Before I get into this, I live in Japan, so don’t worry about international travel restrictions or anything here.
Anyway, so I’m planning a small trip for this spring to do the Shimanami Kaido, and hoping to get some recommendations for the other parts of my trip.
**Day 1:** Train to **Onomichi**, sleep there. I’ll probably arrive in the evening so won’t do much sightseeing, but if anyone has any food recommendations for dinner, that would be appreciated!
**Day 2:** Wake up early and cycle the **Shimanami Kaido.** I’ll make a few stops along the way for lunch and sightseeing, want to check out Kousanji Temple on the way. Drop off my bike in Imabari and catch the train to Matsuyama. Head to Dogo Onsen to relax and chill out for the evening.
**Day 3:** Free day in **Matsuyama**, other than checking out Matsuayama Castle and some of the Botchan related things, I’ve got no real plans for this day. Are there any good half-day trips from Matsuyama that I could do for a morning?
**Day 4:** Boat to **Hiroshima** in the morning. Check out Hiroshima Castle, Peace Memorial Museum and Park and Shukkeien Garden. I’ve never tried Hiroshimayaki before so I’m hoping to try that somewhere – is Okonomimura actually good, or a bit of a tourist trap? I’d been recommended Lopez Okonomiyaki by a friend too, but any other recommendations are appreciated!
**Day 5:** Free day in **Hiroshima**, hoping to do a day trip somewhere but still deciding where. Itsukushima Shrine is covered in scaffolding at the moment, so I was thinking of saving Miyajima for a different time. I was deciding between **Iwakuni** and **Okunoshima**, but if anyone else has got some good day trip suggestions (or more things to check out in Hiroshima) that would be great!
**Day 6:** Make my way back home, I’ll be heading in the direction of Osaka so I might make a stop in **Okayama** on the way back.
I’m mostly looking for restaurant/bar recommendations to be honest – I’d love to try out all of the local specialties and I’m a big craft beer fan too, so if there’s any breweries or good bars I’d love to check them out.
Apologies for rambling slightly, and thank you to anyone who read all of this – any suggestions or changes to my itinerary would be really appreciated! 🙂
16 comments
About Day 3, are you interested in Tobeyaki ceramics? The potteries are about 30-50 minutes southeast of Matsuyama.
Onimochi is know for Onomichi ramen, you should really try. Even if you are only there in the evening, you can still walk around, the streets leading to Senko-ji. I think Onomichi is totally worth spending some time, It’s a bit sad that many people only see it as the start point of the Shimanami kaido.
Personally in Matsuyama I went to Ishite-ji. I walked there from Dogo onsen. In any case, if you are remotely interested by temples, that can be nice to see.
If I had the choice between Iwakuni and Okunoshima, I would say Iwakuni. However, if it was a choice to do anything, I would probably stay one more day in Onomichi at the start of the trip. That is if you like small town with not too much to see, just kind of retro ambiance, cute café, lots of old temples and a great view on the sea and islands.
If you are into craft beer, do you use untappd ? you can browse their app to see where bars and micro brewery are, at least it’s easier to search for the local beer when you know there is one, even if it is to bring it back to you room to drink.
I visit my son in Japan, when we went to hiroshima he took me to his favorite place. Lopez okonomiyaki. Loved it !! Here’s a good article if you haven’t read it yet
https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2015/hiroshima/
Onomichi is honestly one of my absolute favorite places in the entire country and I think it would be tragic to use it just as a place to bed down. It’s a truly gorgeous town with some of the most friendly, outgoing residents I’ve ever encountered. I would give it at least half a day, even if you can only fit in half the temple walk or something.
As others have said, Onomichi is a beautiful place and much more than just a starting point for Shimanami Kaido. There are some nice onsens there, and the streets are a joy to walk down.
Shimanami Kaido, though. That is a beauty. You will absolutely love it and the views are phenomenal. One of the most fun things I’ve ever done, coupled with beautiful views. The endpoint of the Shimanami Kaido, Imabari, is also incredibly nice. I stayed at a hostel after I finished Shimanami Kaido, and there was a public bathhouse nearby and it was absolutely phenomenal.
Hey I biked Matsuyama to Onomichi in one day. When I do it again, I’m going to savour the Shimanami Kaido and take two days.
There’s a hotel called The Juicy Fruit in the middle. I really wish I had stayed there. I also biked Onomichi to Okayama, Okayama to Himiji and Osaka to Kyoto.
If you need any advice, feel free to messsge me.
Food @ Matsuyama:
1. Imabari Yakibuta Tamago Gohan at 笑姫きっちん
Local Imabari dish, super yum. Can be breakfast/lunch, they have mikan juice on tap (as is basically anywhere in Matsuyama lol)
2. てんぐの隠れ家
Izakaya that I really enjoyed while there.
If you have the time I’d suggest visiting Dogo Onsen for sure.
One of my favorite restaurants is called Yamaneko Cafe/Wildcat Cafe. It’s got some good coffee, delicious set meals, and yummy parfait. I also recommend Mamakariya (literally around the corner) for some Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. And also Akatora, which is a Michelin star restaurant that offers some great sets for lunch, but I suggest booking.
If you want a beer I recommend Clue in the arcade, or just visit a combini and take your beer to the seating by the ocean. If you check Google or Trip Advisor you can find some great cocktail bars too.
There are a lot of places I could recommend, but those are probably at the top of my list. If you stroll around the arcade and on the street by the ocean you will find a lot of good restaurants and cafes, and some cute shops.
I definitely recommend a trip up the cable car to Senkoji – the view can’t be beaten!
I enjoyed a half day visit from Hiroshima to Kure to see the Yamato museum.
I don’t like cabbage so Okonomiyaki is not a dish I’ll try again. But the oysters in Hiroshima are worthwhile.
Not an itinerary critique but a food recommendation like you asked— in Hiroshima there is a very small ramen shop called Kunimatsu. Go there! They specialize in Dan Dan Ramen which is a drier ramen that’s very spicy. It’s been over a year since I was there and I still think about it all the time.
If you’re into soba and are looking for a nice sit down dining experience I recommend itasoba kaoriya. The interior is stunning and so was the food. Everything we ate was really delicate and well balanced. It’s was a really special meal.
Lopez Okonomiyaki is great, especially if your first language is English (or Spanish) as an introduction to Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. The owner took some time to explain different toppings like ika-ten (dried squid) and how to order and eat. The Okonomimura seemed like a bit of a tourist trap, if you are comfortable ordering in Japanese you’d probably have a more interesting/better meal going to one of the standalone shops.
For bars in Hiroshima, I really liked [Bar Pretty](https://goo.gl/maps/otuvLyTDqHYwkJte8) (it has “Flankey Kobayashi” on the awning, which is also a bar in Matsuyama) – tiny place run by a super-friendly couple who speak some English. Well-priced drinks and no seating charge IIRC.
Here’s a YouTuber from Nagoya that recorded the 4 hour ride.
https://youtu.be/yyrG7QF1kVU
I don’t know your Japanese level sauce you live there but here’s a YouTuber channel that frequents many local restaurants in that area.
https://youtube.com/channel/UC0AVyhbJ1kGqVOfX-MEzrxA
Hello!
I biked from Onomichi to Imabari in 2019! It was literally the most beautiful trip I took while living in Japan.
That being said, it is a GRUELING trip to make in a day unless you are a really experienced cyclist. Especially if you really want to stop and enjoy the scenery, it’s best to split the 70km into two days. Without stopping and at a quick pace, it would take 11 hours.
I also say this because the last stretch of biking through Oshima and the final bridge to Imabari is one of the more brutal/longest parts of the trip. If you don’t play your cards right and it gets too late, there’s virtually no lights along the trail so you’ll be biking in pitch black. (speaking from experience, lol)
Also, about the rental- dropoff ends relatively early in Imabari! So planning enough crucial time to make the dropoff is essential.
I don’t know if this is just my experience as well, but when renting the bike in Onomichi, get there VERY early. I arrived at 7am and basically all the bikes were gone. We ended up having to rent the very fancy racing bikes which were not cheap and not great for a non experienced biker. (they were much much faster though)
Luckily, there are tons of cute campsites along the way, so I really recommend camping or staying at a hostel at the halfway point so that you have time to stop and see the sights/eat/rest!
Safe biking!
I don’t really have any other reference points, but I certainly liked Okonomimura. Packed with many small restaurants, just pick one that looks nice with enough free space. We went to one at the back corner of the top floor named Ron, friendly folks and cheap grub. Perhaps avoid the lower floor if you’re afraid of the “tourist trap” nature.
If you do go to Iwakuni, Sanzoku is a really cool restaurant, although it’s easiest to get to by car. There was a Jack Sparrow statue and Pirates of the Caribbean music playing outside when I arrived at the entrance one fateful summer night…I think they change the decorations so I’m not sure if that’s still there. Lol
https://japantoday.com/category/features/food/this-'mountain-bandit'-restaurant-is-one-of-the-coolest-places-in-japan
Blue Moon Cafe is an American themed diner in Hiroshima city that’s pretty cool. The food wasn’t bad either (their interpretation of tacos was definitely…interesting) with huge omelettes and burgers. If you’re looking for authentic Japanese food it’s not the place, but I enjoyed the atmosphere there!
The Shack is a bar in Hiroshima City that’s very popular with local foreigners. I also liked the vibe of this bar called CAMEL, it was very chill with more local Japanese customers.
https://backpackers-bar-camel.business.site/
For a day trip, you could consider going to Kure and seeing the Yamato Museum. It’s about a 40 min. drive from Hiroshima city and features a model of the Yamato, a massive Japanese battleship from WWII, as well as other maritime exhibits about WWII. Kure is also known for “Kure Kaiji Curry” that members of the Maritime Self Defense Force eat, so I stopped at a restaurant right by the museum to try some. It was great but nothing special stood out about it! Lol
Lastly, if you go to Okunoshima, make sure to rent bikes! I had a lot of fun biking around the island and seeing the factory ruins.
Edit: Not sure about craft beer, but Saijo is known for its sake breweries. I never got to go on a tour, but Saijo was a nice town to check out. Takehara is another town that might be worth checking out if you like seeing traditional Edo-period buildings.
In Onomichi, there’s a geat little tiny okonomiyaki place called Noguchi (if you’re not worried about having okonomiyaki at the start of your trip as well as in Hiroshima!) Have fun! The ride is beautiful.