The route is interrupted between Saganoseki area of Ōita (where it joins with Route 217) and Ikata, Ehime because of the Hōyo Strait, and traffic between the two islands is carried by a ferry between the two towns.

Route 197 was originally designated on 18 May 1953 from Matsuyama to Kōchi.

Two Japanese folk songs can be heard, one in each direction, when these short segments of the road are driven over.

The songs are created by grooves in the roadway (rumble strips) arranged to form melodies.

This article relating to the roads and highways in Japan is a stub.