The Angel Road can be walked only in the 6 hours around low tide.
On afternoon days, go up to Kankakei in the morning

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The walking window is set by the predicted times the town publishes for each day

In short: Tonosho Town publishes "the predicted times the Angel Road appears" for each day, one morning and one afternoon window. In the 2026 predictions, every window is the 6 hours around low tide (3 hours either side).

• Look on the top page of the Tonosho Town official site (in Japanese; the "Angel Road" data). The "Angel Road tide table" on the Shodoshima Tourism Association site also links here.
• Travel sites differ, some saying "2 hours either side of low tide" and others "3 hours", but the town's predicted times use 3 hours either side.
• These are predictions, so on the day they shift with air pressure and wind. Rather than crossing right at the start or end of the window, cross around the low-tide time (the middle of the 6 hours) to leave time to get back.
• The window moves a little later each day (about 3 hours a week), so the afternoon window slides into the evening and the morning window moves into the daytime. If you have 2 possible days in your trip, compare both and cross on the day with the longer overlap with daytime.
• As with the great torii gate at Miyajima, the tide decides when you can go (a day in Hiroshima and Miyajima).

On a day trip you are on the island 10:00–16:00. In spring 2026, 59% of days gave 2 hours or more in that time, mostly in the afternoon

In short: counting the 92 days of March to May 2026 in the town's predicted times, 54 days (59%) had 2 hours or more of walking time between 10:00 and 16:00, the hours a day-tripper from Takamatsu spends on the island. Of these, 39 were in the afternoon and 15 in the morning. On no day could it be walked all the way from 10:00 to 16:00.

• 10:00–16:00 is a rough guide to the time a family crossing from Takamatsu on a morning boat and returning on an evening boat spends on the island.
• Widen it to 9:00–17:00 and the days with 2 hours or more rise to 75 (82%). Families staying on the island, or crossing on the first boat of the morning, are closer to this figure.
• For day-tripping families, on about 4 days in 10 there is not enough walking time while you are on the island. If your day is one of these, move the day, or give up on crossing and spend the day at Kankakei and Olive Park.

Two ways to plan the day: low tide in the afternoon, or in the morning

In short: on days when the window is in the afternoon, do "Kankakei in the morning, the Angel Road in the afternoon"; on morning days, "the Angel Road as soon as you arrive, Kankakei in the afternoon". Either way, leave Takamatsu Port on a morning boat and get around on the island's buses from Tonosho Port.

Low tide in the afternoon (common in spring)

• Take a morning boat from Takamatsu Port to Tonosho Port (about 60 minutes by ferry, about 35 minutes by high-speed boat). For choosing a boat and the fares, see Getting to Takamatsu and Shodoshima with a big family of 6.
• From Tonosho Port, take a local bus (Sakate line or Minami-mawari Fukuda line) to Kusakabe Port (about 30 minutes), then change to the town-run bus to the ropeway's lower station, Koun Station (about 12 minutes; 8 a day leave Kusakabe Port, from 9:50 to 15:40).
• Ride the ropeway to the top (about 5 minutes). Have lunch at the top.
• Go back to Kusakabe Port and take the bus towards Tonosho Port. Cross the Angel Road in the afternoon window.
• Take an evening boat back to Takamatsu.

Low tide in the morning

• When you reach Tonosho Port, go to the Angel Road first (the local buses are infrequent, so a taxi is quicker).
• Go back to Tonosho Port at midday and take the Sakate line or Minami-mawari Fukuda line to Kusakabe Port. Kankakei in the afternoon.
• If you have time, stop at Olive Park on the way back along the Sakate line (bus stop "Olive Koen-guchi"). Entry to the park is free (some facilities, such as the onsen, charge separately).

• The Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village is on a different bus route and is not in these two day-trip plans. If you also want to see it, the sightseeing bus below goes there.
• Choose your buses and boats from the timetable for the day you go. Island bus and boat times change when timetables are revised.

Three ways to get around the island: local buses, taxis and the sightseeing bus

In short: if you get around on your own, the local bus 1-day pass (adults ¥1,600, children ¥800) is the basis. But each route runs once every 1–2 hours, and only a few buses a day stop in front of the Angel Road. On days with grandparents, use a taxi just for the stretches with long waits.

• Taxis: useful when the buses do not fit, for example to and from the Angel Road. With a standard car, 6 people often have to split into 2 taxis, so check how many cars you need at the taxi stand.
• Look up the timetable for the day of the week you travel on the Shodoshima Olive Bus official site.

The sightseeing bus covers Kankakei and the Movie Village in one go. Get off at the Angel Road on the way back

In short: Shodoshima Kotsu's "island sightseeing bus" is a one-day bus that leaves Tonosho Port at 10:15 and returns around 16:15. It goes to the top of Kankakei, the Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village and Olive Park, but the Angel Road is not one of its stops.

• The fare is ¥9,800 for adults (12 and over) and ¥6,200 for children (6 and over), not including the boat from Takamatsu.
• It includes the Kankakei Ropeway (one way, from the top down to the lower station), entry to the Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Village and admission to the Shodoshima Daikannon. Lunch is not included. At Kankakei there is time for lunch and free time at the top.
• On the way back it passes Ginpaura, and if you tell the crew, you can get off at the Angel Road. You get off around 16:00, so on a day when the afternoon walking window includes 16:00, you can get off and cross straight away.
• Booking closes at 22:00 the day before. Online booking is paid by card; by phone and on the day, by cash. The guide speaks Japanese, and a free audio guide app is available in English, Chinese and Korean (download it beforehand and bring earphones).

Cost for 6: about ¥26,400 on your own, about ¥58,300 with the sightseeing bus

The figures in this article are calculated for a family of 6: parents + 2 children (elementary school) + grandparents. None of the facilities lists a senior discount, so the grandparents are counted at the adult fare.

In short: adding the boat return, the island bus 1-day pass and the Kankakei Ropeway return comes to about ¥26,400 for 6. The sightseeing bus plus the boat comes to about ¥58,300, and also covers the Movie Village and Olive Park. Lunch and souvenirs are extra.

• If your family is different: preschool children ride the Tonosho ferry free, 1 per adult, and the island buses free for ages 1 to under 6, 1 per accompanying passenger.
• The ropeway costs more in November (adult return ¥2,700) and less in winter (¥2,160).
• If you also visit the Movie Village, add ¥900 per adult and ¥450 per elementary school child from 15 March to 20 July (¥4,500 for 6; preschool children free).
• The sightseeing bus is ¥9,800 for adults and ¥6,200 for children, so ¥51,600 for 6.
• On days when you take few local buses, paying per ride can be cheaper than the 1-day pass (Tonosho Port to Kusakabe Port is ¥500 for adults).

What to watch for on a day with grandparents

In short: at the ropeway's lower station at Kankakei (Koun Station), there are steps between the car park and the boarding area. Wheelchair users are advised to ride the ropeway there and back from the top station, but the only ways up to the top are by car or on the sightseeing bus.

• The top station lends out 1 wheelchair.
• The local buses run once every 1–2 hours, so if you miss one, the wait for the next is long. On days with grandparents, book taxis in advance for the stretches with long waits (such as to and from the Angel Road).
• On the sightseeing bus too, you go through about 70 steps at the lower station (Koun Station) after riding the ropeway down. If someone in the family has trouble walking, ask Shodoshima Kotsu when you book.

Shodoshima Angel Road day trip (big families) FAQ

Put your Takamatsu and Shodoshima trip together

We also cover places in Takamatsu where 6 can share one room, how to get to Takamatsu and Shodoshima with the boat fares, and how self-service Sanuki udon shops work.

Stay Places in Takamatsu where a big family of 6 can share one room A 46.3 m² tatami room in the city centre, or an onsen hotel on Mt Mineyama. Transport Getting to Takamatsu and Shodoshima with a big family of 6 The airport bus costs ¥6,500 for 6, and its last stop is the ferry terminal. Tips How to order at a self-service Sanuki udon shop The steps for a family of 6 to know before queuing, and how shops differ.

📍 One of the articles in our Takamatsu and Shodoshima trip plan (Takamatsu & Shodoshima | Trip plan for large families / all tickets and experiences articles)