[ Tosashimizu City , Kochi Prefecture ] The farthest city from Tokyo? How to get to Tosashimizu City

The farthest city from Tokyo? About Tosashimizu City

As of January 2025, Shimane Prefecture has a population of just over 11,500 people and is famous for being the city that takes the longest to travel to from Tokyo by public transportation, along with Gotsu City Prefecture and Hirado City Tosashimizu City Nagasaki Prefecture .

There are no expressways or railways in the city, so it takes about an hour to get to the nearest Tosa Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway by bus, and from there it takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes to get to Kochi by express train and airport shuttle bus. Then it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes to get from Kochi to Tokyo's Haneda Airport.

No matter how well you transfer, it will take more than five hours.

Even if you take the first flight from Haneda to Kochi(departing at 7:30), it is impossible to arrive in the morning. However, I think that the travel time is worth it to visit Tosashimizu, a town surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and lush mountains.

In this article, we will introduce how to get to Tosashimizu City, one of the most difficult cities to access in Japan.
We will introduce ways to get around within Tosashimizu City.

• Table of Contents
• As a premise
• The smartest way to travel (Kochi- Rental car or train + bus)
• Access from Matsuyama Airport (rental car or train + bus)
• Access from Takamatsu Airport (rental car or train + bus)
• Transportation within Tosashimizu City
• Route bus (Kochi Southwest Transportation)
• Taxi (hire)
• Bicycle rental
• There is also a convenient sightseeing bus (Shimanto Ashizurigo).
• Related links

As a premise

In order to access Tosashimizu City, which does not have a railroad, by public transportation only, the following are the prerequisites:
The most important thing is to get to " Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station" or "Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station", which are connected to Tosashimizu City by bus route.

By the way, you can reach Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station and Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station with one or two transfers from JR Okayama Station on Honshu. Since JR Okayama Station is directly connected to major cities such as Kyoto , Hiroshima, Osaka, Osaka , Nagoya, and Tokyo by Shinkansen, you can actually get to Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station from the central stations of various major cities with just three transfers.

When you look at it this way, you realize how amazing Japan's transportation network is.

The smartest way to travel (Kochi- Rental car or train + bus)

As a means of access from Tokyo and other urban areas to Tosashimizu City , Kochi Prefecture
This will vary greatly depending on whether you rent a car from Kochi.

Renting a car at Kochi

The main routes to Kochi are Haneda/ Narita(Tokyo), Itami(Osaka), Centrair/ Komaki(Nagoya), and Fukuoka.

Travel time from each airport
Haneda approx. 90 minutes Nagoya approx. 60 mins Itami about 40 minutes Fukuoka approx. 60 mins

It is as follows.

Kochi is one of the busiest airports in Japan, with approximately 1.6 million passengers using it annually.
Therefore, there are many rental car companies around the airport, not only in Tosashimizu City but also in other areas.
It has become an essential part of tourism to areas without railways, such as Muroto, Reihoku, and Shikoku Karst.

From Kochi , the Kochi Eastern Expressway is opened, which is directly connected to the Kochi Expressway.
If you use the toll road and head to Tosashimizu City without making any detours, it will take about 2 hours and 30 minutes (about 150 km).
You can reach the center of Tosashimizu City.
Along the way, there is a toll road up to Shimanto Town, and from there you will drive on regular roads for about an hour and a half.

In that case, please consider flight times, baggage claim, rental car procedures, etc.
The journey will take approximately 4.5 to 5 hours.
If you are using Kochi as your gateway to sightseeing in Tosashimizu City, this is the quickest way to get there.

On the route to Tosashimizu City, you will find Kochi City(Katsurahama Beach, Kochi Castle, Hirome Market, etc.), Susaki City(Yokonami Peninsula, etc.), Kuroshio Town(Irino Beach, etc.), and Shimanto City(Shimanto River, etc.).

If you use public transportation

You can take an airport shuttle bus (operated by two companies) from Kochi to JR Kochi Station.
In this case, the shortest journey time is 25 minutes and the fare is 900 yen (as of February 2025).

Airport shuttle bus - Tosaden Transportation Co., Ltd.

Kochi Station - Kochi Shuttle Bus | Timetable, Times and Stops | Kochi Station Sightseeing

Limited express trains run from JR Kochi Station to Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station, the nearest station to Tosashimizu City, approximately once every two hours .
The express train journey takes about 2 hours.

JR Kochi Station Timetable

From Nakamura Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway to the center of Tosashimizu City
You will use a bus operated by Kochi-Sai Transportation.
The journey from Nakamura Station to Shimizu Plaza Pal takes approximately 1 hour.

Route bus | Kochi Southwest Transportation

If you don't rent a car, the travel time from Kochi to the center of Tosashimizu City will be around 3 hours and 30 minutes just for the ride, but if you take transfer times into account it will take at least 4 hours.

Access from Kochi to Tosashimizu City

(Example) Depart Haneda Airport at 7:30 ⇒ Arrive Kochi at 9:00 ⇒ Depart Airport Shuttle Bus at 9:10 ⇒ Arrive JR Kochi Station at 9:35 ⇒
⇒ JR Kochi Station departure 9:51 (Limited Express Ashizuri 1 bound for Nakamura) ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station arrival 11:33 ⇒
⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station 11:42 departure (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) ⇒ Shimizu Plaza Palmae 12:38 arrival (total 5 hours 8 minutes)

As you can see, if your transfers go smoothly, you can get from Haneda Airport to Tosashimizu in 5 hours and 8 minutes.

Access from Kochi City to Tosashimizu City(last time)

This is an example of how to access the area in time to catch the last bus to reach Tosashimizu City that day.

JR Kochi Station 17:11 departure ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station 19:06 arrival ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) 19:15 departure ⇒
Shimizu Bus Center 20:11 arrival (Cape Ashizuri Misaki 20:55 arrival)

If you arrive at Cape Ashizuri Misaki after 8pm and have not ordered a meal at your accommodation, there are no grocery stores or restaurants open within walking distance, so you will need to buy some food in Kochi City(important point).

Access from Matsuyama Airport (rental car or train + bus)

For tourists from overseas, some people will use Matsuyama Airport, an international airport with regular flights from Korea and Taiwan, so we would like to introduce it here.

If you are using a rental car

If you head to Tosashimizu City from Matsuyama City using the toll road without making any detours,
The journey takes approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes (approximately 200 km).

Also on the route to Tosashimizu City are Matsuyama City(Dogo Onsen, etc.), Iyo City(Shimonada Station, etc.), Uchiko Town(Yokaichi-Gokoku Townscape, Uchiko Theatre, etc.), Ozu City(Ozu Castle, Pokopen Yokocho, etc.), Seiyo City(Straw Mammoth, Unomachi Townscape, etc.), Uwajima City(Uwajima Castle, etc.), and Ainan Town(Sotomari Ishigaki no Sato, etc.).

If you use public transportation

As with Kochi, there is no train connection, so you will need to take a shuttle bus between the airport and JR Matsuyama Station.
Take a train from JR Matsuyama Station to JR Ozu Station or JR Uwajima Station and head to Tosa Kuroshio Railway's Sukumo Station .

I think the plan is to take a bus from the airport, then change to an express bus from Uwajima Bus' Matsuyama office and head to Tosa Kuroshio Railway's Sukumo Station .

There is no railway line extending north from Sukumo City, which is connected to Tosashimizu City Sukumo City by bus route, so if you want to take the shortest route to Tosashimizu , you can take a Uwajima bus from Uwajima Station, the railway's terminus, to Sukumo Station, and then a Kochi Southwest Transportation bus from Sukumo Station to Tosashimizu.

However, please note that there are fewer bus routes Uwajima City and Sukumo City compared to the route from Matsuyama City to Uwajima City .

Access example from Haneda Airport

Depart Haneda Airport at 7:00 ⇒ Arrive Matsuyama Airport at 8:40 ⇒ Depart Matsuyama Airport (limousine bus) at 9:25 ⇒ Arrive JR Matsuyama Station at 9:40 ⇒
⇒ JR Matsuyama Station 10:18 departure (Limited Express Uwa Sea No. 9) ⇒ JR Uwajima Station 11:40 arrival ⇒ JR Uwajima Station (Uwajima Kotsu Bus) 12:20 departure ⇒
⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station arrives at 14:14 ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) departs at 16:11 ⇒
Shimizu Plaza Palmae 17:34 arrival

Access example from Seoul (Korea)

Depart Incheon Airport 7:00 ⇒ Arrive Matsuyama Airport 8:40 ⇒ Depart Matsuyama Airport (limousine bus) 9:25 ⇒ Arrive JR Matsuyama Station 9:40 ⇒
⇒ JR Matsuyama Station 10:18 departure (Limited Express Uwa Sea No. 9) ⇒ JR Uwajima Station 11:40 arrival ⇒ JR Uwajima Station (Uwajima Kotsu Bus) 12:20 departure ⇒
⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station arrives at 14:14 ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) departs at 16:11 ⇒
Shimizu Plaza Palmae 17:34 arrival

Access example from Taipei (Taiwan)

Taoyuan Airport 6:25 departure ⇒ Matsuyama Airport 9:45 arrival ⇒ Matsuyama Airport (limousine bus) 10:10 departure ⇒ JR Matsuyama Station 10:25 arrival ⇒
⇒ JR Matsuyama Station 11:27 departure (Limited Express Uwa Sea No. 11) ⇒ JR Uwajima Station 12:48 arrival ⇒ JR Uwajima Station (Uwajima Kotsu Bus) 13:50 departure ⇒
⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station arrival 15:44 ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) departure 16:11 ⇒
Shimizu Plaza Palmae 17:34 arrival

Due to connections between the Uwajima Kotsu bus and the Kochi Southwestern Kotsu bus, they arrive at the same time.

Access from Takamatsu Airport (rental car or train + bus)

There are also direct flights from overseas, and in addition to Taipei and Seoul mentioned above, there are also regular flights from Shanghai, Taichung, and Hong Kong.

If you are using a rental car

The shortest route is via Kochi City on the Takamatsu Expressway ⇒ Kochi Expressway. If you don't make any detours, the travel time is about 260 km and takes about 4 hours.

On the route to Tosashimizu City, there are Takamatsu City, Sakaide City(Shikoku Aquarium, etc.), Kotohira Town(Konpira Shrine, etc.), Mitoyo City(Chichibugahama Beach, etc.), Kochi City(Katsurahama Beach, Kochi Castle, Hirome Market, etc.), Susaki City(Yokonami Peninsula, etc.), Kuroshio Town(Irino Beach, etc.), and Shimanto City(Shimanto River, etc.).

There is also a route that takes you from the Takamatsu Expressway to the Matsuyama Expressway via Matsuyama City and Uwajima City, which, although a longer route, is about 350 km and will take around five hours.

On the route to Tosashimizu City, Takamatsu City, Sakaide City(Shikoku Aquarium, etc.), Kotohira Town(Kotohira Shrine, etc.), Mitoyo City(Chichibugahama Beach, etc.), Niihama City(Besshi Copper Mine, etc.), Matsuyama City(Dogo Onsen, etc.), Iyo City(Shimonada Station, etc.), Uchiko Town(Yokaichi-Gokoku Townscape, Uchiko Theatre, etc.), Ozu City(Ozu Castle, Pokopen Yokocho, etc.), Seiyo City(Straw Mammoth, Unomachi Townscape, etc.), Uwajima City(Uwajima Castle, etc.), and Ainan Town(Sotomari Ishigaki no Sato, etc.).

If you use public transportation

There is no train line to Takamatsu Airport either, so you can take the airport shuttle bus to the Kochi bus stop, then take the express bus bound for Kochi to JR Kochi Station, and then take the train to Nakamura Station, or you can take the airport shuttle bus to JR Marugame Station, then stop at JR Kochi Station and take the train to Nakamura Station.

There are few trains heading to Kochi from both JR Takamatsu Station and JR Marugame Station, so it will take less time to travel to JR Tadotsu Station or to take an express bus from the express bus stop to JR Kochi Station.

Access example from Haneda Airport

Departure from Haneda Airport at 6:55 ⇒ Arrival at Takamatsu Airport at 8:15 ⇒ Departure from Takamatsu Airport at 8:40 (limousine bus to Okura Hotel Marugame) ⇒
⇒ Arrive Kotoden Ayagawa Station at 9:00 ⇒ Leave Kotoden Ayagawa Station at 9:09 (bound for Kotoden Kotohira) ⇒ Arrive Kotoden Kotohira Station at 9:32 ⇒ JR Kotohira Station (4 mins walk) ⇒
⇒ Departs JR Kotohira Station at 9:55 (Nanpu 3 Limited Express bound for Kochi) ⇒ Arrives JR Kochi Station at 11:30 ⇒ Arrives JR Kochi Station at 11:49 (Ashizuri 3 Limited Express bound for Nakamura) ⇒
⇒ Arrive at Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station at 13:34 ⇒ Depart from Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station at 13:39 (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) ⇒
Shimizu Plaza Palmae 14:35 arrival

Access example from Shanghai (China) (operates 4 days a week)

Depart Shanghai International Airport 8:45 ⇒ Arrive Takamatsu Airport 12:00 ⇒ Depart Takamatsu Airport 13:10 (limousine bus to Kanonji and Shikokuchuo City) ⇒
⇒ Arrive at Zentsuji Expressway (bus stop) 13:49 ⇒ Leave Zentsuji Expressway at 14:15 (Kuroshio Express) ⇒ Arrive at JR Kochi Station 15:48 ⇒
JR Kochi Station 17:11 departure ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station 19:06 arrival ⇒ Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) 19:15 departure ⇒
Shimizu Bus Center 20:11 arrival (Cape Ashizuri Misaki 20:55 arrival)

Access from Hong Kong

It is not possible to arrive in Tosashimizu City from Hong Kong on the same day, so you will need to stay overnight in Kochi City or Shimanto City.

Depart Hong Kong International Airport at 10:00 ⇒ Arrive Takamatsu Airport at 14:45 ⇒ Depart Takamatsu Airport at 17:10 (limousine bus bound for Kanonji and Shikokuchuo City) ⇒
⇒ Arrive at Zentsuji Expressway (bus stop) 17:49 ⇒ Leave Zentsuji Expressway (bus stop) 18:50 (Kuroshio Express) ⇒ Arrive at JR Kochi Station 20:26 ⇒
⇒ One night in Kochi City (or one night in Shimanto City )

Tomari in Shimanto City (Nakamura)
Departs JR Kochi Station at 21:18 ⇒ Arrives Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station at 23:04
(Next day) Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station 8:20 departure ⇒ Shimizu Plaza Palmae 9:21 arrival

Tomari in Kochi City
Departs JR Kochi Station 8:20 ⇒ Arrives Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station 10:04 ⇒ Departs Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station 10:14 (Kochi Southwestern Transportation Bus) ⇒
Shimizu Plaza Palmae 11:10 arrival

For accommodation information in Shimanto City, please click here.

Transportation within Tosashimizu City

The main means of transportation within Tosashimizu City are route buses and taxis (often called hire cars in Tosashimizu City).
If you are confident in your physical strength, you can also rent a bicycle.

Route bus (Kochi Southwest Transportation)

There are three main routes: those heading to Cape Ashizuri Misaki(there are different routes on the east and west sides of the peninsula), those heading towards Shimanto City, and those heading towards Otsuki Town and Sukumo City.

Bus to Cape Ashizuri Misaki

This is a route bus that connects Shimizu Plaza Pal and Cape Ashizuri Misaki.

The frequency of service is once every 2-3 hours starting at 8:05am (Higashi), and once every hour on the westbound route from 9:21am.

If you want to go to Nakahama (John Manjiro's birth house, etc.) or Matsuo (Ako Taiki, Ebidora, Yoshifuku Family Residence, etc.), go west.

If you want to go to Kubotsu or Otani, take the Higashi bus.

The destination on both the east and west routes is Cape Ashizuri Misaki, so those heading to Cape Ashizuri Misaki can take either the east or west route.

Bus bound for Shimanto City(Tosa Kuroshio Railway Nakamura Station)

This is a bus route that connects Shimizu Plaza Pal and Nakamura Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway.

The frequency of service is approximately one train per hour starting at 7am.

Destinations include Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan Iburi Center and Oginohama Beach.

Buses heading to Otsuki Town and Sukumo City

This is a bus route that connects Shimizu Plaza Pal and Tosa Kuroshio Railway Sukumo Station via Otsuki Town .

There are few flights, with only four flights per day on weekdays and six flights per day on weekends and holidays.

Destinations include the Tatsukushi area, Cape Kanae Zaki, Roadside Station Fureai Park Otsuki, and Kashiwajima (transfer at Fureai Park Otsuki).

Taxi (hire)

There are two taxi companies available in Tosashimizu City.

These are Ashizuri Transportation, located in the city center of Tosashimizu City, and Tatsukushi Minokami Tourist Hire, located in the western tourist destination of Tatsukushi.

Tatsumaki Tourist Hire

(*Ashizuri Kotsu Hire does not have a website.)

Naturally, it costs more than traveling by local bus, but in return you have a certain amount of freedom in your movements.

Bicycle rental

You can rent road bikes at Mori Bicycle Shop, located near Shimizu Plaza Pal, the gateway to Tosashimizu City (returns can only be made at Mori Bicycle Shop).

Bicycle Rental / Tosashimizu City Tourism Association

Electrically assisted bicycles can also be rented at hotels in the Cape Ashizuri Misaki Cape area, Manjiro Footbath, and Takemasa Shoten in Nakahama.

Tosashimizu/Ashizuri By E-bike / Tosashimizu City Tourism Association

There is also a convenient sightseeing bus (Shimanto Ashizurigo).

This is a sightseeing bus that allows you to easily enjoy sightseeing in Shimanto City, as well as Tosashimizu City, Otsuki Town, Sukumo City, and other areas.

This is a great value sightseeing bus that allows you to visit spots that are difficult to reach using public transportation alone, and you can also receive discounts on admission fees and more.

Shimanto Ashizuri/ Kochi Southwest Transportation

Related links

Accommodation and tourist information in Tosashimizu City

Tosashimizu City Tourism Association

Bus timetables, fares and bus stops

Route bus / Kochi Southwest Transportation