How Do You Get Around Shodoshima by Bus, Taxi and Bicycle?
This guide is for visitors who have reached Shodoshima and want to move around the island without a car of their own. It covers the island's route bus, the one-day sightseeing bus from Tonosho Port, taxis, rental cars and bicycles, and the share bicycles in Shodoshima Town.
We used the Shodoshima Tourism Association's list of island transport, the route bus company's site, the sightseeing bus company's page and the Hello Cycling page for Shodoshima Town. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Prices and timetables change, so check the operator's page for the day you travel.
Why the island needs planning
The tourism association describes Shodoshima as the second-largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, with an area of 169.86 square kilometers and about 28,000 residents as of 2017. It says high mountains come close to the coast, so flat land is limited. Sights are spread along a long coastline. For how to reach the island, see our guide to getting to Shodoshima by ferry.
The route bus
Shodoshima Olive Bus runs the island's route buses. Its site lists these lines: Sakate, South Loop Fukuda, Tanoura Movie Village, Nishiura, North Loop Fukuda and Nakayama. It also lists the Shikai line, which it describes as a Tonosho town bus, and the Santo-Nishi line, a Shodoshima town bus. A seasonal Kankakei line is run as a town bus.
The company's notice says its timetable changed on 1 April 2026. Its status line said service was normal on the dates we saw. It sells a one-day ticket for 1,600 yen and a set of coupon tickets for 3,000 yen. It says that since 1 October 2021 the buses also accept transport IC cards from other areas. We did not confirm the single fares, so use the fare table on its site.
Check the timetable before you plan a day around a bus, because island lines do not run as often as city lines. Ask at the ferry terminal or your lodging when the last bus leaves.
The one-day sightseeing bus
Shodoshima Kotsu runs a guided sightseeing bus that starts and ends at the Tonosho Port tourist center. Its page says it runs daily, leaves at 10:15 and is due back at 16:15. Registration is from 09:30 to 10:15. The fare is 9,800 yen for adults aged 12 and over and 6,200 yen for children aged 6 and over, including the ropeway fare. There is no disability discount.
The stops it lists are the Great Kannon statue, the summit of Kankakei gorge for lunch, the Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village, a museum about the island's tsukudani preserved foods and the Shodoshima Olive Park. It says the Kankakei ropeway is used one way, from the summit down. There is a smartphone audio guide in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. The company says the tsukudani museum is closed on Wednesdays and that a soy sauce museum shop is the stop on that day, with an entry fee.
Taxis, charter buses and rental cars
The association's island transport list names two taxi operators, a charter bus service run by the sightseeing bus company, and about a dozen rental car shops. Many are near the ports. It also lists a stay-guests-only rental car. We do not rank them, and we do not give prices because we did not read any fare tables.
If you plan to drive, note that the island's roads follow a hilly coast. Take your driving licence and, for foreign licences, the translation or permit that Japanese law requires. We did not research those rules here, so confirm them with the rental company.
Bicycles and e-bikes
The association's list includes rental bicycle shops, among them one at Tonosho Port, and rental motorbikes. Hello Cycling, a share bicycle service, lists stations in Shodoshima Town. Examples on its page include a station at Ikeda Port with room for 8 bikes and others in the Yasuda and Yoshida districts. You use the service through its app, and we did not test it.
Because mountains run close to the shore, check whether a shop offers electric-assist bicycles before you commit to a long ride. We could not verify battery range or the hill grades on any route.
What we could not verify, and therefore left out
- Single fares on each bus line and the exact day-by-day timetable.
- Taxi fares and rental car prices.
- Driving licence rules for foreign visitors.
- Share bicycle prices and whether the stations have bikes on a given day.
Related guides
Sources
All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.
- Access and island transport (Shodoshima Tourism Association, in Japanese) — (taxis, buses, rental cars and bicycles)
- What kind of island is Shodoshima? Basics, terrain and climate (Shodoshima Tourism Association, in Japanese) — (area, population, coastline)
- Shodoshima Olive Bus (in Japanese) — (lines, one-day ticket, timetable notice)
- Island tour sightseeing bus (Shodoshima Kotsu, in Japanese) — (route, schedule and fares)
- Share cycling in Shodoshima Town (Hello Cycling, in Japanese) — (stations)