From Matsuyama Airport to Minetopia Besshi, exiting the Matsuyama Expressway at Niihama IC

The official travel times start from a different point for each section. Added together, they come to about 70 minutes

We could not find an official page that gives the travel time from the airport to the Hadeba area as one number. These are the official numbers for each section.

Section	Official number	Page with the number
Matsuyama IC to Niihama IC	Total distance about 60 km, travel time about 45 minutes (from the Matsuyama direction)	アクセス（マイントピア別子）
Niihama IC to Hadeba area	Total distance about 6 km, travel time about 12 minutes (same as above)	アクセス（マイントピア別子）
Niihama IC to Hadeba area	About 10 minutes by car	エリアマップ（マイントピア別子）
Matsuyama IC and Matsuyama Airport	About 13 minutes (no direction given)	開通1年後の交通状況（国土交通省）
From Matsuyama Airport IC to Matsuyama IC on the Matsuyama Outer Ring Road	About 15 minutes (a diagram for traveling to Uchiko. The opening of Matsuyama Airport IC has not been confirmed)	アクセス（内子町観光協会）
Car toward Niihama (expressway)	About 1 hour 20 minutes (the ends of the diagram are “Niihama IC” and “Matsuyama Airport”)	空港までのアクセス（松山空港）

Source: アクセス | マイントピア別子、マイントピア別子 エリアマップ（マイントピア別子、PDF）、松山外環状道路空港線（余戸南IC〜東垣生IC）開通1年後の交通状況と整備効果について（国土交通省、PDF）、アクセス | 内子町観光グルメ情報、空港までのアクセス｜交通アクセス｜松山空港

The “Access” page of Minetopia Besshi gives this guide for cars from the Matsuyama direction.

松山ICから最寄り新居浜ICまでの総距離は約60㎞、所要時間は約45分 新居浜ICからマイントピア別子までの総距離は約6㎞、所要時間は約12分

Translation: “The total distance from Matsuyama IC to the nearest Niihama IC is about 60 km, and the travel time is about 45 minutes. The total distance from Niihama IC to Minetopia Besshi is about 6 km, and the travel time is about 12 minutes.”

Source: アクセス | マイントピア別子

A document of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism describes the effect of the Outer Ring Road as follows.

○松山ICと松山空港の所要時間は半減（約２８分→約１３分）し、 走行性も向上（40km/h以上の車両割合：約１５％→約６０％）。（P2）

Translation: “The travel time between Matsuyama IC and Matsuyama Airport was halved (about 28 minutes to about 13 minutes), and driving also improved (share of vehicles at 40 km/h or more: about 15% to about 60%). (P2)”

Source: 松山外環状道路空港線（余戸南IC〜東垣生IC）開通1年後の交通状況と整備効果について（国土交通省、PDF）

Adding the airport to Matsuyama IC (about 13 minutes), Matsuyama IC to Niihama IC (about 45 minutes), and Niihama IC to the Hadeba area (about 12 minutes) gives about 70 minutes. This is this site’s own calculation, not an official total. The numbers added together do not have the same direction or starting point.

The airport’s official “about 1 hour 20 minutes” is the number attached to the diagram that connects Niihama IC and the airport. Adding the Ministry’s about 13 minutes and Minetopia Besshi’s about 45 minutes gives about 58 minutes (this site’s calculation), which does not match the airport’s official number. The pages do not give a reason.

Matsuyama Airport to Matsuyama IC is on the Matsuyama Outer Ring Road. Ikado IC to Higashi-Habu IC is fully closed at night

In its “Access to the Airport”, the airport’s official page guides cars for the “Niihama direction” in the Toyo region of Ehime Prefecture as about 1 hour 20 minutes by expressway. The route diagram lists Niihama IC, the expressway, Matsuyama IC, the Matsuyama Outer Ring Road, and Matsuyama Airport in this order. The diagram is for traveling toward the airport, so for leaving the airport, the order is the reverse.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism describes the Airport Line of the Matsuyama Outer Ring Road as follows.

〇国道５６号 松山外環状道路空港線は、愛媛県松山市都市圏内の交通混雑の緩和及び交通安全確保を図るとともに、 松山自動車道松山ＩＣと松山空港等とのアクセス向上を目的とする道路です。

Translation: “The Matsuyama Outer Ring Road Airport Line of National Route 56 is a road whose purpose is to ease traffic congestion and ensure traffic safety within the Matsuyama urban area of Ehime Prefecture, and to improve access between Matsuyama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway and Matsuyama Airport and other places.”

Source: 国道56号松山外環状道路空港線余戸南IC〜東垣生IC 開通式の資料（国土交通省、PDF）

When we looked up the road from the airport to Matsuyama IC in map data (OpenStreetMap), it goes from Prefectural Road 18 to Prefectural Road 22, then continues through the Airport Line of the Matsuyama Outer Ring Road (Higashi-Habu IC, Yogominami IC) and the Inter Line (Ichitsubo IC, Furukawa IC, Ikado IC), in this order. Map data is not an official road register. We have not found an official guide that describes the turns from the airport to the entrance of the Outer Ring Road. We also could not confirm the fee for using the Outer Ring Road on an official page. In the map data, it is recorded as no fee.

The Matsuyama River and National Highway Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced a night full closure of the Outer Ring Road, dated September 28, Reiwa 8 (2026). The section is as follows.

井門IC～東垣生IC（自動車専用道路部）

Translation: “Ikado IC to Higashi-Habu IC (motor-vehicle-only road part)”

Source: 松山外環状道路インター線及び空港線の夜間全面通行止めのお知らせ（松山河川国道事務所、PDF）(In the original, spaces are placed between the characters. The quote is only the part for the section.)

Higashi-Habu IC, Yogominami IC, Ichitsubo IC, Furukawa IC, and Ikado IC, which you pass on the route above, are all in this section. The schedule is as follows.

Date	Hours
October 13 (Tuesday) to 16 (Friday)	Every night, 21:00 to 6:00 the next morning
October 19 (Monday) to 22 (Thursday)	Every night, 21:00 to 6:00 the next morning
Reserve day: October 23 (Friday)	21:00 to 6:00 the next morning

The announcement also says the following.

※作業終了次第、規制は解除します。

Translation: “The restriction will be lifted as soon as the work is finished.”

松山外環状道路側道部をご利用ください。

Translation: “Please use the side road part of the Matsuyama Outer Ring Road.”

Source: 松山外環状道路インター線及び空港線の夜間全面通行止めのお知らせ（松山河川国道事務所、PDF）(The second quote is part of the detour column.)

We have not read the detour diagram (Attachment 2). The entrance to the side road and the way to reach it have not been confirmed.

On the Matsuyama Expressway, drive inbound (toward Kawanoe). Places to rest are Sakurasanri Parking Area and Ishizuchi-san Service Area

After you enter the Matsuyama Expressway at Matsuyama IC, you head east to Niihama IC. By the positions in the map data, they are in this order: Matsuyama IC, Toon Smart IC, Kawauchi IC, Sakurasanri Parking Area, Iyo-Komatsu JCT and IC, Ishizuchi-san Service Area, Iyo-Saijo IC, and Niihama IC. These are the distances on the Service Area and Parking Area pages of Driveplaza (NEXCO East Japan).

Section	Distance	Page with the number
Kawauchi IC to Sakurasanri Parking Area (inbound)	4 km	桜三里PA(上)
Sakurasanri Parking Area (inbound) to Iyo-Komatsu JCT	17.4 km	桜三里PA(上)
Iyo-Komatsu to Ishizuchi-san Service Area (inbound)	1.8 km	石鎚山SA(上)
Ishizuchi-san Service Area (inbound) to Iyo-Saijo	13.6 km	石鎚山SA(上)

Source: 桜三里PA(上)・松山自動車道 | ドラぷら(NEXCO東日本)、石鎚山SA(上)・松山自動車道 | ドラぷら(NEXCO東日本)

Adding Kawauchi IC to Iyo-Saijo IC gives about 36.8 km. Driveplaza does not write this total. From Sakurasanri Parking Area to Ishizuchi-san Service Area, both pages give about 19.2 km, which matches the total of 17.4 km and 1.8 km. We have not confirmed the distance from Iyo-Saijo IC to Niihama IC.

These are the two inbound facilities listed on the NEXCO West Japan Service Area and Parking Area information site.

Item	Sakurasanri Parking Area (inbound)	Ishizuchi-san Service Area (inbound)
Direction	Toward Kawanoe	Toward Takamatsu, Kochi, and Tokushima
Parking	Large 7, small 16, shared 0	Large 20, small 88, shared 0
Toilets	Men: 2 stalls and 4 urinals; women: 6	Men: 3 stalls and 8 urinals; women: 17
Shops and food	Vending machines only	Snack corner, food court, and shopping corner (both 24 hours)
Fuel and EV charging	Not written	Gas station (Taiyo Oil, 7:00 to 22:00, self-service), EV quick charging 24 hours (1 port inside the Highway Oasis)

Source: 桜三里パーキングエリア（上り）（サービス・営業時間・配置MAP）｜NEXCO西日本のSA・PA情報サイトt、石鎚山サービスエリア（上り）（サービス・営業時間・配置MAP）｜NEXCO西日本のSA・PA情報サイトt

For small vehicles at the Ishizuchi-san Service Area inbound, Driveplaza gives 76 spaces, and this differs from NEXCO West Japan’s 88. No reason is given. On the pages of the two facilities, we could not find a note about construction or closures as of October 13, 2026. The full table of Service Areas and Parking Areas is in Service Areas and Parking Areas in Ehime.

Night closures from Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC continue until the morning of October 17. The side heading east is not written

NEXCO West Japan’s announcement lists night closures on expressways in Shikoku. It writes 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: “Night closures will be 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

Two rows relate to the Matsuyama Expressway.

Section	Schedule	Detour
Niihama IC, both directions, exit	Night of September 7 to morning of the 10th. Reserve nights: night of September 10 to morning of the 12th	National Route 11, Prefectural Road 47
Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC, both directions (42.6 km)	14 nights from the night of September 28 to the morning of October 17, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Reserve nights: night of October 19 to morning of the 23rd	National Routes 33 and 56

About the night closure of the Niihama IC exit, NEXCO West Japan’s construction status page writes, as of October 13, 2026, “The work has ended safely. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”

The section from Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC runs from Matsuyama IC to the southwest, to Ozu-kita IC. The eastern section toward Niihama is not part of this announcement. The announcement does not say whether the Matsuyama IC entrance can be used on the nights of this closure. There is no night closure on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. The work may be moved to the reserve days because of weather and other reasons. Before you leave, check NEXCO West Japan’s traffic information.

Niihama IC is an ETC-only toll gate. If you enter by mistake, go to the support lane

The “Access” page of Minetopia Besshi has the following note.

※新居浜ICは2025年2月27日よりETC専用料金所です。

Translation: “Niihama IC has been an ETC-only toll gate since February 27, 2025.”

Source: アクセス | マイントピア別子

The list of ETC-only toll gates of NEXCO West Japan (as of September 1, 2026) also shows Niihama on the Matsuyama Expressway from February 27, Reiwa 7 (2025). NEXCO West Japan explains ETC-only toll gates as follows.

ETC車載器を搭載し有効なETCカードが挿入された車両（ETC車）がご利用できる料金所です。

Translation: “This is a toll gate that can be used by vehicles (ETC vehicles) equipped with an ETC on-board unit and with a valid ETC card inserted.”

Source: ETC専用料金所のご案内 | NEXCO 西日本の高速道路・交通情報 渋滞・通行止め情報

The same page has the following guide for when you enter without being able to use ETC.

ETCが使えない状態（ETC車載器未設置、ETCカード未挿入等）で誤ってETC専用料金所をご利用された場合は後退せずに、「ETC/サポート」又は「サポート」と表示されたレーンにお進みいただき、一旦停止してインターホン等による係員の指示に従ってください。

Translation: “If you enter an ETC-only toll gate by mistake while ETC cannot be used (no ETC on-board unit, no ETC card inserted, and so on), do not back up. Go on to the lane marked ‘ETC/Support’ or ‘Support’, stop once, and follow the instructions of the staff through the intercom or similar.”

Source: ETC専用料金所のご案内 | NEXCO 西日本の高速道路・交通情報 渋滞・通行止め情報

We have not confirmed the toll from Matsuyama IC to Niihama IC. Before you leave, check it with NEXCO West Japan’s toll search.

From Niihama IC to the Hadeba area, the official numbers are about 6 km and about 12 minutes. In the map data, it is a municipal road and Prefectural Road 47

The “Access” page of Minetopia Besshi writes the distance from Niihama IC to the Hadeba area as about 6 km and the travel time as about 12 minutes. The area map (PDF) says “about 10 minutes by car from Niihama IC”, so about 12 minutes and about 10 minutes differ. Both are numbers from Niihama IC.

We have not found an official text that describes the way. When we looked up the route from Niihama IC to the Hadeba parking in the map data, beyond the IC toll gate it is Municipal Road Sumino-Funaki Line, and after it meets Prefectural Road 47, Niihama-Besshiyama Line, you go south on Prefectural Road 47 and split off to Hadeba-ohashi Bridge. It is about 5.8 km from the toll gate, which is close to the official about 6 km. Because this is the result of a route search, we do not write it as official guidance. We have not confirmed the road width or the wording on the guide signs.

In From Niihama-higashi Port to Minetopia Besshi, which describes the road from the port, Prefectural Road 47 runs south from the National Route 11 side. The road from the Niihama IC side in this article joins Prefectural Road 47 partway along. From the point where it joins Prefectural Road 47 (the intersection with Municipal Road Sumino-Funaki Line), the road is the same.

October 17 is a full-day closure. Traffic restrictions from 11:30 to 17:00 are planned on roads near the IC

This is the original text of Minetopia Besshi’s notice, “[Important] Notice of temporary closure of the whole facility on Saturday, October 17” (posted September 18, 2026).

地方祭により、下記の日程で臨時休業いたします。 ■休業日 2026年10月17日（土） ■対象施設 マイントピア別子 端出場エリア全域 マイントピア別子 東平エリア 東平歴史資料館 10月17日（土）は終日休業となります。 なお、上記日程以外は通常通り営業いたします。

Translation: “Because of the local festival, we will be temporarily closed on the dates below. Closure date: Saturday, October 17, 2026. Facilities concerned: the whole Hadeba area of Minetopia Besshi, and the Tonaru Historical Museum in the Tonaru area of Minetopia Besshi. We will be closed all day on Saturday, October 17. On dates other than those above, we will be open as usual.”

Source: 【重要】10月17日(土)全館臨時休業のお知らせ | マイントピア別子

Niihama City’s “Niihama Taiko Festival” page (updated September 29, 2026) carries the operation schedule pamphlet “4Days”. From the words on the cover, the festival is held from Thursday, October 15, to Sunday, October 18, 2026. On the October 17 guide map, the entry for the Yamane Ground Unified Gathering (山根グラウンドの統一寄せ, event 20) says “2.2 km from Niihama IC (about 3 minutes)”.

On the map, a red line runs west along the road north of Yamane Park from the road on the north side of Niihama IC, and a balloon says “Traffic restriction planned 11:30 to 17:00”. It also has a note, “May change depending on how the taiko floats are running.” In the map data, Municipal Road Sumino-Funaki Line passes just north of Yamane Park. West of the park, a short red line is also drawn to the south, along the road marked with an arrow “Minetopia Besshi”. It looks like the same road as the red line, but the guide map has no road names, and we have not confirmed that it is the same road.

We have not confirmed whether the road from Niihama IC overlaps the restriction on October 17. On this day, Minetopia Besshi is closed, and the Hadeba area is also closed. The restrictions on the guide maps for October 15, 16, and 18 are in other places. The details are in a table in Days and places where autumn festivals close roads in Ehime (2026). If you are driving during the festival, check the current restrictions with the Niihama City Tourism and Products Division (0897-65-1261) or the “4Days” pamphlet on the city’s “Niihama Taiko Festival” page.

Parking in the Hadeba area is free. The mine tour starts at 9:00

The Hadeba area is where the main building of the roadside station is, at 707-3 Tachikawa-cho, Niihama, Ehime. The official “Facility List” writes the parking as follows.

駐車場[一般350台・バス８台・身障者用6台]

Translation: “Parking [general 350, bus 8, for people with disabilities 6]”

Source: 施設・設備一覧 | 端出場エリア(道の駅マイントピア別子) | マイントピア別子

The “FAQ” has answers about parking and admission.

無料駐車場をご利用いただけます。普通車・大型バスともに駐車可能です。 マイントピア別子への入園は無料です。ただし、観光坑道や東平観光、砂金採り体験、別子温泉など一部施設・体験は有料です。

Translation: “You can use the free parking. Both regular cars and large buses can park. Admission to Minetopia Besshi is free. However, some facilities and experiences, such as the sightseeing mine tunnel, the Tonaru tour, the gold panning experience, and Besshi Onsen, are paid.”

Source: よくある質問 | マイントピア別子

The hours are shown in an image on the Hours and Calendar page (March 20, 2026, to the end of November 2026).

Facility	Opens	Closes
Mine tour	9:00	17:00 (last entry 15:50)
Besshi Onsen, Tenku-no-Yu	10:00	22:00 (last entry 21:00)

The rules of Municipal Road Kawamata-Tonaru Line to the Tonaru area, the limits on vehicle size, the winter closure, and the sightseeing bus tours to Tonaru are described in From Niihama-higashi Port to Minetopia Besshi.

What comes next for this article

The latitude and longitude of each point and the road names and route numbers have been checked with OpenStreetMap information. The point numbers will be the same as the chapter numbers of the driving video. This article is written only from official pages and map data, and we have not driven the route yet. After we drive it, we will add the turns from the airport onto the Outer Ring Road, the guide signs at Matsuyama IC, the Niihama IC toll gate, and the condition of Sumino-Funaki Line.

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

• The tolls for Matsuyama IC to Niihama IC and for the Outer Ring Road
• Written directions and guide signs from the airport to the entrance of the Outer Ring Road
• The way from the Outer Ring Road onto the inbound Matsuyama Expressway
• The distance from Iyo-Saijo IC to Niihama IC
• Whether the Matsuyama IC entrance can be used on the nights of the Matsuyama IC to Ozu-kita IC night closure
• The guide signs from the Niihama IC exit, and the road width of Municipal Road Sumino-Funaki Line
• Whether the red line on October 17 is the same road as Municipal Road Sumino-Funaki Line
• The reason for the difference between the airport’s official about 1 hour 20 minutes and the about 70 minutes from adding the section numbers