9-Day Trip Report – Fukuoka/Hiroshima/Matsuyama + Shimanami Kaido!

# Overview

Booked the trip for April 22-30, not knowing that 29-30 was already the start of Golden Week (in hindsight it wasn’t that bad – yet, just really crowded train stations in Hakata and Hiroshima Stations. I bought the 7-day Whole Japan Rail Pass from Klook (voucher shipped to me before I left) which I’m not sure if I did break even, but it sure did make it hassle free as the lines to some of the ticket machines were getting long. Rented a pocket wifi from Japan Wireless and also a powerbank (a big W for me as I completely forgot about the powerbank – was really useful). Booked all my acommodations a couple months in advance using Agoda.

# Day 1 – Fukuoka

Arrived at Fukuoka Airport around 8PM-ish. I had my pocket wifi delivered to my capsule hotel the day before as I was worried the stalls in the airport would close if I chose to claim it there. Took me around 20 minutes or so to clear immigrations and customs. Airport stalls did seem open at this time still. I then proceeded to take the free transfer to the domestic terminal to get to the subway. After fumbling a bit with the machine, I managed to buy my Hayakaken IC Card. Took the Subway to Nakasu to stay at nine hours Nakasu-Kawabata. This was my first time at a Capsule Hotel. Overall it was pretty clean, though I don’t think it’s for me. It was kinda spacious but the snores did get loud. The provided ear plugs did help though. Not too bad for the price. I walked along to the Yatai at Nakasu and managed to eat some ramen and mentaiko. Grilled mentaiko was so good haha. Funny thing happened going to buy supplies at the local Lawson afterwards – the lady asked me in Japanese if I wanted a plastic bag, and I said no since I didn’t really catch what she said. Ended up stuffing my jacket pockets with supplies. I did kinda cram learn some Japanese, but some basic phrases will get you by to be honest.

# Day 2 – Fukuoka -> Onomichi

I wanted to stay active in Japan and Sunday was my Long Run day so I used one of the Fukuoka Routes on the [Great Runs website](https://greatruns.com/location/fukuoka-japan/) and ran 15 kilometes around Ohori Park and Nishi Park. I come from a tropical country so 10C was really cold for me at first, but then I warmed up after a while. Ohori Park was so pretty and there were so many runners. It was such a nice experience being able to run around in that huge park. Gobbled up some Famichikis afterwards and checked out of nine hours after freshening up. Headed over to Hakata Station in the morning to claim my JR Pass. The line to claim the JR Pass was quite short when I arrived, maybe because it was still around 8AM at the time. The line to buy JR Pass on the other hand was… very long. It was my first time riding a bullet train, so I was amused at how fast we were going (it didn’t feel like you were zooming past at 300KPH since it was so smooth). Also mindblown that there were sockets to charge phones on the bullet train. Had to get off at Fukuyama to go back and take a train to Onomichi. Onomichi is a very relaxed and chill coastal town. I stayed at Guesthouse Yadocurly and dropped of my bags. The owner, Hiro-san was friendly and gave me a free donut (he makes fresh donuts every day). I had a sashimi bowl set for lunch, and man, that was some fresh sashimi! I then proceeded to take the ropeway up to Senkoji Park and climbed up the observatory. Beautiful views, even if it was already past cherry blossom season. Walked back down and had a coffee and cake at Le Jardin Charme. Lovely view over the Seto Inland Sea and Mukaishima. I then sent my bigger backpack using Black Cat to Matsuyama. I had a smaller packable where I transferred 2-days worth of clothes in for the Cycle. Hiro-san did recommend Ramen Matatabi for dinner, and boy was it good. I had a big bottle of beer, some wonton ramen and negitori. Great conversations with the locals at the restaurant too! Had to buy a raincoat from Lawson also since Shimanami Kaido Day 2 was gonna be rainy.

# Day 3 – Shimanami Kaido Day 1

I walked to port at 7AM to get my reserved bike ([here](https://shimanami-cycle.or.jp/rental/english)). Got a green bike with a basket, I mean it had gears so it was good enough for me. Cool short ride through the ferry and I’m off. Since I had enough time, I planned doing the 130KM-ish route ([here](https://biketourjapan.com/cycling-the-shimanami-kaido/)) over 2 days since I wanted to see more of the islands. The first day was planned to be 62KM. My oh my was this route hillier than the original route. I was supposed to pass by Ushio Chocolatl in Mukaishima but it was still closed lol. The scenes were great, the route takes you along the coastline of the islands, but they sure were hilly. Had breakfast at a 7-11, which was out of the way of the route, but it was a necessary detour as I was getting super hungry. The way up the bridges were tiring and I had to walk some parts of the uphill, but it was manageable. Innoshima was cool and saw a ship building yard, I even saw a battleship! Then came Setoda/Ikuchijima, this passed the original route so it was way flatter. I had Dolce Ice Cream and it was really refreshing after cycling for a couple of hours. Ate lunch at Aori Restaurant at Setoda before heading to Kousanji Temple Complex. Squid sashimi set meal with a raw egg/soy sauce dipping sauce – delicious. Kousanji Temple was nice, went in the cave of 1000 buddhas and also nice views on the Hill of Hope. Finished the day riding across Tatara Bridge while taking some pictures at the Tatara park. Checked in at Guesthouse Farmor at Omishima. The owner, Atsuka-san, is one of the nicest people I’ve met so far in Japan. She recommended me to go Onsen at Shimanami Dome and eat dinner at Cafe Karibu. First time onsen experience was nice and relaxing and the dinner was filling and delicious.

# Day 4 – Shimanami Kaido Day 2 + Matsuyama

I was hoping it wouldn’t rain if I left super early, but even after waking up at 5:30AM, it was already drizzling. Can’t win all the time, so I pressed on. My butt and legs were too sore from yesterday’s cycle so 70KM on Osusume Route was out of the question, I cycled the original route instead with 40KM to go. Omishima and Hakata Island weren’t so tiring, but Ohshima island was hard. It wasn’t insanely hilly like Day 1, but I was sore and the uphills were loooong. I was using Strava for GPS so I could follow the route but that meant I had to remove the gloves on my right hand. The rain and the wind was so cold and my hand was not having it haha. Last uphill up to Kurushima Kaikyo bridge was tough but the views were great. Last uphill cycle to the observatory and then made a u-turn straight for Imabari. Dropped off the bikes and took the train to Matsuyama. Quite the scenic train with coastline views. Went straight to Matsuyama Castle and had Orange Juice from the tap. NGL it was really good orange juice. The views on top of Matsuyama Castle were cool also. Walked around a bit and had Yoshinoya for lunch at the shopping district. Then went over to Dogo Onsen to check in at Guesthouse Cinnamon and to pick up my bag that I sent from Onomichi. After chatting with the host I walked around checking out Dogo Park and then heading over to the Asuka no Yu Annex of Dogo Onsen. It was so fancy and relaxing, I think I’m addicted to onsens haha. All the tiredness from the 2 days of cycling seemed to disappear both times I went to the onsen. Then had dinner across the Annex and had Sea Bream Taimeshi and some sashimi. I wasn’t able to ask which fish were in the sashimi (definitely not tuna nor salmon) but they all tasted great. Spent the remainder of the night dropping off my stuff at a coin laundry playing jazz non-stop. Had some Horoyoi and some chips at the guesthouse before picking up my laundry and calling it a night.

# Day 5 – Hiroshima

Funny day today. Woke up early to catch the 6:26 Bus from Dogo Onsen to Matsuyama Port ([Ticket bought here](https://ticket.jorudan.co.jp/iyotetsu/limousine/en/)). I managed to buy a Hiroshima Carp Ticket for later this evening via the Loppi Machine in Lawson. Things go a bit south from here, I then mistakenly proceed to board the 6:02 Bus to Matsuyama Airport thinking the bus just early and was just boarding passengers until 6:26. Boy was I wrong. Lesson Learned: Japan is ALMOST ALWAYS on time. I rushed to buy another ticket to pay for the Bus Ride to Matsuyama Airport (since the ticket purchased online is point to point and I can’t get off the other stops). From Matsuyama Airport, I then take a short taxi ride to the port (costly mistake, but hey on the bright side I get to ride a fancy Japanese Taxi for the first time). I arrive at the port and have enough time to get the first Superjet ride for the day to Hiroshima. 8000 yen. The ride was quite smooth and had nice views as well. Took the train to Tenryu Hotel and ate at some konbini after leaving my luggage there. Checked out Shukkeien Garden – it was pretty, but I’m sure it would’ve been waaaay prettier if I were able to catch the Cherry Blossoms earlier that month. Then proceeded to go to Hiroshima Castle. Lots of high schoolers on field trips and it was a cool 360 degree view of Hiroshima at the top. Spent some time at the bomb dome and did feel quite heavy for most of it, teary-eyed as well. Checked out most of the other places at the park but missed the peace museum (I went back for it the next day). After that, went to eat some Okonomiyaki at Hassei. I underestimated how huge the full size Okonomiyaki would be and I had to order a Cola as well to help me finish it. It was good, but I should’ve definitely gotten the half size Okonomiyaki. Later that night after buying a previous season Hiroshima Carp Baseball Jersey on sale (3500 yen!) at a Sogo Department Store, I headed over to Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium. Pretty cool and funny name hehe. Zoom-Zoom. Ended up buying some bento from a side stall before the stadium before entering. Bought some drinks at the stadium as well. Beer Girls and Boys were selling Asahi and Kirin Beer on the stands themselves. It was my first time to ever watch a baseball game so I was pumped. Doing some research and found out that Hiroshima sure has some passionate baseball fans, and they sure did. They had chants and songs for each player! They lost 3-6 to the Chunichi Dragons but I had tons of fun. Took around 3 hours for the game to finish. Long walk back to the hotel.

# Day 6 – Hiroshima/Miyajima

I was supposed to go to Sandankyo Gorge today but after walking to Hiroshima Bus Center I saw that most of Sandankyo was closed due to a landslide, so I had to think of something quick. Since I wasn’t really planning on going to a bar this trip, I ended up buying another Carp Ticket for that night. After breakfast I headed over to the Peace Museum and I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming feelings it brought. It was very eye-opening and somber and I felt that taking photos inside the museum wasn’t right. A good experience nonetheless and a lesson to be learned that war and nukes shouldn’t exist. Had some time also before the game so I thought of going to Miyajima a day earlier than planned to hike Mt. Misen. I hiked at 12 noon so it got a bit hot, and I did mistakenly hike that steepest route – the Momijidani Course (no wonder I barely saw anyone climbing up, only going down). After 50 minutes of hiking I was blessed with majestic views at the top overlooking the Seto Inland Sea and Hiroshima. Spent a good 15 minutes appreciating the view. Took the Dashoin Course down and it had a nicer view along a river since the Momijidani Course was mostly though forest. After I went down the mountain I went back on the JR ferry back to Hiroshima to catch the game (lots of time spent travelling I know – but at least when I got back to Miyajima the day after I had more time to relax). Had some Kaitenzushi before the game and bought snacks at a Lawson. I didn’t see this the day before but then for the Stadium, you can BUY the drinks before hand and they have free 32oz cups by the entrance where you can transfer the liquids since bottles and cans aren’t allowed. Oh well lesson learned, the beer was great and we won 3-2 after 12 innings! Only regret was I didn’t buy a Hiroshima Carp sticker at the fan shop for my thermal flask back home.

# Day 7 – Miyajima

Spent the morning checking out the Outlets in Hiroshima. The clothes were nice but I really don’t have any luck finding running shoes here in Japan (US Size 12 – they usually max out at US 10-11 for most of the stores on my trip). Then tried Ikinari Steak and it was kinda nice also. Juicy for sure. Then went back to Miyajima and ate a ton of food. Hiroshima Oysters are insane. They’re so much bigger and tastier than the local oysters from my country. Checked in at Sakuraya to stay for the night and it was a nice Japanese-style room with tatami mats. Then caught the sunset at Itsukushima and rushed to find a place to eat dinner as most of Miyajima closes early. Was able to eat some conger eel for the first time as well. From the hotel I saw that low tide peaked at around quarter to 10PM so I was able to check out Itsukushima Shrine at around 8:30PM. The tide was so low that I was literally able to walk right up to the shrine itself. I wonder how cool it would’ve been had I stayed longer at the peak of low tide. Called it a night after going to Sakuraya’s Onsen.

# Day 8 – Miyajima -> Fukuoka

Again tried to stay in shape (and since it was also a form of exploring the island) and ran a 10K along the coastline of Miyajima. It was very hilly (around 130m elevation gain) but the views were nice – almost as nice as the Shimanami Kaido. Headed to Fukuoka afterwards. It rained all day today and thankfully APA Hotel in Gion lent me an umbrella to use. Today was the start of Golden Week and I really wanted to eat some Wagyu before going back home. I tried my luck and walked in a fancy steak restaurant ranked highly online, but it was fully booked for lunch AND dinner for today and the next day. Then I went to Canal City to check out the stores and ended up eating at Beef Taigen. It was kinda like Ikinari Steak and it definitely wasn’t Wagyu but it was still a delicious meal. Maybe I’ll have that Wagyu the next time I visit Japan. Hit up Tenjin to check out some stores and found no sizes for myself again hahaha. Had dinner at a local ramen shop near the hotel and it was so good especially on a rainy night like that.

# Day 9 – Fukuoka and Back Home

Last day in Japan also happened to be Long Run Day. So using the Great Runs website I ran 14KM along Muromi River. Had to take the subway to get there but it was nice. Mixed terrain with some dirt roads but it was nice. Checked out of APA Hotel and went to Hakata Station for Breakfast. The station was PACKED. Lots of local and foreign tourists and it sure was a bit dizzying. I was able to find a vacant coin locker and left my bigger bag at the station. Although my feet were quite tired from the running this morning, I knew I had to squeeze in some more sights before my 8PM flight. Headed to Uminonakamichi Seaside Park first and was blown away on how many types of roses I saw. Also checked out the flower hill to see a sea of Nemophilia (Baby Blue Eyes after a quick google search). Quickly passed by to check out the Capybaras at the Zoo area and they were CHONKERS. Then I took the ferry to Momochi Seaside Park and went up Fukuoka Tower. Cool view at the top. Finally, capped off my trip by buying a Hiroshima Mug from Starbucks because I had so much fun in that prefecture.

# Lessons Learned

1. JR Pass might not always be the best option but also should be considered if you don’t like lining up to buy train tickets (but then an estimation of the transportation costs on the trains is still worth doing). And if you do choose to buy a JR Pass, buy them in advance.
2. Japanese Public Transport is almost always on time and Google Maps and the JapanTravel app is your best friend.
3. I’m not sure if it’s a Golden Week thing only but really good restaurants need reservations beforehand. Walking in is a risk and if you REALLY want to eat at that restaurant, you’re gonna need to reserve in advance.
4. Google reviews in Japan sure skews to the low end. 3-4 stars on google were definitely a great meal already for me in my opinion. Looking around in this subreddit and it seems that 5-stars is for something really really exceptional.
5. Lots of travelling around can get tiring. I guess it was an exception for me for this case since I really really wanted to cycle the Shimanami Kaido, but checking in and out of accomodations almost daily was a bit tiring (I had 7 different accomodations in this 9-day trip)

Overall I’m super happy and grateful for the experience. Would definitely wanna do the Shimanami Kaido again. I HIGHLY recommend people to try it out.