From Niihama-higashi Port to Minetopia Besshi, via Prefectural Roads 336 and 47 and the municipal road to Tonaru

The only ship that arrives at Niihama-higashi Port leaves Kobe Rokko Port. The timetable gives the planned arrival as 8:20

The ship that arrives at Niihama-higashi Port is the Kansai route (Niihama-Kobe) of Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry (Orange Ferry), coming from Kobe Rokko Port. The boarding guide for Niihama-higashi Port says the following.

新居浜東港からは、神戸(六甲)港の航路のみです。

Translation: “From Niihama-higashi Port, there is only the route to Kobe (Rokko) Port.”

Source: 新居浜東港｜のりば案内｜関西航路（新居浜-神戸）｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社

The same page writes the address as “愛媛県新居浜市垣生3丁目乙306－2” and the phone number as 0897-46-0512, and says to search by phone number when you look for the port on a car navigation system. The car access to the port is shown in a diagram, and from Niihama IC it is “about 20 minutes”. This is guidance for traveling toward the port, and we could not find an official page that gives the travel time for leaving the port.

The timetable page lists only one sailing from Kobe Rokko Port to Niihama.

Direction	Departure	Planned arrival
Kobe Rokko Port to Niihama Port	Departs 01:20	Arrives 08:20
Niihama Port to Kobe Rokko Port	Departs 16:20	Arrives 23:40

This page does not use a form such as “takes X hours”. The days with no sailings and the type of ship are written in the notes on the same page, as follows.

新居浜東港発は、金曜日・土曜日・日曜日及び祝日の前日・祝日が休航となります。 神戸港発は土曜日・日曜日・月曜日及び祝日・祝日の翌日が休航となります。 夏期お盆、年末年始など休航になる場合があります。 おれんじホープはカジュアルフェリーとなっております。（貨物・トラックがメインのフェリーになります）

Translation: “Departures from Niihama-higashi Port do not sail on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, the day before a holiday, and holidays. Departures from Kobe Port do not sail on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, holidays, and the day after a holiday. There may be no sailings during the summer Obon period, the year-end and New Year period, and other times. Orange Hope is a casual ferry. (It is a ferry mainly for cargo and trucks.)”

Source: 航路・時刻表｜関西航路（新居浜-神戸）｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社

In the “Today’s operation status” field on Orange Ferry’s top page, when we checked on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, Niihama-Kobe showed “Sailings are suspended.” October 12 (Monday) was Sports Day, and October 13 is the day after it. This is the same day as the “day after a holiday” with no sailings above, but the sentence on the top page does not give that as the reason. Before you leave, check the sailing for your day with the ferry company.

The check-in at the port, the vehicle deck rules, and the boarding start time are collected in Boarding a ferry by car from an Ehime port. This article describes the road after you leave the ship.

From October 20 to November 2, a temporary schedule is announced: leaving Kobe at 23:10 and arriving at Niihama at 6:00

In the notice that Orange Ferry posted on August 20, 2026, “Notice of some suspended sailings on the Kansai route for regular inspection (dock)”, the days with no sailings for Osaka to Toyo on the Toyo-Osaka route are written as “Tuesday, October 20 to Monday, November 2, 2026”. Right after that, there is the following note about the Kobe-Niihama route.

※期間中は臨時便として神戸～新居浜航路（船名：おれんじホープ）の運航時間を下記の通り変更しております。 【神戸23：10発→新居浜06：00着】 【新居浜14：50発→神戸21：40着】 ※神戸六甲港及び新居浜東港周辺に交通機関はございませんので、予めご了承ください。

Translation: “During this period, as extra sailings, we have changed the operating times of the Kobe-Niihama route (ship name: Orange Hope) as below. [Kobe 23:10 departure to Niihama 06:00 arrival] [Niihama 14:50 departure to Kobe 21:40 arrival] Please note that there is no public transportation around Kobe Rokko Port and Niihama-higashi Port.”

Source: 関西航路　定期検査（ドック）による一部休航のお知らせ | 重要 | オレンジフェリーからのお知らせ | 四国開発フェリー株式会社

In Orange Ferry’s “Operation schedule during the Orange Osaka dock period 2026” (PDF), the 23:10 departure from Kobe runs on October 20 to 23, October 26 to 30, and November 2, and there are no sailings on October 24, 25, 31, and November 1. On October 20, the usual 01:20 departure from Kobe (arrival at Niihama 08:20) also runs. Arrival at Niihama at 6:00 happens on the mornings of October 21 to 24, October 27 to 31, and November 3, and no ship arrives on the mornings of October 25 and 26 and November 1 and 2. By the time you read this article, the period may have passed.

From October 15 to 18 is the Niihama Taiko Festival, and on the 17th traffic restrictions are planned on roads in Yamane

Niihama City’s “Niihama Taiko Festival” page (updated September 29, 2026) carries the Reiwa 8 operation schedule pamphlet “4Days”. From the words on the pamphlet cover, the festival is held from Thursday, October 15, to Sunday, October 18, 2026.

The main operation schedule for Saturday, October 17, has the following row.

Day	Event	Time
Saturday, October 17	Jobu district, Yamane Ground Unified Gathering (上部地区山根グラウンド統一寄せ)	12:30 to 17:00 (20 floats, 1 children’s float)

On the “4Days” guide map for the same day, the roads near Yamane Park are shown in red, with the words “Traffic restriction planned 11:30 to 17:00”. Under the map, there is an arrow “Minetopia Besshi”. When you enlarge the guide map, the red lines are drawn on the east-west road north of Yamane Park and on the road west of the park that has the arrow “Minetopia Besshi”. Because the map is a simple sketch, we have not confirmed whether it covers the route in this article (Prefectural Road 47). The guide map also shows planned restrictions for Heiwa-dori (near Ichinomiya-no-Mori 10:00 to 12:30, near Wakurie Niihama 14:00 to 17:00), in front of Takihama Station (16:30 to 20:00), and near the riverbed park (9:00 to 13:00). The guide maps for October 15 and 16 and for October 18 also have planned traffic restrictions in other places.

The note on the restrictions says in the map, “May change depending on how the taiko floats are running.” We have not confirmed whether the route in this article overlaps the restricted roads, so if you are driving on the 17th or during the festival period, 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.

Minetopia Besshi is closed all day on Saturday, October 17, for the local festival

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

On the October calendar of the Hours and Calendar page too, only the 17th is “× whole facility temporarily closed”. The band at the top of each page says “10/17 (Sat) All facilities closed (road closed for the local festival)”.

The route from the port along Prefectural Road 336, National Route 11, and Prefectural Road 47 was checked in map data

We could not find an official page that gives the car travel time and distance from the port to Minetopia Besshi, at the ferry company, Niihama City, or Minetopia Besshi. We have not found an official guide that describes in text the way after you leave the port. We have not used the numbers from route searches.

We checked the road names and route numbers in the OpenStreetMap map data. The roads connect in this order.

Order	Road	Record in the map data
1	Prefectural Road 336, Niihama-higashi Port Line (県道336号 新居浜東港線)	Starts at the traffic light at the eastern end and ends at the traffic light with National Route 11 Niihama Bypass
2	National Route 11, Niihama Bypass (国道11号 新居浜バイパス)	A main road with a separate road for each direction
3	Prefectural Road 47, Niihama-Besshiyama Line (県道47号 新居浜別子山線)	Heads south from the traffic light where it meets National Route 11 and Prefectural Road 11
4	Hadeba-ohashi Bridge (端出場大橋)	Splits from Prefectural Road 47, and Minetopia Besshi is beyond the bridge

Ehime Prefecture’s reevaluation sheet (a document on a road improvement project scheduled for completion in Heisei 26 (2014), so it is old) describes the Niihama-higashi Port Line as follows.

一般県道新居浜東港線は、臨海工業地帯と松山自動車道の新居浜ＩＣを結ぶ幹線道路である。

Translation: “The general prefectural road Niihama-higashi Port Line is a main road that connects the coastal industrial zone and Niihama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway.”

Source: 再評価個表 一般県道新居浜東港線 道路改築事業（愛媛県、PDF）

The road from the port terminal to the traffic light at the eastern end of Prefectural Road 336 has no name recorded in the map data. We have not confirmed which road you take. We have not confirmed where on National Route 11 Niihama Bypass you head for Prefectural Road 47, or the wording on the guide signs.

For the Hadeba area of Minetopia Besshi, the official “Access” page writes this as guidance from the Matsuyama direction.

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 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

The same “Access” page also writes that Niihama IC has been an ETC-only toll gate since February 27, 2025. Minetopia Besshi’s 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, not from the port.

In the Hadeba area, parking is free, and it opens 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)
Former Hadeba Hydroelectric Power Plant	9:00	17:00
Gold panning experience	9:30	16:00 (last entry 15:30)
First-floor shop	9:30	17:00
Restaurant Mori-no-Kaze	11:00	16:00 (last order 15:00)

For the fees, in the “List of various fees” (PDF) from November 1, Reiwa 7 (2025), the mine tour (round-trip mine train ticket and walking tour fee inside the tunnel) is 1,500 yen for adults, 1,100 yen for junior and senior high school students, and 900 yen for ages 3 and over to elementary school students. The Besshi No. 1 ride experience (round-trip mine train ticket only) is 700 yen for adults, 600 yen for junior and senior high school students, and 500 yen for ages 3 and over to elementary school students, and the single ticket for the gold panning experience is 1,000 yen.

Municipal Road Kawamata-Tonaru Line, the car road to Tonaru, has places where vehicles cannot pass each other, and large vehicles cannot use it

The Tonaru area (654-3 Tachikawa-cho, Niihama, Ehime) is in a different mountain from the Hadeba area. The “Access” page writes the distance by car as “about 15 km from Niihama IC on the Matsuyama Expressway” and “about 11 km from the Hadeba area of Minetopia Besshi”.

About the road to Tonaru, Niihama City’s “Traffic to Minetopia Besshi (Tonaru Zone)” (updated December 1, 2014) says the following.

マイントピア別子（東平ゾーン）へ向かう市道「河又東平線」の道中には、離合が不可能な場所があります。運転に気をつけてお越しください。

Translation: “On the way along Municipal Road ‘Kawamata-Tonaru Line’ toward Minetopia Besshi (Tonaru Zone), there are places where vehicles cannot pass each other. Please drive carefully when you come.”

市道「河又東平線」は、マイクロバスまでは通行可能で、車高2.8メートル、車幅2.1メートル、車長7.1メートル以上の車は通行困難です。 土曜日、日曜日、祝日は時間帯によって大変混雑するため、状況に応じて交通規制を実施する場合があります。あらかじめご了承ください。市道「河又東平線」は、新居浜市に大雨警報が発表された場合、通行止めとなり、それに伴い、東平ゾーンも休館いたします。

Translation: “Vehicles up to a microbus can use Municipal Road ‘Kawamata-Tonaru Line’, but vehicles 2.8 meters high, 2.1 meters wide, or 7.1 meters long or more have difficulty passing. On Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, it becomes very crowded at some times of the day, so traffic restrictions may be put in place depending on the situation. Please understand this in advance. Municipal Road ‘Kawamata-Tonaru Line’ is closed when a heavy rain warning is issued for Niihama City, and the Tonaru Zone is also closed as a result.”

Source: マイントピア別子（東平ゾーン）への通行について - 愛媛県新居浜市ホームページ｜四国屈指の臨海工業都市

Minetopia Besshi’s sightseeing bus tour page also has the same measurements.

■車高２.８ｍ以上、車幅２.１ｍ以上、車長７.１ｍ以上の車は通行困難です。 ■気象庁の警報の発令、落石や積雪、路面凍結などの影響により通行止めとなった場合、急遽バスツアーが催行中止となることがございます。 ■東平エリアは毎年12月～2月末迄(予定)は冬期通行止めのため休業となります。冬期休業期間中は東平エリアへの入場は不可となりバスツアーも休止期間となります。

Translation: “Vehicles 2.8 m high, 2.1 m wide, or 7.1 m long or more have difficulty passing. If the road is closed because of a warning from the Japan Meteorological Agency, falling rocks, snow, road ice, or similar causes, the bus tour may be cancelled at short notice. The Tonaru area is closed every year from December to the end of February (planned) because the road is closed for winter. During the winter closure, you cannot enter the Tonaru area, and the bus tour is also suspended.”

Source: 観光バスツアー | 東平エリア(東洋のマチュピチュ) | マイントピア別子

In the map data, Municipal Road Kawamata-Tonaru Line is not a road that connects directly from the Hadeba area. You go south on Prefectural Road 47 past Hadeba, pass through Kasumi Tunnel (霞トンネル), Kazahana Tunnel (風花トンネル), Nowaki Tunnel (野分トンネル), Shinryoku Tunnel (新緑トンネル), and Kiyotaki Tunnel (清滝トンネル), and the municipal road splits from the prefectural road just beyond (before Shigure Bridge (時雨橋)). The number of lanes and the width inside the tunnels, and the width of the municipal road, are not recorded in the map data and have not been confirmed.

We could not find parking at Tonaru for people who come by car on an official page. Minetopia Besshi’s area map (PDF) says “about 30 minutes by car from the Hadeba area”. The sightseeing bus tour page says “On Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and long-holiday seasons, when crowds are expected, please use the Tonaru (the Machu Picchu of the East) sightseeing bus tour”, and it guides people who come by public transport to change to this bus tour at the Hadeba area.

Item	Minetopia Besshi’s guide
Departure and arrival	Roadside Station Minetopia Besshi, Hadeba area
Travel time	About 2 hours (about 30 minutes by microbus to Tonaru, about 60 minutes of walking tour, about 30 minutes back)
Regular runs	The 11:00 run is every Saturday, Sunday, and holiday, and on weekdays too in May, August, and November. The 13:00 run is every day
Fare	Elementary school students and above: general 2,200 yen; 11 or more people 1,800 yen
Reservations	0897-43-1801 (9:00 to 17:00)

The fee table on the same Niihama City page lists 1,500 yen for adults and 900 yen for ages 3 and over to elementary school students, but its update date is old, December 2014, and the numbers differ from Minetopia Besshi’s current fee table.

For the Tonaru Historical Museum, the opening hours are written as 10:00 to 17:00, the closed days as “Mondays (the next day if a holiday) and December 1 to the end of February of the next year”, and the admission as free. On October 17, it is closed because of the temporary closure above.

In Minetopia Besshi’s notice of September 10, 2026, it is written that the closure of the Tonaru area because of a typhoon was lifted from September 11. This closure is in the past and is not a current restriction. We mention it as an example that weather can close the road.

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 way from the port exit to Prefectural Road 336, the turn from National Route 11 Niihama Bypass onto Prefectural Road 47, the inside of the tunnels on Prefectural Road 47, and the width of Municipal Road Kawamata-Tonaru Line and the places where vehicles cannot pass.

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

• The car travel time and distance from Niihama-higashi Port to the Hadeba area and the Tonaru area
• Written directions from the port exit to Prefectural Road 336
• The turn from the Niihama Bypass onto Prefectural Road 47, and the wording on the guide signs
• The inside of the five tunnels on Prefectural Road 47 (Kasumi, Kazahana, Nowaki, Shinryoku, Kiyotaki), and the road width of Prefectural Road 47 and Municipal Road Kawamata-Tonaru Line
• The rules on the days and times when private cars can enter the Tonaru area, and the parking for private cars at Tonaru (the official pages give the distance and time by car and recommend the bus tour on crowded days, but we could not find a sentence that gives the days and times when cars are accepted or the parking)
• Whether the traffic restriction in Yamane on October 17 overlaps the Prefectural Road 47 route
• The reason Niihama-Kobe showed “Sailings are suspended.” in the operation status on the top page
• The car fare on the Niihama-Kobe route