From Matsuyama Airport to Sadamisaki Lighthouse, to the tip of the peninsula along National Route 197 (Sadamisaki Melody Line)

No official page gives the driving time from the airport to the lighthouse

No official page was found that says how many minutes it takes by car from Matsuyama Airport to Sadamisaki Lighthouse. The closest numbers are the following, and their starting points and end points differ.

Number given	Source	Start and end
About 15 minutes	Iyokan Net, “From Matsuyama Airport to Uwajima Station”	Matsuyama Airport to Yogominami IC
1 hour 30 minutes	Ikata Town official, “Sightseeing spots in the Misaki area”	The Sadamisaki Lighthouse entry, from Ozu IC (it does not say whether this goes as far as the parking lot)
About 30 minutes	Uwajima Unyu Ferry, “Access”	Ozu IC to Yawatahama Port (the direction toward the port)
About 30 minutes	Official page of Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan	From Yawatahama to Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan (道の駅 伊方きらら館) (it does not say from where in “Yawatahama”)
About 40 minutes	Crossing course on the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site	Yawatahama Station to Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan
About 25 minutes	Lighthouse sightseeing course on the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site	Misaki Port to the lighthouse parking lot

The lighthouse entry on the Ikata Town official page gives the way to get there 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（更新日 2017年4月1日）

The time from Matsuyama Airport to Ozu IC is not included in any number in this table. The time from a search result for Matsuyama IC to Ozu IC is given in a later section.

The crossing course on the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site (starting at Yawatahama Station and ending at Misaki Port) gives the car sections from Yawatahama Station to the lighthouse parking lot in this order.

Section	Driving time
Yawatahama Station to Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan	About 40 minutes
Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan to Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum (佐田岬半島ミュージアム)	About 10 minutes
Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum to Seto Observation Rest Area (瀬戸展望休憩所) (Oku Observatory, 大久展望台)	About 10 minutes
Seto Observation Rest Area to the lighthouse parking lot	About 35 minutes

Adding these four gives 95 minutes. This is a sum of the section numbers. It does not include time spent visiting the roadside stations and other places (the same page says a visit takes about 60 minutes at Kirara-kan and about 40 minutes at the Museum).

The route: drive to Ozu IC on the Matsuyama Expressway, then take Ozu South IC onto National Route 197

No official page was found that gives the route from the airport to the lighthouse as one route. Linking the following four official guides gives this order.

1. From the airport to Yogominami IC, Ehime Prefecture’s tourism site says “Prefectural Roads 22 and 190, about 15 minutes.”
2. From Yogominami IC onward, the same tourism site says “Matsuyama Outer Ring Road, Matsuyama Expressway” (a middle part of the guide to Uwajima Asahi IC).
3. From Ozu IC to Yawatahama Port, Uwajima Unyu says “Ozu IC - Ozu South exit - National Route 197 - Yawatahama East IC - Yawatahama exit - Yawatahama Port.”
4. For the lighthouse, Ikata Town says “from Ozu IC on the Matsuyama Expressway, via R197 and a prefectural road.”

The part of Ehime Prefecture’s tourism site from the airport to Yogominami IC reads as follows.

松山空港 県道22号線・190号線約15分 余戸南IC

Translation: “Matsuyama Airport / Prefectural Roads 22 and 190, about 15 minutes / Yogominami IC”

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】

The end point of this page is Uwajima Station, and the three lines above are taken from part of the way. The exact turns on Prefectural Roads 22 and 190 from the airport to Yogominami IC could not be confirmed on official pages. The section from Yogominami IC to Matsuyama IC, and the toll on the Matsuyama Outer Ring Road, were not found either.

The Uwajima Unyu page reads as follows.

大洲ICより車で約30分 大洲IC－大洲南出口－国道197号－八幡浜東IC－八幡浜出口－八幡浜港

Translation: “About 30 minutes by car from Ozu IC / Ozu IC - Ozu South exit - National Route 197 - Yawatahama East IC - Yawatahama exit - Yawatahama Port”

Source: アクセス | 宇和島運輸フェリー

This is a guide for going to Yawatahama Port. In map data, the road to Sadamisaki goes through Nazaka Road beyond Yawatahama IC and connects to Honai IC. The order of roads from Honai IC to the lighthouse is given in a later section.

Matsuyama IC to Ozu IC is a toll section, and Ozu Road is toll-free, as a toll search result shows

This is the result of searching from Matsuyama IC to Ozu-Kitatada IC (大洲北只IC) on Doraplaza (NEXCO’s toll and route search). Ozu-Kitatada IC is beyond Ozu South IC, where this route exits. It was used to see the numbers for each section. This is a route search result, not a toll table on an official page.

Section	Distance	Time	Section toll (regular rate, standard car)
Matsuyama Expressway (Matsuyama IC to Ozu IC)	42.0 km	36 minutes	1,300 yen
Ozu Road (Ozu IC to Ozu-Kitatada IC, described as toll-free)	6.3 km	7 minutes	Free

The search conditions were departure at 05:30 on October 13, 2026, standard car. The total for the whole route was 1,300 yen for the regular, ETC and ETC2.0 tolls alike, regular time 0 hours 43 minutes, distance 48.3 km. For the 1,300 yen section, discounts of 910 yen for holidays (all day) and 910 yen for late night (0:00-4:00) were also shown.

Of the service areas and parking areas on the way, the search result puts Iyonada SA at the 3.7 km point and Uchiko PA at the 30.8 km point. For Iyonada SA (outbound), the NEXCO West Japan page says the following.

以下の期間、舗装補修工事に伴い、駐車マスが最大約半分まで減少、トレーラーマスが利用不可となります。 令和8年8月24日（月曜）～令和8年10月30日（金曜）

Translation: “During the following period, because of road-surface repair work, the parking spaces will be reduced by up to about half, and the trailer spaces will be unavailable. Monday, August 24, 2026 to Friday, October 30, 2026”

Source: 伊予灘サービスエリア（下り）（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 Uchiko PA (outbound), the Doraplaza page gives the parking as “Large 5 / Small 10.” No mention of shops or fuel was found on that page. The facilities of the service areas and parking areas are summarized in the list of service areas and parking areas on expressways in Ehime.

The toll gates were checked in the NEXCO West Japan “ETC-only toll gates” map (as of February 17, 2026). In the map’s legend, green means “toll gate (cash and other payment can be used)” and purple means “ETC-only toll gate.” Matsuyama and Ozu are in green, drawn as toll gates where cash and other payment can be used. The line extending beyond Ozu is the gray of “toll-free section” in the legend. The map is dated February 17, so check the present state before you leave.

Leave at Ozu South IC and take National Route 197 to Yawatahama East IC

The route of leaving at Ozu South IC is in the Uwajima Unyu guide (quoted above). In the Doraplaza search result, the section from Ozu IC to Ozu-Kitatada IC is the toll-free Ozu Road. In map data, Ozu South IC is between them.

For the Ozu side of the Ozu-Yawatahama Expressway, no opening is stated. The page of the Ehime Prefecture Nanyo Regional Office describes the state of construction as follows.

本自動車道は、愛媛県に3つある高規格道路のミッシングリンクの一つで、平成9年度から、名坂道路（平成25年3月開通）、八幡浜道路（令和5年3月開通）、夜昼道路、大洲西道路の4つの工区に分けて整備を進めています。

Translation: “This expressway is one of the three missing links of high-standard roads in Ehime Prefecture. Since fiscal 1997, it has been built in four sections: Nazaka Road (opened March 2013), Yawatahama Road (opened March 2023), Yoruhiru Road, and Ozu-Nishi Road.”

Source: 地域高規格道路「大洲・八幡浜自動車道」の概要 - 南予地方局 - 愛媛県庁公式ホームページ

In this sentence, “opened” is written only for Nazaka Road and Yawatahama Road. No opening is stated for Yoruhiru Road and Ozu-Nishi Road. In map data (OpenStreetMap), two tunnels, Ozu-Nishi Tunnel and Yoruhiru Tunnel, are recorded on National Route 197 between Ozu South IC and Yawatahama East IC.

Yawatahama East IC to Yawatahama IC: a full daytime closure is announced for October 13 to 30

Yawatahama Road, according to Ehime Prefecture’s opening ceremony notice, runs from Yawatahama East IC (Go, Yawatahama) to Yawatahama IC (Ohira, Yawatahama), 3.8 km long with a total width of 9.0 m (2 lanes).

For a full daytime closure of this section, Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry (Orange Ferry) writes the following in its notice dated October 2, 2026.

期間: 令和8年10月13日（火）～ 10月30日（金）の間（土日を除く各日） 予備日: 10月26日（月）～ 10月30日（金） 時間: 9:00 ～ 17:00 ※天候状況や作業の進捗により、通行規制を行わない場合や早期に解除される場合があります。

区間: 八幡浜東IC（郷）～ 八幡浜IC（大平）間（全面通行止め） ※保内IC ～ 八幡浜IC（名坂道路）間は規制なし（通常通行可能）

迂回路: 国道197号（一般道）

Translation: “Period: from Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 30, 2026 (each day except Saturdays and Sundays). Reserve days: Monday, October 26 to Friday, October 30. Time: 9:00 to 17:00. * Depending on the weather and the progress of the work, the restriction may not be carried out or may be lifted early.” “Section: between Yawatahama East IC (Go) and Yawatahama IC (Ohira) (full closure). * No restriction (normal traffic possible) between Honai IC and Yawatahama IC (Nazaka Road).” “Detour: National Route 197 (general road).”

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 | 九四航路 | 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

The Yawatahama City page published on September 28, 2026 (restrictions for bridge work and inspection) gives the same period and hours.

期　間：令和８年１０月１３日（火）～令和８年１０月３０日（金）※土日除く 時　間：各日９時～１７時

　天候により作業を行わない日や作業完了後は通行規制を行いません。 　また、作業進捗により早期に規制解除する場合があります。

Translation: “Period: Tuesday, October 13, 2026 to Friday, October 30, 2026 * excluding Saturdays and Sundays. Time: 9:00 to 17:00 each day.” “On days when work is not done because of weather, and after the work is finished, no traffic restriction will be made. The restriction may also be lifted early depending on the progress of the work.”

Source: 大洲・八幡浜自動車道（八幡浜道路）の通行規制について | 八幡浜市

The top page of Kokudo-Kyushi Ferry also carries a notice dated October 11, 2026 that says “令和８年 １０／１３（火）～１０／３０（金）※土日を除く　９時～１７時の間は全面通行止めとなりますのでお知らせいたします。” (We inform you that the road will be fully closed from 9:00 to 17:00, Tuesday, October 13 to Friday, October 30, 2026, excluding Saturdays and Sundays.)

In the map of the Yawatahama Civil Engineering Office flyer (a PDF, one image), the detour National Route 197 is drawn from Yawatahama East IC to Yawatahama IC (Ohira), and Nazaka Road from Yawatahama IC to Honai IC is drawn as “no restriction.” In the calendar, October 13-16 and 19-23 are “closure days” and October 26-30 are “reserve days.” The flyer also says “While the closure is in effect, follow the instructions of the traffic guides on site.” The contact is the Ehime Prefecture Nanyo Regional Office, Yawatahama Civil Engineering Office (0894-22-4111, 8:30-17:15, except Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and the year-end and New Year holidays).

This notice is for the period in October 2026. By the time you read this, the period may have passed. Check the restrictions in effect then before you leave.

October 13, 2026 (Tuesday), the date this article was checked, is the first day of the closure days. Whether the restriction is actually in effect, or was lifted early, has not been confirmed. No official page was found that gives the travel time on the detour, National Route 197.

Night closures on the Matsuyama Expressway: Matsuyama IC to Ozu North IC until the morning of October 17

The NEXCO West Japan construction page gives the following for the Matsuyama Expressway between Matsuyama IC and Ozu North IC (大洲北IC) (both directions).

令和8年9月28日（月曜）夜から10月17日（土曜）朝まで 【土日祝除く14夜間】 予備日：令和8年10月19日（月曜）夜～10月23日（金曜）朝

Translation: “From the night of Monday, September 28, 2026 to the morning of Saturday, October 17. [14 nights, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays] Reserve days: from the night of Monday, October 19, 2026 to the morning of Friday, October 23.”

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 hours are given in the NEXCO West Japan notice of July 13, 2026, 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 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

In map data, Ozu North IC is between Ozu IC and Ozu South IC. It is a different IC from the Ozu-Kitatada IC that appears in the toll search. Matsuyama IC to Ozu North IC on this route is inside the closed section.

In the detour column of the same notice, the section between Matsuyama IC and Ozu North IC is given as “General National Routes 33 and 56.” The section between Ozu South IC and Seiyo-Uwa IC (from the night of October 26) is not on the section you drive on this route, because you exit at Ozu South IC.

For the section from Ozu IC to Ozu-Kitatada IC, which is the toll-free Ozu Road, an October 8, 2026 notice from the Ozu River and National Highway Office of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism gives two periods, from the night of Monday, November 30, 2026 to the morning of Saturday, December 5, and from the night of Monday, December 7 to the morning of Saturday, December 12 (reserve days: from the night of Monday, December 14 to the morning of Saturday, December 19), each day 20:00 to 6:00 the next morning. The detour is National Route 56 (the existing road). The contact is the Ozu River and National Highway Office (0893-24-6526, direct line, 8:30-17:15, except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays).

National Route 197 on the peninsula is called the Sadamisaki Melody Line

Nazaka Road is described on Ehime Prefecture’s opening page as follows.

• The section is from Ohira, Yawatahama to Kiki, Honai-cho, Yawatahama, 2.3 km long
• Temporary 2 lanes (4 lanes when completed), design speed 80 km/h
• The main structures include the Hassei Tunnel (八西トンネル) (1,865 m long)
• An exclusive motor vehicle road. Motorcycles of 125 cc or less, bicycles and pedestrians cannot use it

Beyond Honai IC, National Route 197 is a general road. In map data, near Honai IC there is a section where National Route 378 overlaps National Route 197.

Ehime Prefecture’s tourism site, Iyokan Net, writes “National Route 197 (Sadamisaki Melody Line),” and the official page of Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan writes “along the National Route 197 Melody Line” for its location. No official page was found that says from where to where this name is used.

The road that gave the name, where grooves in the road surface make music, is described by the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site as follows.

佐田岬の新名所『佐田岬メロディー道路』は、国道197号線、佐田岬半島ミュージアム付近の上下線に設置されています。

Translation: “The new attraction of Sadamisaki, the ‘Sadamisaki Melody Road,’ is installed on both lanes of National Route 197 near the Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum.”

Source: 佐田岬メロディー道路 - 観光・体験 - 佐田岬半島観光案内サイト

The same page names the tunes as “Mikan no Hana Saku Oka” (みかんの花咲く丘) and “Umi” (海).

Two roadside stations on the peninsula, and Yawatahama Minatto as a side trip off the IC

The roadside stations near the route from Yawatahama to the lighthouse are in this order in map data. Ikata Kirara-kan and Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum are along National Route 197. Yawatahama Minatto (八幡浜みなっと) is off National Route 197, close to Yawatahama Port.

Roadside station	Parking (station page of the Shikoku Regional Development Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism)	Hours and closing days (same page)
Yawatahama Minatto (Yawatahama)	189 standard cars, 3 large vehicles, 5 for disabled drivers (open 24 hours)	Direct-sale farm products and local goods 8:30-18:00, open every day. Minato Exchange Hall (みなと交流館) 9:00-21:30, closed December 29 to January 3
Ikata Kirara-kan (Kucho, Ikata)	43 standard cars, 3 large vehicles, none for disabled drivers (open 24 hours)	9:00-17:30, no closing days. Parking, toilets and free Wi-Fi are available 24 hours
Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum (Shiona, Ikata)	71 standard cars, 3 large vehicles, 2 for disabled drivers	Museum 9:30-17:00 (last entry 16:30). The museum is closed on Mondays (the next day if Monday is a holiday)

The number of parking spaces differs by page. The page of the national Michi-no-Eki liaison council gives Ikata Kirara-kan as “Large: 2, standard cars: 54 (1 for disabled drivers)” and Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum as “Large: 3, standard cars: 71 (2 for disabled drivers).” The official “Basic information” of Yawatahama Minatto gives the parking as “197 spaces (including those next to the green park),” of which “standard cars 194 (including 5 for disabled drivers).” This differs from the Bureau’s 189 and the liaison council’s 187.

For the Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum, the museum’s official page gives the closing days as “Mondays (the next weekday if Monday is a holiday), the weekday after a holiday, and the year-end and New Year holidays (12/29 to 1/3),” the opening hours as “9:30-17:00 (last entry until 16:30),” and the admission as 300 yen for adults, 200 yen for people 65 and over and high school students, and free for junior high school students and younger. No notice on the museum’s official page was found that says it is closed on October 13, 2026. Applying this closing rule to the calendar, October 12 (Monday) is Sports Day, so Tuesday the 13th falls on a closing day.

The name differs by page. The Ikata Town official page for the Seto area says “Seto Agricultural Park (Michi-no-Eki),” map data says “Michi-no-Eki Setocho,” and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism station page and the national Michi-no-Eki liaison council say “Sadamisaki Peninsula Museum.” No official page was found that says whether these are different names for the same station.

If you only need a rest, the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site says “Seto Observation Rest Area” (Oku 2370, Ikata) is “along the Sadamisaki Melody Line” and “the observatory also has toilets.”

The official page of Michi-no-Eki Ikata Kirara-kan also has a guide that does not use National Route 197.

松山より国道378号にて双海・長浜経由120分（海岸道路）八幡浜より国道197号にて車で約30分

Translation: “From Matsuyama, 120 minutes via Futami and Nagahama on National Route 378 (coastal road). From Yawatahama, about 30 minutes by car on National Route 197.”

Source: 道の駅 伊方きらら館

The starting point of this “120 minutes” is given only as “Matsuyama.” It is a different road from the route in this article (the Matsuyama Expressway and National Route 197).

National Route 197 ends at Misaki Port. For the lighthouse, take Prefectural Road 256

In map data, the end of National Route 197 on the peninsula is Misaki Port. The road to the lighthouse is Prefectural Road 256, not National Route 197. The order of roads from the junction in front of Misaki Port to the lighthouse parking lot, the pre-set traffic restriction sections, and the ferries at the port are summarized in From Misaki Port to Sadamisaki Lighthouse.

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.” Point 13 in this article (the junction in front of Misaki Port) is a position from map data.

About the lighthouse 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 were not found on the Ikata Town official page or the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site.

From the parking lot to the lighthouse, the promenade takes about 20 minutes on foot

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。

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.”

Source: 佐田岬灯台 - 観光・体験 - 佐田岬半島観光案内サイト

The lighthouse sightseeing course on the same site gives the walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse as “about 25 minutes on foot.” So there are two numbers, “about 20 minutes” and “about 25 minutes.” The time for the lighthouse sightseeing course is “about 2 hours round trip,” starting and ending at Misaki Port.

Tsubakiyama Observatory (椿山展望台), before the lighthouse, is described on the lighthouse page of the Sadamisaki Peninsula tourist information site.

Pre-set traffic restriction sections: two on National Route 197 and one on Prefectural Road 256

The Ehime Prefecture Road Maintenance Division page (updated March 2, 2026) 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。

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.”

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）

The rows of the table on the same page that relate to this route are summarized below without changing their meaning.

Route	Section	Length	Type
National Route 197	From Ohira, Yawatahama to Ohira, Yawatahama	0.5 km	Abnormal-weather traffic restriction section (the restriction standard column says hourly rainfall 40, continuous rainfall 200)
National Route 197	From Oku, Ikata to Natori, Ikata	3.7 km	Special traffic restriction section
Prefectural Road 256 (Sadamisaki Misaki Line)	From Nosaka, Ikata to Sadamisaki, Ikata	3.0 km	Special traffic restriction section

Restrictions during heavy rain are summarized in Heavy rain and typhoons: roads in Ehime that become impassable. Construction and closures can be checked before you leave with Where to check Ehime road information. This section is for use before departure or for passengers, and you do not need to look at it while driving.

What comes next for this article

The latitude and longitude of the points, and the interchanges and the order of roads, 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, how the closure of Yawatahama Road looks on site, the place where the Melody Road makes its sound, and the walking time to the lighthouse.

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

• The driving time from Matsuyama Airport to Sadamisaki Lighthouse
• The exact turns on Prefectural Roads 22 and 190 from Matsuyama Airport to Yogominami IC, and the toll from Yogominami IC to Matsuyama IC
• The toll from Matsuyama IC to Ozu South IC (the toll search was done as far as Ozu-Kitatada IC)
• How the signs appear and how to turn from the Ozu South IC exit onto National Route 197
• Whether the daytime closure of Yawatahama Road is actually carried out, and the travel time on the detour
• The specific name and usable hours of the Sadamisaki Lighthouse parking lot
• The locations and opening hours of gas stations on the peninsula part of National Route 197
• The parking fees of the roadside stations (not found for any of the three)
• The number of parking spaces and the opening hours of Seto Observation Rest Area