Exactly one year ago today, I took a visit to Shodoshima island during my 1.5 week trip to Japan. Here is a guide on how to get there.

I went from Tokyo to Kyoto to Osaka, then to Shodoshima. If anyone doesn't know, Shodoshima island is the birthplace of the creator of this anime/manga, and where the series actually takes place. I wish I had written this right after I went on the journey, so that a lot of the details would be fresh on my mind. The trip to get there wasn't unbearable, but wasn't easy either. I don't speak any Japanese at all, so it probably made it more difficult. I'll post exactly how to get there and what steps to take. All this to say, the island is so extremely beautiful and there were so many jaw-dropping moments when I got there. It was definitely worth the trip and I will be going back either next summer or the year after. I inserted links to my Imgur with pictures, videos, and information that are highlighted in blue, make sure to click through those, as they will give you a visual representation of what to expect. This guide took me about 2 hours to make, so please read it in its entirety.

One quick note- The main goal is to get to TONOSHO PORT, not any of the other ports located on the island. Tonosho is the town where the manga is based, not any of the other towns on the island. If you end up at any of the other ports, you will have a very long journey to get to Tonosho. There are 3 main ways to get to Tonosho port, I went through the Shin-Okayama port. Here is a rough sketch I made of the 3 different ways to get there. If you want to take a plane straight there, you might want to land south to Takamatsu airport and go through that way.

Another important note!- I left my hotel around 10am and ended up getting to the Okayama port at 12pm noon. While boats from okayama port leave every hour or so, around noon, they take a long 2 hour lunch break. Unfortunately, I got there just around that time, and I had to wait until 2pm to take the boat, which drastically limited the time I could spend at Shodoshima. Try to get there earlier. I would say 8am is a good time. I found two different ferry schedules online, Here and here. I don't remember which one is accurate. I'd probably say the first one.

How to get there:

1. Take the JR Shinkansen to Okayama station. I personally left from Shin-Osaka station, and it took about an hour.
2. Take the bus from Okayama station to Shin-Okayama port. I forget exactly which bus number, but you should be able to find it when you get there. I believe I used google maps and it showed me which bus to take. There isn’t a stop right in front of the port, so you have to get off at the nearest stop and then walk about 10-20 mins. When you get to the port, you will see a building with a kitchen, ticket counter, and some merchandise that they sell. I ordered the fish sandwich from the nice lady, it was delicious but a bit pricey.
3. Buy your ticket and wait for the ferry to come. The man at the ticket booth is very nice, he can help you out. You can buy a one way ticket or a round trip ticket.
4. Get on the ferry and depart for Tonosho port. This takes about 70 minutes. Very beautiful sights along the way. The boat is huge and is the same one featured in some parts of the anime.
5. Arrive at Tonosho port. There is a main town building you want to look for near the port. It is called the Tonosho/olive port building. You can go upstairs and see the Takagi San room, and even write a message. When you arrive you will also see this Golden statue thing that was featured in season 3.
6. You will want to get a bike to explore all of the places in Tonosho. There are several bike racks available as soon as you land, but I believe I chose the one by a convenience store, you have to download an app called hello cycling and rent your bike through the app. My bike actually glitched and locked about 2 hours in I had to painfully drag it to a return station, hopefully that doesn’t happen to you.
7. Explore Tonosho! I’m sure you can do your own research but there are so many places from the anime that you can see in real life. I first went to Angel road. When you get near it, there was an old man who was sitting near the entrance who pointed out where I should walk towards to get there. Not sure if that was his actual job or if he was just a local community member helping me out, but that was cool.

In Tonosho, you should try to go see: (Watch this video and this video. They helped me a lot)

A: Angel Road- This is where Nishikata and Takagi walk across during season 3. It is a beach shore that is connected to a small piece of land, and the water level increases or decreases every hour of the day, revealing a sand path from the beach shore to the piece of land. It is said that couples who cross it fall in love.

B: Tonosho town- This is the town that the anime takes place in. You can definitely see the resemblance in building and street styles from the anime. It is actually called the town of mazes because of its maze-like structure that connects the houses together. You can just imagine Nishikata and Takagi walking together in the narrow corridors. Seeing the rural and old nature of the buildings and town makes you appreciate their culture and how different other people's lives are in the world.

C: The library that the characters go in and study together in- I didn't get to go here unfortunately

D: Tonosho Choritsu Tonosho Junior High School- The school that they go to. I was able to see the outside of it, but didn't go in obviously.

E: Books Kotobuki- This is the book store that Nishikata buys unrequited love from. When you walk in, you will see a whole section fort Karakai Jouzu no Takagi San. I bought a book from here. If I remember correctly, it was cash only, so I went to the 7-11 right next to it and got some cash from the ATM.

F: Kashimamyo shrine- This is the shrine where the two characters rest in after getting caught in the rain. There are notebooks where fans can leave a message. I left one in the journal and bought a souvenir/good luck charm thingy. I believe I wrote in book number 14 (July 25th, 2023) if anyone wants to check it out. *IMPORTANT* There are a LOT of mosquitos here. I wanted to stay longer and read the messages people had left but I was getting bitten so much. Bring an insect repellent. I warned you.

G: Tomioka Hachiman Shrine- Last but not least. This was where the town had the festival at the end of season two, where the two characters held hands together. It was stunning. I went right at the start of golden hour so it was even better. Kind of a tiring climb to get to the top, but worth the view.

1. Just make sure to return your bike and get back to the port by the time your return ferry comes. I wish I stayed overnight at a hotel but that's up to you. Here's how it looked at night when it dropped us off back at Shin-Okayama port. Then take the bus back to Okayama station and go where you'd like. If you don't return by your ferry arrival time, the boat will leave without you.

Some last notes-

If anyone is reading this in the future, I will most likely be here to answer questions, so feel free to ask. I'm also thinking about planning a trip back here, if anyone is down next summer or the year after, let me know. This journey was difficult but 100000% worth it. The views of the beach between Kashimamyo shrine and angel road were jaw-dropping. I swore I took a video of it but I can't find it anywhere. I really wish I got to the port earlier so I could have spent more than just 5 hours there. Just make sure to plan your routes of the spots around Tonosho beforehand so you can make the most efficient pathway to visiting each spot. I hope you enjoy your trip as much as I enjoyed it and comment on here to let me know if you do end up making the trip!