Tsunoshima and Motonosumi Self-Drive Route from Fukuoka: Fitting In Shimonoseki and Mojiko

Tsunoshima and Motonosumi Self-Drive Route from Fukuoka: Fitting In Shimonoseki and Mojiko

Tsunoshima Bridge and Motonosumi Shrine are in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Honshu, just across the Kanmon Strait from Kyushu, so many travellers treat them as an add-on to a Kyushu trip. GoodCars will give you the conclusion first: one day is enough for Tsunoshima and Motonosumi only. If you also want Shimonoseki and Mojiko, plan two days and one night.

Four things need checking before you commit, because finding out on arrival is too late. The most basic one: whether the car may leave Kyushu for Honshu depends on the booking page and the supplier terms, and without that the whole route falls apart. Motonosumi's torii tunnel cannot be walked through at present, and worship is suspended on some weekends and holidays. The sushi stalls at Karato Market in Shimonoseki do not run Monday to Thursday. And the Kyushu Expressway Pass (KEP) stops at Moji IC, so crossing the strait costs extra.

Tsunoshima Bridge is 1,780 m long, free to cross, and may close in strong wind (illustrative image)

The short answer: one day covers Tsunoshima, four stops need two days

GoodCars built the table below by adding up section times published by official and tourism bodies. It excludes breaks and traffic. The key to the two-day plan is to go far first: use the expressway to reach the furthest point on day 1, then come back slowly through Shimonoseki and Mojiko.

Section guide: Fukuoka Airport to Motonosumi takes about 3 hours (Kyushu Expressway, Kanmon Bridge, Chugoku Expressway to Mine IC, then about 60 minutes from Mine IC). Motonosumi to Tsunoshima Bridge is about 30 km and 40 minutes. Tsunoshima to central Shimonoseki takes 70–80 minutes (60–70 to Shimonoseki IC plus about 15 into town). Mojiko to Fukuoka Airport takes about 1.5 hours. Follow your navigation on the day. For cross-prefecture times inside Kyushu, see the Kyushu car rental guide. If you only have one day and want the sea, the Itoshima and Karatsu route from Fukuoka is far easier.

Check first: Motonosumi's torii cannot be walked through right now

The famous image of Motonosumi is 123 red torii running down a slope to the sea. According to notices from the Nagato tourism association (Nanavi) and Yamaguchi's tourism site, at the time of writing the torii are under repair and closed to walkers, and the work is expected to run until at least the following spring. Walking down the tunnel of gates is not available for now, and how much you can see from above depends on the works.

This table is the notice for the current season at the time of writing. It runs only to November of that year and is not a fixed yearly rule. Later months, including March onward the following year, have not been announced. The weekday-first plan below also rests on this season's notice, so check again if you travel from December on.

On site: worship hours are 9:30–16:30, and entry and photography at night are prohibited. Lot 1 holds 92 cars and lot 2 holds 24 (about 200 m away). Parking is 300 yen for the first hour, then 100 yen per extra hour, up to 500 yen. Parking around Tsunoshima is free, so this is the only paid stop on day 1. Holidays are busy; mornings are easier.

What you can see during repairs is limited, so do not hang the whole trip on one photo (illustrative image)

The day of the week decides the plan: sushi stalls versus the shrine

The Ikiiki Bakangai sushi stalls at Karato Market in Shimonoseki run only on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, not Monday to Thursday, and finish around 15:00. Official start times differ: the market website gives 8:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and 7:00 on Sundays and holidays, while Shimonoseki City and the Yamaguchi tourism site give 10:00 and 8:00. The timetable below uses the later 10:00, and you should check the monthly calendar on the Karato Market website again before you leave. Fridays see only 5–6 stalls; weekends and holidays see about 20.

Under this season's notice Motonosumi is safest on weekdays, and Bakangai starts on Friday, so the overlap is narrow. GoodCars suggests putting the shrine on day 1 and the market on day 2:

• Thursday out, Friday back: you reach both, though Bakangai has only a few stalls
• Friday out, Saturday back: you reach both and Bakangai is fuller, but the market area gets congested
• Leaving on a Saturday or Sunday: check whether the shrine is suspended that day. If it is, view from a distance or give the time to Tsunoshima

Parking: the Karato Market car park charges 120 yen per 30 minutes. From 6:00 to 23:00 the first hour is free, but go over one hour and you pay from the moment you entered. On weekends and holidays the market website advises using car parks around the station and coming over from there. Machinavi Shimonoseki shows live car park status for the city.

Bakangai sushi is bought and eaten on the spot, by the water on a fine day (illustrative image)

Crossing the strait: Kanmon Bridge and Kanmon Tunnel are two different roads

Two roads link Kyushu and Honshu, with different tolls and different ways to pay. GoodCars finds many travellers assume they are the same thing, so here they are side by side.

That is why the two-day plan takes the bridge out and the tunnel back. On day 1 you go straight from the Kyushu Expressway across the bridge onto the Chugoku Expressway. On day 2 you enter the tunnel near Karato and surface near Mojiko without returning to the expressway. The tunnel toll rose recently and a further change is planned around the introduction of ETC, so keep coins in the car. One lane is restricted about every two months for maintenance, and accidents can close both directions. If so, use the bridge.

You cannot stop on the bridge for photos; view it from the shore at Mojiko or Karato (illustrative image)

KEP ends at Moji IC and does not cover the bridge to Honshu

This is the most important finding from GoodCars in checking this route. Article 4 of NEXCO West's KEP terms lists the Kyushu Expressway section as Moji IC to Kagoshima IC, and the official route map also stops at Moji. The Kanmon Expressway with the bridge is not on the list, nor is the Kanmon Tunnel, nor the Chugoku Expressway in Yamaguchi. For eligibility and how to buy, see the Kyushu car rental guide. Here we only do the sums for this route.

• Entering at a Kyushu IC and leaving at a Honshu IC: under the terms, KEP covers only up to the last IC in the zone and the rest is charged separately
• This route: Dazaifu IC to Moji IC is 2,330 yen one way, 4,660 yen return, which is below the 6,200 yen two-day KEP
• On Honshu: Moji to Shimonoseki at ETC 420 yen and Shimonoseki to Mine at 1,300 yen are yours to pay; KEP does not help

The GoodCars verdict: do not buy KEP for this route alone. Over two days you would lose money. It only has a chance of paying off when this is attached to something like a Kyushu loop itinerary with heavy Kyushu expressway use, and you should redo the sums for the whole Kyushu part. NEXCO has also announced an end date for KEP sales, so check the official page that it is still on sale for your dates. Whether KEP or an ETC card is offered depends on the supplier, as explained when you book.

What about SEP, the San'in-Setouchi-Shikoku pass for Honshu? Its official map does reach Shimonoseki in the west, but it starts at 3 days and 10,700 yen and the strait crossing is not on the map, so GoodCars sees no use for it on a two-day trip.

Confirm one thing before you book: whether the car may leave Kyushu for Honshu depends on the booking page and the supplier terms. Once that is confirmed, plan with the timetables below.

Check Fukuoka Airport pick-up options

Day 1: Motonosumi to Tsunoshima, with no slack in the morning

After leaving the Chugoku Expressway everything is local road, and convenience stores and petrol stations thin out noticeably, so deal with both while still on the expressway. GoodCars advises against rushing the Sea of Japan stretch: there are many narrow sections, and the car ahead often slows for the view.

Once off the expressway, expect to be slower than the navigation estimate (illustrative image)

Tsunoshima Bridge has no toll. The classic viewpoint is Amagase Park on the Honshu side, with 46 free spaces open 24 hours. Sezaki Akari Park across the bridge has 24 free spaces. Spaces are few and fill up in summer and on long weekends. Tsunoshima Lighthouse on the island can be climbed for about 300 yen (junior high age and up), with about 105 spiral steps. Published hours vary, but it closes before evening and stops in bad weather.

Tsunoshima Lighthouse is at the western end of the island, a short drive beyond the bridge (illustrative image, not Tsunoshima Lighthouse itself)

Day 2: Karato Market, Mojiko, and back to Fukuoka

GoodCars keeps this day loose because a late return is the one thing you cannot fix. The municipal Mojiko Retro car park charges 200 yen an hour, capped at 800 yen for stays from 3 to 12 hours, and fills at weekends. You can also leave the car in Shimonoseki and take the Kanmon ferry from Karato to Mojiko: about 5 minutes, about every 20 minutes, 400 yen one way for adults. The car still has to get back to Kyushu, so this suits a round trip on the water.

Mojiko Retro is flat and compact; park once and walk (illustrative image)

The final stretch to the airport uses the urban expressway or Dazaifu IC, which charge separately from the Kyushu Expressway. See the Fukuoka city car rental guide for details, and the Fukuoka Airport car rental guide for the return and shuttle process.

Before pick-up: licences and crossing to Honshu

Most nationalities need an International Driving Permit issued under the Geneva Convention of 1949, plus their home licence and passport, all three, every time. Japan does not accept Vienna Convention format permits. Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan instead use the original licence with an official Japanese translation; a translation you make yourself is not accepted. You may drive for up to one year from entry, within the validity of your documents. Holders of mainland Chinese or Indonesian licences cannot drive in Japan at all, and a permit does not change that. Hong Kong and Macau residents use a Geneva-format permit with their local licence and passport. The full picture is in the complete guide to renting a car in Japan.

This route leaves Kyushu, so whether the car may go to Honshu, what happens in an accident, and what the insurance and Non-Operation Charge cover include all follow the booking page and supplier terms when you book through GoodCars. Read them before you set off. Whether the car has ETC also depends on the supplier and vehicle.

FAQ

Q1. Can I do Tsunoshima as a day trip from Fukuoka?

Yes, but it is not relaxing: 6 hours or more of driving alone, with Shimonoseki and Mojiko dropped. GoodCars recommends two days for first-time drivers in Japan.

Q2. Does KEP cover Kanmon Bridge?

No. Its Kyushu Expressway coverage ends at Moji IC. The bridge and everything on Honshu are extra, and this route alone does not repay the pass.

Q3. Should I use the bridge or the tunnel?

Use the bridge to stay on the expressway and the tunnel between Mojiko and Karato. The tunnel takes about 6 minutes and costs 230 yen, cash only at the time of writing.

Q4. Is Motonosumi Shrine still worth visiting?

It depends what you want. During repairs you cannot walk the torii and some weekends are suspended. If walking the gates is the point, wait until the work ends. If you are passing for the sea view, a weekday detour is fine.

Q5. Can I get sushi in Shimonoseki at the weekend?

Yes. Bakangai runs Friday to Sunday and on holidays, and weekends are the busiest. Arrive early and be ready to park further away.

Q6. Is this drive safe in winter?

The main risks are wind closures on the bridge and cold road surfaces. Officials have in the past urged winter tyres or chains on the Chugoku Expressway in Yamaguchi. Do not assume a car rented in Kyushu has winter tyres. If a cold wave is forecast, shorten the trip or cancel.

Q7. Can I return the car at Fukuoka Airport?

That is the simplest option, and it is the Kyushu pick-up point you can book with GoodCars. The route starts and ends there, so no one-way arrangement is needed.

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