Shimanami Kaido Bikeway
Photo: User: (WT-shared) Shirakawa-yobune at wts wikivoyage 09:01, 8 September 2008 (EDT), CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Shimanami Kaido Cycling Road (しまなみ海道サイクリングロード) runs between Onomichi in Hiroshima prefecture and Imabari in Ehime, allowing cyclists to hop across several islands of the Seto Inland Sea.
UnderstandThis 70km bikeway connects Onomichi on the main island of Honshu through a series of 7 bridges and 6 islands with Imabari on Shikoku.
PrepareThe route is quite popular, so it's strongly recommended to reserve your bike ahead of time, especially if you need a larger or more exotic bike.
Get inThe route can be approached from both ends, but most visitors start at Onomichi and end in Imabari.
Walk/BikeThe main route is generally flat except for reasonable and well-graded approaches to the bridges and one large hill on Oshima Island.
DoSpend at least 2 days doing this route. Unless you are very fast, a single day doesn't leave any time for side trips, which is a missed opportunity.
EatOn the way you will see many citrus plantations, especially tangerines and lemons.
SleepReserving an accommodation in the area is more complicated than usual in Japan: the reservation websites in English have a very limited number of offers.
Stay safeRemember to bike on the left side of the road. If you get lost, look for the blue line painted on the road - it stretches from Onomichi to Imabari and marks how many kilomenters away you are from each city.
Go nextIf you want to keep biking, check out the Akinada Tobishima Kaido (46 km), a much less traveled path along another set of islands in the Inland Sea.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Shimanami Kaido Bikeway" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: User: (WT-shared) Shirakawa-yobune at wts wikivoyage 09:01, 8 September 2008 (EDT), CC BY-SA 1.0 via Wikimedia Commons