My boyfriend and I did the Shimanami Kaido (Onomichi to Imabari direction) yesterday, and it will certainly remain one of the highlights of our trip. Almost criminally stunning scenery, easy-to-follow route marked in blue on the tarmac, and the bicycle rental scheme worked sooooo smoothly.
It took us 4.5 hours — not counting the lunch stop on Oshima.
Cycling through those sleepy island villages, somewhat industrial and a little rundown in a beautiful Japanese way, past metalworks factories, small harbours, citrus groves and middle-of-nowhere grocery stores, my prevailing thought was “We’re in Japanese Twin Peaks.”
Some posts here (and the YT videos I’d seen) had made me a bit nervous about all the uphill bits – I absolutely hate hills, both when hiking and cycling. I’m fairly fit, but not a triathlete by any means, and suck at cardio. But in the end I only had to get off my bike two times, on one short but steep ascent and on another that wasn’t steep but was fairly long. All the uphill bits leading to the [rather beautiful] bridges are very well-designed, so you just go up a long upward spiral road at an average of a 3% incline, which should be manageable for reasonably healthy people. There’s also the option of getting an electric-assist bike, which I believe you can now drop off at any of the 10 rental bases, not just the Onomichi base (but don’t quote me on that, enquire first – this note was scribbled in marker pen on their poster).
A few more details and tips, in case they are useful:
– We didn’t reserve our bikes, just showed up at 8am on a Monday and found two Cross bicycles we liked. Paid ¥3,000 each for one day. Helmets are mandatory and included in the price. Electric-assist bikes would have cost only a little more: ¥4,000 per day.
– If you go on a sunny day, even in autumn, do wear sunscreen. My arms are red today. Rookie mistake!
– The very last part of the route (between the last bridge and the final rental base) is the least interesting, plus there are some roadworks currently in progress. I’m glad we took time to stop and enjoy the view from the final bridge before heading down there.
– The final ascent is the longest, but that makes the final descent SO. MUCH. FUN. You go downhill for ages!
– We stayed at the Onomichi Hostel Yutori, which isn’t actually a hostel but serviced apartments. It was crazy cheap compared to big cities, but sparkling clean, comfortable, and incredibly well-equipped. If MUJI did hotels, this would be it.
– Our first dinner in Onomichi was quite special: we found a tiny, top rated izakaya called Akatobi. It’s based in a very unassuming location and has zero frills. This is where the locals go. It has been run by the same guy for decades, and the prices have stayed low. He doesn’t speak any English, and the menu is scribbled in hand on a sheet of paper above the bar stand – so if you don’t speak any Japanese, you can just ask for Onomichi Ramen. We paid ¥500 yen each and it was delicious.
– We had lunch at a small family-run place on Oshima (on the route) called Konpira. I highly recommend it. Simple but flavourful and filling food cooked in front of you, perfect for cycling. They do things like okonomiyaki, takiyaki, yakisoba / om yakisoba, milkshakes, and shaved ice. They don’t speak English, but have an English menu – just ask.
– On our way back, we decided that a ferry would be more fun than a bus, so we took one from Imabari to Innoshima (Habu port) and then the bus from there to Onomichi. So glad we did that – it was nice to be on a boat for 1.5 hours. Sadly, you can’t get outside – you have to stay in the salon. We got the timetables for the ferry and the bus from a very helpful lady at the information office at the final rental base in Imabari after returning our bikes.
– We didn’t know if there would be anything to do in Onomichi (we arrived around 3 the day before) and were pleasantly surprised by Senkoji Park. You can take the ropeway up, check out the brilliant viewpoint they’ve built, enjoy an ice cream or buy some Shimanami Kaido souvenirs, and then walk down past a beautiful temple, a pagoda, and down the local landmark known as Cat Alley (Neko No Hosomichi). I tend to carry cat treats with me when I’m abroad in countries that have stray cats, and they came in handy here. It was a stunning walk, especially since we did it during the golden hour.
11 comments
Great writeup! I’m looking to do the same ride but in the winter and I’m thinking of starting in Imabari riding up to Onomichi! Would you say it was easier going Onomichi -> Imabari or Imabari -> Onomichi? There’s a guide that recommends that this bike trip should take two days, taking a rest at the halfway point, was that something you considered? I could prob bike it all in one day but not sure if I’d be skipping a lot of things
4.5 hours for 80km you must have been hiking on those electric assists! We will be doing it again next year hopefully we had to abandon our attempt as a monsoon came in we only made it half way before it became too bad. I would like to do the full way next time.
Thank you so much for this write up! I’m doing it next Wednesday with an overnight stop at Ikuchi and am so excited!
Will checkout Akatobi and Konpira !
This is great to hear. I am cycling in the next few days. I can’t wait to see the views. Your description of the hills makes me feel better. Do you think it is fairly easily to get from Imabari back to Onomichi after the ride is done? I was thinking I could take a taxi at the very last resort.
I was in Kyoto today but wish I was out where you are!! Maybe next time.
More than a few times today as I walked the 4 miles across town from Kinkaku-ji to my stay, us gaijin outnumbered the locals.
I hate it when that happens.
Thank you for the write up!!! I’m doing this in Mid December, hopefully the wind won’t be an issue. Really looking forward to it!
Of all the Shimanami Kaido reports, this one most resembles my experience. Completed it in about the same time (I know a lot of people like to take it easy but i think it’s doable in a day), but stopped three times for about half an hour each: once at Kosanji Temple, once at one of the cycle Oasis, and once at a rose garden. If you want to make an ice cream tour of it, you can try the rose ice cream and sea salt ice creams along the way.
I don’t see it mentioned often but I personally can’t recommend stopping in Matsuyama enough. Nothing like Dogo Onsen to relax after a long cycle. Plus the town is pretty neat to explore.
Thank you so much for that post! We are cycling the Shimanami Kaido the day after tomorrow and, well, we haven’t bought sunscreen yet. After reading your post, we know what we are going to buy tomorrow 😀
Kudos! My friends and I did the trip a few years ago and also had a blast. I wonder if that big white dinosaur statue we saw near Onomichi was demolished. It was near a water park iirc. Onomichi was a bit of a wash for us since we didn’t spend much time there and when we went for ramen the owner was more preoccupied over helping his friends get with some teachers than food prep.
The views towards Imabari were quite majestic. Imabari also is famous for their towels and has a lovely castle. There was a beautiful temple on one of the islands with a underground section and imported marble sculptures, mildly vaginal.
Loved it when I did it, although the final bridge to Imabari is actually terrifying. The railing separating you from a drop to a watery grave just isn’t very tall. I’m sure it’s more than fine for Japanese people, but my center of gravity when riding was about the same height as the top of the rail, and I was whiteknuckling my handlebars for the whole bridge since I’m afraid of heights.
thanks for the great write up! will save this post for when i ride the shimanami kaido