Day 1, Arrive at KIX
- Picked up JR West Setouchi Area Pass
- Dinner in Namba
- Light shopping in Namba
- 1 bag sent to Hiroshima, 1 bag stayed behind at hotel in Osaka
Day 2, Train to Imabari, Bike Shimanami Kaido
- Shinkansen to Okayama, transferred to Limited Express Yosan Line
- Rented bikes at Giant in Imabari
- Bike rode to ÅŒmishima
- Stayed overnight in ÅŒmishima
Day 3, Bike to Ōmishima
- Early bike ride around Ōmishima island
- Breakfast at hotel
- Biked to Sakari Port, ferry to Okunoshima and back
- Finished biking Shimanami Kaido in Onomichi
- Returned bikes, rinsed off at public showers
- Took Onomichi Ropeway
- Walked back down the hillside to station
- Local train to Fukuyama, Shinkansen to Hiroshima
- Dinner in Hiroshima
Day 4, Hiroshima Peace Memorial, Miyajima
- Shipped bag back to Osaka
- Walked around Hiroshima Peace Park
- Early entry into Hiroshima Peace Museum
- Brush shopped at Hiroshima Kumano Fude ShopÂ
- Train to Miyajimaguchi, ferry to Miyajima
- Lunch, deposited bags at ryokan
- Hiked to the top of Mt. Misen by Daisho-in
- Ropeway down
- Dinner at ryokan
- Walked around at night
Day 5, Miyajima to Osaka
- Itsukushima Shrine, 5 story pagoda, walked around before daytrippers arrive
- Breakfast at ryokan
- Ferry/train back to Hiroshima Station
- Shinkansen to Osaka
- Shopping in Osaka
- Checked into hotel
Day 6
- Free day in Osaka
- We opted for shopping, considered doing Himeji via Hello Kitty Shinkansen
Day 7
- Pokemon Cafe in Osaka
- PM departure from Osaka
Shimanami Kaido notes: I thought the train was low stress and had cool views. Many people opt to start in Onomichi instead of Imabari and then take the bus when they are done. I was not able to reserve a Giant road bike online but there was walk-in availability in Imabari. I bike regularly so the ride was quite easy and I was able to do an extra loop the morning of Day 2.
Hiroshima/Miyajima notes: There's a ferry from Hiroshima Peace Park, but I didn't think the time savings were worth it since it runs less frequently. We did the early entry tickets for the Peace Museum and it was definitely worth it for a calm, no wait experience. The only thing I would have shifted would be to eat lunch before getting to Miyajima. Took us about 90 minutes to get up to Mt. Misen, it was hot and I would definitely bring tons of water/Pocari sweat. I really enjoyed staying overnight and seeing the island light up at night and being to see island quiet in the early morning.
JR Pass notes: Without our pass, it would have cost 30,440 yen. If you remove the train to Imabari and instead take the bus from Fukuyama, you can probably get away with the 5 day Kansai Hiroshima pass. We also did not bother taking the JR train to and from KIX but you can do the Haruka. We also considered a day trip to Himeji would have further improved our value but took it easy.Â
by tceeha