Itineraries 2day

Shimanami Kaido Cycling Challenge

Shimanami Kaido Cycling Challenge

Here is a typical itinerary for those looking to bike the Shimanami Kaido all the way to Imabari, spending one night at a ryokan in the middle.

Day 1

01 Onomichi Port Bicycle Rental Terminal (尾道港レンタサイクルターミナル)

Shimanami Rent-a-Cycle rents out bicycles for cyclists who want to enjoy the Shimanami Kaido by bike. There are 13 terminals where you can rent bicycles, including Onomichi Port, Imabari Station, and on all the islands along the Shimanami Sea Route. With the exception of some bicycles, such as electric bicycles, all bicycles can be ridden away (returned at a different terminal than the one where the bicycle was rented).

Address
Onomichi Port Terminal: 9 Higashigosho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN/Imabari Station Terminal: 2-773-8 Kitahorai-cho, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, JAPAN

Detail

Transportation: Mukaishima Port [Onomichi-Mukaishima Ferry, ~5 minutes]

02 Mukaishima (向島)

Mukaishima is a small island in the sea about 400 meters from Onomichi City. It is the closest island to Hiroshima on the Shimanami Kaido, which connects Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture with Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture, and can be reached by the Onomichi Bridge and Innoshima Bridge, which are part of the Shimanami Kaido route, as well as the Shin-Omichi Bridge and three ferry boats. From Mukaishima, you can see the city of Onomichi on the other side of the river and the beauty of the islands of the Seto Inland Sea as many boats pass between the islands.

Address
Mukaishima, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Detail

Transportation: Innoshima Bridge [Cycling, duration depends on pace]

03 Café terrace Nanohana (カフェテラス菜のはな)

Café terrace Nanohana is a café-restaurant on Innoshima. Visitors can have a fresh lunch or dessert with a drink as they  stare blankly out to the Seto Inland Sea right before their very eyes. There is also a souvenir shop where you can buy souvenirs to commemorate your visit to Innoshima and the Shimanami Kaido, as well as a space where you can have your bicycle serviced, and it is always crowded with local and international cyclists.

Address
4701-2 Innoshima Takuma-cho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Detail

Transportation: Ikuchi Bridge [Cycling, duration depends on pace]

04 Kousanji Temple and Museum (耕三寺及び耕三寺ミュージアム)

The Kosanji Museum is located on Ikuchijima Island, a small island sandwiched between the Tatara Bridge and Ikuchi Bridge on the Shimanami Kaido. The museum is located in the precincts of Kozanji Temple, which was built by Kozo Kozanji, a businessman from Onomichi City, as a family temple to mourn his mother. It was opened as a facility to manage and exhibit the vast art collection of the Kozanji family. In the museum, many works of art, including nationally important cultural properties, are displayed, and outdoors, there is a huge marble garden created by the contemporary sculptor Kazuto Kaitani.


[Entrance fees (Kosanji Temple grounds, Mirai Kokoro no Oka, Kongo-kan)
Adult: 1,400 yen
University student: 1,000 yen
High school student: 800 yen
Senior citizens (65 years old and over) 1,200 yen
Junior high school students, elementary school students, and younger – Free

[Entrance fee (Chou Sei Kaku)]
Adults and children 200 yen

※ Please present an official ID (passport, international student ID, etc.) at the reception desk to verify your age when entering the museum to receive the discount.

 

Address
553-2 Setoda, Setoda-cho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Detail

05 Setoda Sunset Beach (瀬戸田サンセットビーチ)

Setoda Sunset Beach is a swimming beach on the island of Ikuchijima, off the coast of Onomichi. Not only can you enjoy swimming in the sea, but you can also experience the recently popular marine activities of sea kayaking and SUP, or have a barbecue at the campground. You can also rent bicycles to ride along the Shimanami Kaido starting from the beach.

Address
6-15 Setoda-cho Tarumi, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Detail

Lodging: Ryokan Suminoe

Day 2

01 Ikuchijima (生口島)

Ikuchijima is an island in the sea about 25 km from Onomichi. It is the third island on the Shimanami Kaido, which connects Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture and Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture, and can be reached by the Ikuchi Bridge and the Tatara Bridge, which are part of the Shimanami Kaido route, and by ferry. Ikuchijima is known for its citrus fruits, especially lemons, which it produces in the largest quantity in Japan, thanks to its mild climate and slopes. Ikuchijima is also an island of art, with sculptures and other works of art on display throughout the island.

Address
200-5 Setoda-cho Sawa, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Detail

Transportation: Tatara Bridge [Cycling, duration depends on pace]

02 Tatara Bridge (多々羅大橋)

The Tarara Bridge is a road bridge connecting Ikuchijima Island in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Omishima Island in Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, on the other side of the Seto Inland Sea. When completed, it was the world’s longest cable-stayed bridge, making it a very powerful road bridge. The Tarara Bridge is part of the Shimanami Kaido Highway, which crosses from Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture to Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture via several islands, and is frequented by many cyclists.


Bicycles can pass through the bridge for free (Until March 2022)

Address
Kamiura-cho Inokuchi, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, JAPAN

Detail

Cycle through the remaining islands to Imabari, where you can spend another night or take a bus elsewhere.

Onomichi Port Bicycle Rental Terminal (尾道港レンタサイクルターミナル)

Onomichi Port Terminal: 9 Higashigosho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN/Imabari Station Terminal: 2-773-8 Kitahorai-cho, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, JAPAN

Mukaishima (向島)

Mukaishima, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Café terrace Nanohana (カフェテラス菜のはな)

4701-2 Innoshima Takuma-cho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Kousanji Temple and Museum (耕三寺及び耕三寺ミュージアム)

553-2 Setoda, Setoda-cho, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Setoda Sunset Beach (瀬戸田サンセットビーチ)

6-15 Setoda-cho Tarumi, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Ikuchijima (生口島)

200-5 Setoda-cho Sawa, Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, JAPAN

Tatara Bridge (多々羅大橋)

Kamiura-cho Inokuchi, Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, JAPAN