Welcome (back) to the second part of my November “Journey Down South”! This report will feature my absolute favourite experience in Japan (and perhaps just my life in general) with the famous Shimanami Kaido cycling route that I undertook back in that November!
As always, you can check out my other reports down below.
[Part 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/178mxdx/one_year_in_japan_the_open_air_sauna_june_july/)| [Part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/17kfjpl/one_year_in_japan_escaping_the_heat_august_2022/) | [Part 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/17yfls8/one_year_in_japan_sapporo_my_beloved_august_22/) | [Part 4](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1b1mkrh/one_year_in_japan_big_news_first_mistakes/) | [Part 5](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1b88w18/one_year_in_japan_a_most_enjoyable_kyoto_october/) | [Part 6](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1bi2lvb/one_year_in_japan_kanazawa_and_nakasendo_november/)
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**Okayama + Kurashiki**
After finishing my hike along a portion of the Nakasendo trail, it was time to get the train from Nagoya to Okayama. I had been to Okayama in 2019 already and thus had already checked out the major sights, such as the Koraku-en (one of the top 3 traditional gardens in Japan) and Okayama Castle before, which I passed on this time around. The main reason I had a short stay over here was because I didn’t really know where else to go after my Nagoya stay, truth be told. I revisited Kurashiki, which is famous for its canals and shopping streets featuring a whole lot of denim. I took these two days to just somewhat relax after the big hike beforehand, so I basically just [strolled](https://imgur.com/a/IJ5Jpln) around town, checking out a few shrines along the way. If I were more of a window shopper or just more into shopping in general, I probably would love this place a lot more – but I feel that way about a lot of places in Japan that other people love (for instance: Shimokitazawa in Tokyo).
Not much to report here, I am afraid. If you are ever on your way down south Japan and are looking for like a day or two day trip, Okayama and Kurashiki are probably a good shout but don’t expect anything _super_ special. And apparently Okayama is famous for it’s Horumon, so if you like that, I am sure you can find a good place here somewhere.
**Onomichi**
After my little break in Okayama, I went ahead to [Onomichi](https://imgur.com/a/B7d3yeE), which is a port town closeby and one of the starting points for the aforementioned Shimanami Kaido cycling route. Many people usually take a train from Okayama early in the morning, go to Onomichi and start the cycle there but since I had time and wanted to start _as soon as possible_ on the day of the cycle, I had decided to stay there for one night and check out the small town in peace. And I actually was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There is a designated route to walk along 25 temples, most of which are on the city’s hillside. Of course, most of them are rather small but there are a bunch with [multiple buildings](https://imgur.com/a/aZyIGIK) as well. I really liked walking along the path and seeing all the different temples and small shrines, although some of them are a bit off the route and lead through small residential areas. On top of that, you can get great [views](https://imgur.com/a/aXyhwKR) of the port and surroundings of Onomichi. At one of the temples, I found this particular [cat](https://imgur.com/a/EK0lmD8) just sleeping away. This cat looks almost exactly like my cat, which passed away in 2018. I choose to believe that this is her from another universe and that this was fate :P.
At some point, I went back to my hotel to properly check in and pack my necessary things for the cycle before shipping my large suitcase to my hotel In Hiroshima, where I’d be a few days later. Hotel staff was very helpful with that and forwarding my luggage was super easy (Sakura Hotel Onomichi Ekimae, for anyone who’s interested). Once I did all that, I went back outside and made my way back up the hill to [Senkoji](https://imgur.com/a/CrPRbLc) temple, which has a park, museum and an observation platform – the latter being completely free. Since this is one of the highest points in the city, it offers the [best views](https://imgur.com/a/gwcrdkb) as well! Especially around sunset. I probably spent an hour or so up there and just watched the [sun slowly disappear](https://imgur.com/a/75PL8Qn) behind the faraway mountains, thinking about how “tomorrow”, I’d be cycling around somewhere in the distance. Once the sun was gone, I slowly walked back down to the city,[ stopping along the way](https://imgur.com/a/K3k1iuu), taking a few pictures of the city at [night](https://imgur.com/a/cTy298s), with the moon illuminating the town. There’s also a whole lot of cats in Onomichi.
I ended the day with Onomichi’s own version of [ramen](https://imgur.com/a/mtJn6bL), although this was certainly one with not _as much_ pork fat on top, but it was incredible. Because I wouldn’t have much time to go for breakfast the day after (and I don’t really eat breakfast in general), I got a few bananas for the cycle. Some sort of pseudo nourishment to have at least something in my stomach before the cycle began!
**Shimanami Kaido**
And then, the day I awaited for YEARS had arrived. I packed my backpack with all the leftover stuff (laptop, powerbank, chargers, change of clothes, bananas) that I did not send forward to my next hotel and checked out, [walking](https://imgur.com/a/Ubw3MD7) towards the pickup point of my rental e-bike. I will not go into more detail about how the whole bike reserving went since I made a [post about it back then](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/yqj571/shimanami_kaido_ebike_report_15_years_since_i/). If you are interested in reading what it’s like to do this cycle with pretty much no cycling practice for over a decade, check that out. For this report, I’d like to focus on the actual journey itself!
Once I got my bike, I got onto the ferry that takes you from to Mukaishima, which is the first, small island of the actual cycling route. The weather was AMAZING and I still get shivers when I think back at me on that ferry, watching the [sun slowly rise](https://imgur.com/a/n4nPHCy), the hazy morning sky, my trusty [steed](https://imgur.com/a/tMdr229)…It really did feel like I was embarking on some grand journey at that time and it was a dream come true to cycle [this](https://i.imgur.com/QnamYal.jpg) route. The first island isn’t that spectacular since you spend a while cycling along cars through the small city but once you hit the proper cycling route (which is always marked by a blue line on the road), you get to enjoy the incredible [views](https://imgur.com/a/Hj2XtCi) around the Seto Inland Sea.
It really feels distinctively different from the rest of Japan. The flora is so much more tropical. I stopped _a lot_ along the route, taking pictures of everything. For the sake of not cluttering up the thread too much, I am posting just a “few” [photos](https://imgur.com/a/FMiyuOs) but yeah…words can not describe how breathtakingly beautiful this place is. Cycling along the coasts, seeing the bridges, cycling over them, having even better views offered – it’s incredible. It felt very rewarding to cross bridges I’ve seen from afar. Back when I cycled this route, there weren’t too many people doing the same so I had most of the way to myself. Although one person sticks out to me – a woman who _walked_ the route. Now, I don’t know whether she walked the entire thing or just a portiong but certainly did make her way up one of the bridges and those have some killer inclines! We exchanged a few words and “Ganbatte’d” each other every now and then because sometimes she’d catch up with me when I was taking pictures; her pace was astonishing. Every now and then, I’d get some water or snack along the way from one of the konbini, using that time to take more pictures of course.
Around the halfway mark, I took a break at the [cyclist sanctuary](https://imgur.com/a/K1MCwPS), which offers seating, food and everything else you’d probably need as a cyclist, I suppose. I was pretty hungry at this point and devoured this curry at what may be the [most scenic place](https://i.imgur.com/apFxaWS.jpeg) I’ve ever eaten at before continuing my journey. These [maps](https://i.imgur.com/6WPGI7W.jpeg) were always a nice reminder of how far I was already and how much more I had to go. Honestly, 90% of this cycling route has [beautiful](https://imgur.com/a/qOzuaSp) sights. After taking [this](https://i.imgur.com/dvDs37W.jpeg) picture, I managed to actually fall over with my bike but didn’t hurt myself in any major way but it was still somewhat funny that I actually fell when trying to get back onto my bike and not while cycling – which I was more concerned about considering how long it had been since I actually rode a bike. Anyway, as I approached the [“final stretch”](https://imgur.com/a/aYwirRU) (which was probably still like… 15-20 kilometers), I checked my e-bike’s juice and had more than enough to tackle the part of the cycle that isn’t part of the official route but an absolute must see for me personally: Kirosan Observatory.
This one is located on a mountain, some 300 meters high, near Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, the last bridge I’d cross on this cycle. The cycle up to the observatory took a while because the incline is crazy but luckily the e-bike did its job well. Of course, I also had to stop along the way to take [pictures](https://imgur.com/a/IWSmd9T). Perhaps you can tell how steep these roads are from the pictures. Once I got up there, I took an about an hour and a half long break because my butt was screaming and I wanted to see the sun set from up here and my god was the detour worth it. I am repeating myself endlessly at this point but pictures do not do [any of this](https://imgur.com/a/GijNCj0) justice. You truly have to have experienced it to properly appreciate just how beautiful this looks. As the sun started to [set](https://imgur.com/a/XF4D3cy), I took a few pictures and gazed at the sight before me but unfortunately had to make my way back down eventually because I did not want to ride down the mountain in the dark and also just in general didn’t want to ride in the dark. Gotta be careful on the way down since this is a normal road that cars drive on as well and since it’s so steep, you can ramp up in speed _really_ quickly and get into dangerous situations if you aren’t careful. I simply limited myself to going down at like 20km/h and braking slowly on the way down and was good to go.
As I got closer to the final bridge, the sun also got closer and closer to disappearing. This [particular](https://i.imgur.com/VQfGl4p.jpeg) shot evokes the most nostalgia for me. Knowing I had already cycled over 60km, the sun setting, the sky’s gradient changing. I still remember exactly how I felt in that moment haha. When I finally got onto the bridge, I took another few [final pictures of the surroundings and the sun vanishing for good behind the mountainside](https://imgur.com/a/MNN177Y). Honestly, the water looked like it was painted in real life. And then I got back onto my bike and made my way across the 4000 meter long bridge and just enjoying the final moments of this particular part of the cycle. Didn’t take any pictures from there on out since every time I got off my bike, my ass hurt like crazy and because I wanted to get to Imabari before it was pitch black. The last part of the cycle from the end of the bridge to Imabari is probably the worst part because you essentially just ride back into a city, there’s cars around you again and it’s not that great but I didn’t care too much about that, I was just glad I experienced this day.
I dropped my bike off at the rental place, sat around for a bit, eating an ice cream I got from a konbini nearby and then got a ticket from Imabari to Matsuyama, since I didn’t plan to stay in the former and thus had one more small train ride ahead of me. Just like on my hike along the Nakasendo and Nagiso’s peculiar train station with no manned gates and no IC Card readers, Imabari station was also pretty “rural”. Paper tickets only and staff members checking tickets manually. Exhausted, with my butt, hands and legs hurting, I plopped myself onto the cushy seats of the train and rode for an hour until I got to Matsuyama. My hotel wasn’t too far away from the station and most importantly: it had a rooftop onsen! This would be my first onsen experience ever and let me tell you: when your butt cheeks scream, your legs are dead tired and your hands hurt from holding onto those handlebars for 10+ hours, getting into that hot water was absolute bliss. To top it all off, the hotel offered free ice cream for anyone who went to the onsen, which was my last snack of the day.
And then, I was off to bed! There wasn’t much rest to be had…
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As I said at the beginning of this post, this is by far the best thing I have ever done in Japan. I could go on and on about that day forever and now tell everyone I know that they should go and undertake this journey themselves. All the videos, comments, posts you may have seen that hyped this thing up are true. It sounds very cliché but the entire time I cycled, I just felt “free” of stress and as if everything that was on my mind disappeared for those 10 odd hours; taking in the surrounding nature AND feeling proud of myself for achieving this goal were a real mental boost. My body was sore for 1-2 days afterwards but I’d do it an WILL do it again (HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR). Just be honest with yourself when you do plan this. If you are an experienced cyclist and you are used to inclines and long hours on a saddle, you will probably be fine with renting a normal bicycle. If you aren’t though, just take an e-bike – it makes things easy and enjoyable. Again, here’s the thread I wrote on the same day I finished the cycle if you want to know a bit more about the rental process and such.
The next report will feature at least Matsuyama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka but considering how my stays there were relatively short, I may include the rest of my November adventures there too and finish that month off.
Thanks for reading and as always, feel free to ask questions!
P.S.: Imgur really sucks!
by Dumbidiot1323