Tsunoshima Bridge and Motonosumi Shrine
- In 2026, Motonosumi Shrine visits are suspended on weekends and public holidays from March to November, while weekdays remain open.
- Repairs prevent walking through the torii gates even on weekdays, with work expected to continue until spring 2027 or later.
- Parking is free at Amagase Park and Sezaki Akari Park; Motonosumi Shrine charges cars ¥300 for one hour, maximum ¥500.
PR: This page contains advertising. The two Rakuten Travel links in section 6 are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission. Rakuten Travel is in Japanese.
Tsunoshima Bridge (Tsunoshima Ohashi) in Shimonoseki and Motonosumi Shrine in Nagato are two sights in north-west Yamaguchi, about 35 minutes apart by car. Many visitors see both in one day. Two things are worth checking before you go: whether parking costs money, and whether the shrine is open for visits on your day.
In short
- Parking at the two parks by Tsunoshima Bridge is free. Parking at Motonosumi Shrine is ¥300 for the first hour (¥100 for each extra hour), up to ¥500 for a car.
- In 2026, visits to the shrine are suspended on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from March to November. In October and November that is every weekend and holiday.
- The torii gates cannot be walked through at the moment, even on weekdays, because they are being repaired. The shrine shop and car park stay open on suspended days.
- There is no bus from a station to the shrine. A day-trip bus tour from Shin-Yamaguchi Station or Yuda Onsen covers both places (section 5).
Checked with official pages on October 18, 2026.
Read next7 pages, swipe sideways
Mikan Picking on Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi 2026: ¥800 for 1 Hour, Opening Dates and Parking at 5 OrchardsPlay
December 2026 in Yamaguchi: Winter Events and Shichi-Go-SanPlay
Where to stay in Yamaguchi: Hagi, Shimonoseki and the hot-spring townsPlay
Concert Halls in Yamaguchi: 7 Venues Compared by Station Access and ParkingPlay
Concerts and Stage Shows in Yamaguchi, December 2026: 9 Shows at 6 Venues by DatePlay
Concerts and Stage Shows in Yamaguchi, November 2026: 25 Shows at 6 Venues by DatePlay
Hofu Yomiuri Marathon 2026: Start Time, Road Closures and How to Get ThereLive
1. Parking and visiting rules for the two sights
Depends on each facility
Parking by the bridge is free; the shrine’s car park is paid. The bridge itself is free to cross, and it can be closed in strong wind.
| Place | City | Parking | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motonosumi Shrine | Nagato | Lot 1: 92 cars. Lot 2: 24 cars | Car: ¥300 for 1 hour, then ¥100 per hour, max ¥500 |
| Tsunoshima Bridge, Amagase Park | Shimonoseki | 46 cars (no large buses) | Free, 24 hours |
| Tsunoshima Bridge, Sezaki Akari Park | Shimonoseki | 24 cars (no large buses) | Free |
| Tsunoshima Lighthouse | Shimonoseki | Paid car parks nearby | Lighthouse climb: ¥300 (junior high school and up) |
The visiting days for the shrine are in the next section. The pages cited in the Sources are in Japanese.
2. Motonosumi Shrine, Nagato
Depends on the operator
In 2026, visits to the shrine are suspended every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday from March to November. Nanavi, the site of the Nagato City tourism association, lists which days are open, month by month.
| Month | Weekdays | Sat, Sun, holidays | Long holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar, Apr, Jun, Jul, Oct, Nov | Open | Suspended | – |
| May | Open | Open, except the Golden Week period | May 2 to 10: suspended |
| Aug | Open | Open, except the Obon period | Aug 8 to 16: suspended |
| Sep | Open | Open, except Silver Week | Sep 19 to 23: suspended |
For the rest of 2026, October and November both suspend weekends and holidays. That includes the public holidays on Tuesday, November 3 (Culture Day) and Monday, November 23 (Labor Thanksgiving Day). As of October 18, 2026, Nanavi had not published the visiting days for December and later. For those months, ask the Nagato City tourist information center YUKUTE (the phone number is at the end of this section).
On suspended days the shop and the car park are open. You cannot walk through the red torii gates, but you can see them from the Ryugu no Shiofuki side. The white-fox red-seal stamp (御朱印, goshuin) is not sold on suspended days.
The repair of the torii gates is expected to last until next spring or later (updated October 7). So the gates cannot be walked through on weekdays either. The offering box (賽銭箱) has been removed, and Nanavi says there is no plan to put one back.
Parking. Lot 1, right in front of the shrine, has 92 spaces. Lot 2, about 200 m away, has 24 and is opened when Lot 1 is crowded. A car pays ¥300 for the first hour and ¥100 for each hour after that, up to ¥500. A motorcycle pays ¥100 per entry and a bus ¥1,500 per entry. Buses cannot reserve. Part of the bus parking area can be used by drivers with disabilities.
Getting there. The shrine is mainly a car destination: about 60 minutes from Mine IC on the Chugoku Expressway. There is no bus from the nearest stations. A taxi takes about 20 minutes from Nagato-Furuichi Station and Hitomaru Station, and about 40 minutes from Nagato-shi Station. Nanavi gives about ¥3,000 one way from Nagato-Furuichi and Hitomaru as a guide.
Car navigation. Nanavi asks drivers to set the destination with the phone number of the nearby restaurant Shiokaze, 0837-32-2003, not the shrine’s number. If you enter the YUKUTE number, the navigation takes you to the tourist information center in Senzaki.
Rules. You are asked to leave the grounds by 16:30. Entering and taking photos at night are not allowed, and neither is drone photography by individuals. Nanavi’s live camera shows Lot 1 and other spots, so you can check how crowded it is.
Address: 498 Yuya Tsuo, Nagato City, Yamaguchi (山口県長門市油谷津黄498). Google Maps. Visiting hours: 9:30 to 16:30. Phone (YUKUTE, Nagato City tourist information center): 0837-26-0708.
| Name | Motonosumi Shrine |
|---|---|
| Address | 498 Yuya Tsuo, Nagato City, Yamaguchi |
| Hours / Closed | Visiting hours 9:30–16:30 (suspended on Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and other days from March to November 2026; the shop and parking remain open on suspended days) |
| Phone | 0837-26-0708 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
3. Tsunoshima Bridge, Shimonoseki
Depends on the operator
At 1,780 m, the bridge is among the longest toll-free bridges on a public road in Japan, and the Amagase Park car park before the bridge is free for 24 hours. The Sezaki Akari Park on the island side also has a free car park. Neither takes large buses.
When it is crowded. The busy direction is cars returning from the island to the mainland. The tourism site says this happens during long holidays and the summer holidays, with the peak around 13:30 to 15:00. For the return to Shimonoseki, it recommends turning left at the junction just after the bridge and taking the city road Tsunoshima Ohashi Line to National Route 191. Going in the morning makes it easier to avoid the crowds.
Driving times. About how long it takes by car to reach the bridge:
- Shin-Shimonoseki Station: about 1 hour 10 minutes
- Shimonoseki Station: about 1 hour 20 minutes
- Shin-Yamaguchi Station: about 1 hour 25 minutes
- Mine IC: about 1 hour
- Yamaguchi Ube Airport: about 1 hour 30 minutes
- Kitakyushu Airport: about 1 hour 40 minutes
- Motonosumi Shrine: about 35 minutes
By bus. Take the Tsunoshima bus from Takibe Station on the JR San’in Line. For Amagase Park, get off at “Hotel Nishi-Nagato Resort Iriguchi” (ホテル西長門リゾート入口), a ride of about 30 minutes and a 3-minute walk. For Sezaki Akari Park, get off at “Sezaki Koen” (瀬崎公園), about 35 minutes, right at the stop. The pages do not give the number of buses or fares, so check the operator’s timetable. The bridge is lit up every night from sunset to sunrise, all year.
Location: Hohoku-cho, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi. Google Maps. Open every day; it may close in strong wind. Phone (Hohoku-cho Tourism Association): 083-786-0234.
| Name | Tsunoshima Bridge |
|---|---|
| Address | Kanda to Tsunoshima, Hohoku-cho, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi |
| Hours / Closed | Open daily (may be closed to traffic in strong winds) |
| Phone | 083-786-0234 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
4. Tsunoshima Lighthouse, Shimonoseki
Depends on the operator
The lighthouse stands just past the bridge, on Tsunoshima. Climbing it costs ¥300 for junior high school students and older, and the observation gallery next to it is free. The climb is open every day, but may be closed in bad weather. The gallery is open 10:00 to 16:00 and closed on Thursdays. The climb is open 9:00 to 17:00 from March to September and 9:00 to 16:30 from October to February.
Parking: use the paid car parks nearby; large buses park free. By bus, ride from Takibe Station to “Todai Koen-mae” (灯台公園前), about 40 minutes, then walk about 5 minutes. From Kottoi Station, a Blueline Kotsu bus takes about 25 minutes to the same stop.
| Name | Tsunoshima Lighthouse |
|---|---|
| Address | 2343-2 Tsunoshima, Hohoku-cho, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi |
| Hours / Closed | Lighthouse climb: March–September 9:00–17:00, October–February 9:00–16:30 (open daily) / Observation gallery: 10:00–16:00 (closed Thursdays) |
| Phone | 083-786-2788 |
| Map | Open in Google Maps ↗ |
| Official site | Open the official site ↗ |
↑ Back to the comparison table
5. How do I get there without a car?
Depends on the operator
Without a car, a day-trip bus tour from Shin-Yamaguchi Station or Yuda Onsen visits both places. It is called “Fuku no Tabi, Yamaguchi-go 2026” (ふくの旅、山口号2026) and runs on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from April 3, 2026 to March 28, 2027. It does not run from December 26 to January 3 or on Friday, January 8.
- Board at Yuda Onsen (8:40) or Shin-Yamaguchi Station (9:20). The tour stops at Akiyoshido Cave (60 minutes) and lunch first.
- Visit Tsunoshima Bridge and Motonosumi Shrine. The tour gives 20 minutes at Amagase Park, 20 minutes at Motonosumi Shrine and 20 minutes at Kaisenmura Kita-Nagato.
- Get off where you like. The bus reaches Nagato-shi Station at 16:00, Nagato Yumoto Onsen at 16:15, Shin-Yamaguchi Station at 17:30 and Yuda Onsen at 18:10.
The fare includes lunch: ¥11,800 for adults and ¥6,400 for children. If you get off at Nagato-shi Station or Nagato Yumoto Onsen, it is ¥10,800 for adults and ¥5,900 for children.
You can reserve until the day before, on the web or by phone: JTB Yamaguchi branch, 083-976-2307, weekdays 9:30 to 17:30. The tour does not run if fewer than 15 people have signed up 15 days before the start date. English support is not stated on the tourism site.
Important
The tour reaches the shrine on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays are suspended days, so on those days you can reach the shrine area but cannot visit the shrine itself.
A taxi is another option. For the shrine, the nearest stations are Nagato-Furuichi and Hitomaru, about 20 minutes away. For Tsunoshima Bridge, use the bus from Takibe Station.
6. Where can I stay nearby?
Depends on the provider
The bridge is in Hohoku-cho, Shimonoseki, and the shrine is in Yuya, Nagato. Picking a base near one of the two makes the morning easier than staying halfway between.
PR · Ad / affiliate link. Rakuten Travel is a Japanese-language booking site; check the room, price and cancellation terms on the final confirmation screen.
Inns in Hagi, Nagato and Akiyoshidai on Rakuten Travel (Ad, Japanese)
PR · Ad / affiliate link. For stays near Tsunoshima, Shimonoseki and Ube are on this list.
Inns in Shimonoseki and Ube on Rakuten Travel (Ad, Japanese)
7. What should I check before I go?
- The day of the week. Is it a Saturday, Sunday or holiday? November 3 and November 23 are holidays.
- December and later. Has Nanavi published the visiting information?
- The torii gates. Look at the latest news about the repair. At the moment, they cannot be walked through.
- Wind. On a day with a strong-wind forecast, Tsunoshima Bridge may be closed.
- Your way back. On long holidays, traffic back from the island is heaviest from 13:30 to 15:00. Can you shift your time?
8. Common questions
Can I visit Motonosumi Shrine on a Saturday or Sunday in October or November 2026?
No. Nanavi lists Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from March to November 2026 as suspended, with exceptions only in May, August and September. The shop and the car park stay open.
Is parking free at Tsunoshima Bridge?
Yes. The car parks at Amagase Park and Sezaki Akari Park are free. Amagase Park is open 24 hours. Large buses cannot park at either.
Can I get to Motonosumi Shrine by public transport?
There is no bus from the nearest stations. The tourism pages list taxis from Nagato-Furuichi, Hitomaru and Nagato-shi stations, and a bus tour from Shin-Yamaguchi Station and Yuda Onsen.
What if the wind is strong?
The tourism site says Tsunoshima Bridge may be closed in strong wind.
Next steps
Sources (checked October 2026)
7 pages we checked
- Nanavi (Nagato City tourism association): Visiting Motonosumi Shrine from December 2025 and Motonosumi Shrine
- Yamaguchi tourism site: Motonosumi Shrine
- Yamaguchi tourism site: Tsunoshima Bridge and first-time Tsunoshima guide
- Yamaguchi tourism site: Tsunoshima Lighthouse
- Yamaguchi tourism site: Fuku no Tabi, Yamaguchi-go 2026 bus tour
- Videos: Yamaguchi Prefecture Tourism Federation official YouTube channel “Oidemase Yamaguchi e” (おいでませ山口へ)
- Photos: Yamaguchi Prefecture Tourism Federation free photo download (Photo: Yamaguchi Prefecture Tourism Federation)
Official information checked on October 18, 2026 (Japan time).
