そとどまり）「石垣の里」

What concerns people in cars is on the Sotodomari Stone Walls Village page of the prefecture’s tourism site, Iyokan-net. Parking is “available, 30 spaces”, and the parking fee is “free”. About the roads in the settlement, there is this sentence in a photo caption.

集落の中の道は、石垣の間を縫うように狭い道が続いている。

Translation: “The roads in the settlement are narrow roads that continue, weaving between the stone walls.”

Source: 石垣の里 外泊｜愛媛のスポット・体験｜愛媛県の公式観光サイト【いよ観ネット】

Whether cars can enter the settlement, the distance from the parking lot to the settlement, and official requests about the residents’ lives are not written on the pages we checked.

About rest and meals, the page of the Ainan Tourist Association says the following.

石垣の里の上にある「だんだん館」では休憩やお食事をすることができます。※令和６年3月31日をもって閉館いたしました。

Translation: “At “Dandan-kan” above the stone walls village you can rest and have meals. Note: it closed on March 31, Reiwa 6 (2024).”

Source: 石垣の里｜愛南町観光協会 公式ホームページ

Even if an old guide says “you can rest at Dandan-kan”, it closed on March 31, 2024. We could not confirm on official pages where the toilets in Sotodomari are.

Prefectural Road 34, which goes from Sotodomari toward Cape Komo, has a rain restriction. In the table of abnormal weather traffic regulation sections among Ehime Prefecture’s advance traffic regulation sections, 8.0 km of Prefectural Road 34 (route name Hirajo-Komomisaki Line) from “Sotodomari, Ainan Town, Minamiuwa District” to “Komomisaki, Ainan Town, Minamiuwa District” is listed, with standards of hourly rainfall 40 and continuous rainfall 200 (the table gives no units). For checking on rainy days, see the article on traffic regulations in heavy rain and typhoons.

What comes next for this article

The positions of the points and the order of interchanges are checked with OpenStreetMap. The point numbers will match the chapter numbers of the driving video. This article is written only from official pages and map data, and we have not driven it yet. After driving it, we will add how to get onto National Route 56 from the Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC exit, the entrance onto Prefectural Road 34 from Misho MIC, the parking lot beside the prefectural road at Baseyama Park, and the road to the Sotodomari parking lot.

These are the things we could not confirm on official pages.

• A single driving time from Matsuyama Airport to Ainan Town
• The toll from Seiyo-Uwa IC to Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC
• When the Tsushima Road (Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC to Uchiumi IC (tentative name)) will open
• The route and places to turn on National Route 56 and Prefectural Road 34 from Tsushima-Iwamatsu IC to Sotodomari
• The locations and business hours of gas stations along National Route 56
• The opening hours, closing days, fees and parking of the new Shiden-kai Exhibition Hall
• Where the aircraft can be seen during construction, and whether the Uwakai Observation Tower is still stopped
• The entrance of the Sotodomari parking lot, where the toilets are, and whether cars can enter the settlement
• Which is correct for Roadside Station Misho MIC and Tsushima Atsuta Onsen: the parking spaces and business hours of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism or those of the Liaison Council (they differ)