From Misaki Port to Sadamisaki Lighthouse, Prefectural Road 256 and the 1.8 km walk

The road to the lighthouse is Prefectural Road 256 (Sadamisaki Misaki Line), not National Route 197

The road from Misaki Port to Sadamisaki Lighthouse is not National Route 197. The Ikata Town official page gives the way to the lighthouse as follows.

松山道大洲ICよりR197、県道経由、 八幡浜・三崎方面へ1時間30分、 徒歩約20分

Translation: “From Ozu IC on the Matsuyama Expressway, via R197 and a prefectural road, 1 hour 30 minutes toward Yawatahama and Misaki, about 20 minutes on foot.”

Source: 三崎地域の観光スポット - 伊方町公式ホームページ

This “1 hour 30 minutes” is the time from Ozu IC on the Matsuyama Expressway, not from Misaki Port. For the driving time from Misaki Port to the lighthouse parking lot, the lighthouse sightseeing course on the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site says “about 25 minutes by car.”

Route numbers were checked in OpenStreetMap. At the tip of the peninsula, three roads have route numbers: National Route 197, Prefectural Road 256 (Sadamisaki Misaki Line), and Prefectural Road 255 (Torii-Kikizu Line). The road that leads to the lighthouse is Prefectural Road 256, and the length of its line shapes in map data joined together was about 15.3 km (an estimate calculated from the line shapes, not an officially announced road length). In map data, National Route 197 also has the nickname “Sadamisaki Melody Line” recorded, and the Ikata Town official page’s explanation of the roadside station writes it as “Melody Line.”

National Route 197 ends its land section at Misaki Port. In OpenStreetMap, a line called “National Route 197 (sea section)” is drawn from the Misaki Port side (33.389179, 132.120603) to the Saganoseki side (33.249340, 131.864504), and the Kokudo-Kyushi Ferry route runs along this line.

At the fork in front of the port, west goes to the lighthouse and east goes toward Yawatahama

In map data, right in front of Misaki Port (33.391386, 132.118201), there is a fork where the two Prefectural Road 256 roads and the road down to the port meet. On the way to the lighthouse, turn west at this fork. From the point about 0.3 km to the east (33.389179, 132.120603), the road is National Route 197, toward Yawatahama.

The “Boarding point and access” page of the Kokudo-Kyushi Ferry has a guide titled “For customers coming by car,” but its content is a single image, and no official page was found that explains in text the steps from the port to the general road. The wording of the guide signs after getting off the ship will be added after driving it and checking.

You can drive as far as the parking lot, and from there you walk to the lighthouse

The “Sadamisaki Lighthouse” page of the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site describes the way to the lighthouse as follows.

灯台までは、駐車場から灯台までおよそ1.8km 樹生林の間を縫うように舗装された遊歩道が続いており、徒歩で約20分程度かかります。途中、長い坂道や階段もあるので運動に適した服装で散策されることをお勧めします。灯台の手前にある椿山展望台からは、九州を背景に灯台を一望することができます。

Translation: “From the parking lot to the lighthouse is about 1.8 km. A paved promenade continues, weaving through the woods, and it takes about 20 minutes on foot. There are long slopes and stairs on the way, so we recommend walking in clothes suitable for exercise. From Tsubakiyama Observatory, before the lighthouse, you can see the whole lighthouse with Kyushu in the background.”

Source: 佐田岬灯台 - 観光・体験 - 佐田岬半島観光案内サイト

The Ikata Town official page’s Sadamisaki Lighthouse entry also says “about 20 minutes on foot.” However, in the Ikata Town official text, “about 20 minutes on foot” follows “1 hour 30 minutes” from Ozu IC, and this page alone does not tell which point the 20-minute walk starts from.

About the parking lot, the Ikata Town official page says the following.

駐車場 あり（無料）40台

Translation: “Parking: Yes (free), 40 spaces.”

Source: 三崎地域の観光スポット - 伊方町公式ホームページ

The parking lot’s own name and its usable hours (opening and closing times, entering and leaving at night) were not found on the Ikata Town official page or the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site. In map data, 764 m of Prefectural Road 256 continuing west from the parking lot is recorded as a road that cars cannot use, and beyond it the line is a footpath. This is a record in map data and has not been confirmed on official pages of Ehime Prefecture or Ikata Town. The toilets and the campground partway along the promenade are also inside this section.

Ehime Prefecture designates 3.0 km of Prefectural Road 256 as a special traffic restriction section

The Ehime Prefecture Road Maintenance Division page explains pre-set traffic restrictions as follows.

事前通行規制とは、豪雨や地震などの異常気象時に、土砂崩れや落石等の恐れのある箇所を被害が発生する前に通行を規制することです。 事前通行規制を行う区間には、一定の降雨量等に達した場合に通行規制する「異常気象時通行規制区間」と、気象・現地の状況等を判断して危険が予想される場合に通行規制する「特殊通行規制区間」があります。

特殊通行規制区間（22区間） 気象・現地の状況等を判断して危険が予想される場合に通行規制します。

Translation: “Pre-set traffic restriction means restricting traffic, before damage occurs, at places where there is a risk of landslides or falling rocks during abnormal weather such as heavy rain or earthquakes. The sections where pre-set traffic restrictions are applied include ‘abnormal-weather traffic restriction sections,’ where traffic is restricted when a certain amount of rainfall is reached, and ‘special traffic restriction sections,’ where traffic is restricted when danger is expected from the weather and conditions on site.” “Special traffic restriction sections (22 sections): Traffic is restricted when danger is expected from the weather and conditions on site.”

Of the rows in the table on the same page, three relate to this route (translated from the original).

Type	Route number	Route name	In charge	Restricted section, from	Restricted section, to	Length
National route	197	No. 197	Yawatahama	Oku, Ikata-cho, Nishiuwa-gun (西宇和郡伊方町大久)	Natori, Ikata-cho, Nishiuwa-gun (西宇和郡伊方町名取)	3.7 km
Prefectural road	256	Sadamisaki Misaki Line	Yawatahama	Nosaka, Ikata-cho, Nishiuwa-gun (西宇和郡伊方町野坂)	Sadamisaki, Ikata-cho, Nishiuwa-gun (西宇和郡伊方町佐田岬)	3.0 km
Prefectural road	255	Torii-Kikizu Line	Yawatahama	Kamaki, Ikata-cho, Nishiuwa-gun (西宇和郡伊方町釜木)	Hiraiso, Ikata-cho, Nishiuwa-gun (西宇和郡伊方町平磯)	1.5 km

On Prefectural Road 256, which leads to the lighthouse, 3.0 km from Nosaka, Ikata to Sadamisaki, Ikata is designated. On National Route 197, 3.7 km from Oku, Ikata to Natori, Ikata is designated. The contact is given on the same page.

愛媛県内の国管理以外の国道及び県道については、 愛媛県土木部道路維持課　089-912-2720

Translation: “For national routes and prefectural roads in Ehime Prefecture that are not managed by the national government: Ehime Prefecture Civil Engineering Department, Road Maintenance Division, 089-912-2720.”

Source: 愛媛県道路情報に関するリンク - 愛媛県庁公式ホームページ（道路維持課）

No page of Ehime Prefecture or Ikata Town was found that describes winter traffic restrictions or freezing for this section. The special traffic restriction sections above are not for winter only.

There is no roadside station between Misaki Port and Sadamisaki Lighthouse

In map data (OpenStreetMap), there are two roadside stations on the Sadamisaki Peninsula, and both are east of Misaki Port (toward Yawatahama). Ordered by longitude, Misaki Port is 132.117568, Michi-no-Eki Setocho is 132.258116, and Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan is 132.307541. There is no roadside station on the way from Misaki Port to Sadamisaki Lighthouse, and you can stop at them when you head back toward Yawatahama.

The names differ between official pages and map data. The Ikata Town official page writes “Seto Agricultural Park (Michi-no-Eki).”

瀬戸農業公園（道の駅） 吹き抜ける風の道 メロディライン、伊方町＆佐田岬で育った特産物販売・地域の情報発信を行っている｢瀬戸農業活性化センター｣、（以下略）

Translation: “Seto Agricultural Park (Michi-no-Eki). The Melody Line, a road where the wind blows through; the ‘Seto Agricultural Revitalization Center,’ which sells local products grown in Ikata Town and Sadamisaki and provides local information (the rest is omitted).”

Source: 瀬戸地域の観光スポット - 伊方町公式ホームページ

The name in map data is “Michi-no-Eki Setocho.” The official registered name and the opening hours have not been confirmed yet. The roadside station list page of the Shikoku Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, could not be retrieved because of HTTP 403.

The return ferry, and the restrictions when you head back toward Yawatahama

There is one route from Misaki Port that can carry cars. In the table of the route map PDF of the Shikoku Transport Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the row numbered 2 gives the operator as “Kokudo-Kyushi Ferry Co., Ltd.” (国道九四ﾌｪﾘｰ㈱), the route as “Saganoseki - Misaki*” (佐賀関～三崎*), and the ship type as “F” (Ｆ).

The legend of the same PDF explains the ship type.

Ｆ: 自動車航送船

Translation: “F: car ferry.”

On the number of sailings and the travel time, the Kokudo-Kyushi Ferry official page says the following.

7時台～23時台まで毎時運航（1日16往復32便） ※毎時運航だから、便利！ 九州・四国を最短70分

Translation: “Sails every hour, from the 7:00 hour to the 23:00 hour (16 round trips, 32 sailings a day). * Because it sails every hour, it is convenient! The shortest time between Kyushu and Shikoku is 70 minutes.”

Source: 3つの魅力｜国道九四フェリー

On the timetable page, departures from Misaki are 16 sailings in all, at 30 minutes past every hour (except 13:30), and arrival at Saganoseki is 70 minutes later. In the notice as of the date this article was checked (October 11, 2026), extra sailings, from Saganoseki at 12:00 and from Misaki at 13:30, were announced for October 10, October 12, November 21 and November 23. The check-in time is given in the official “User guide.”

出航時間の30分前までに乗船手続きが完了するよう、余裕を持ってお越しください。

ご予約のないお客様 ■ご用意いただくもの ①車検証

Translation: “Please come with time to spare so that boarding procedures are completed 30 minutes before the departure time.” “Customers without a reservation. What to prepare: 1. Vehicle inspection certificate.”

Source: 時刻表｜国道九四フェリー、ご利用ガイド｜国道九四フェリー

The address and telephone number of Misaki Port are given on the official page as follows.

三崎港 〒796-0801　愛媛県西宇和郡伊方町三崎1700-2　TEL:0894-54-0173

Translation: “Misaki Port. 796-0801, 1700-2 Misaki, Ikata-cho, Nishiuwa-gun, Ehime. Tel: 0894-54-0173.”

Source: 乗り場・アクセス｜国道九四フェリー

Fares are not given in this article. You can look them up on the Kokudo-Kyushi Ferry official website.

If you go back toward Yawatahama and Ozu, the PDF linked from the Kokudo-Kyushi Ferry official notice (posted October 11, 2026) lists the following restriction.

大洲・八幡浜自動車道（八幡浜道路） 昼間全面通行止め 令和8年 10/13(火)～10/30(金) ※土日を除く 各日 9時～17時

Translation: “Ozu-Yawatahama Expressway (Yawatahama Road). Full closure in the daytime. Reiwa 8 (2026), October 13 (Tue) to October 30 (Fri), excluding Saturdays and Sundays, each day 9:00 to 17:00.”

The PDF gives the restricted section as between Yawatahama East IC (Go) and Yawatahama IC (Ohira), and the detour as National Route 197 (general road). The contact is the Ehime Prefecture Nanyo Regional Office, Yawatahama Civil Engineering Office (Tel 0894-22-4111). In the PDF’s calendar, October 13 to 23 (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) are colored as closure days and October 26 to 30 as reserve days. This is not a restriction on the section toward Sadamisaki Lighthouse.

Source: 大洲・八幡浜自動車道（八幡浜道路）昼間全面通行止めのお知らせ（令和8年10月）

What comes next for this article

The latitude and longitude of the points and the road route numbers were checked with OpenStreetMap information. The point numbers will be the same as the chapter numbers in the driving video. This article was written only from official pages and map data, and has not been driven yet. After driving it, we will add the wording of the guide signs, the width of Prefectural Road 256, how the parking lot looks, and the time the walk took.

What could not be confirmed on official pages is as follows.

• The specific name and usable hours of the lighthouse parking lot
• Whether people who take the ship may leave their cars in the Sadamisaki Hanahana parking lot (for the number of spaces, Iyokan Net says 68 standard cars and 4 for disabled drivers)
• The postal code of Sadamisaki Lighthouse (the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site gives 796-0823, and a map data search result gives 796-0822)
• Any statement by Ehime Prefecture or Ikata Town about cars being unable to enter the 764 m west of the parking lot
• The officially registered name and opening hours of the roadside station “Seto Agricultural Park / Setocho”
• The ferry fares