Cycling the Shimanami Kaido

The Shimanami Kaido is a cycling route between Onomichi (Hiroshima) and Imabari (Ehime) that crosses many islands and bridges. For a long time, I had wanted to cycle down it. I once went across the islands by car, but I had heard that cycling is the best way to experience it. I had plans to cycle it last year, but I had to cancel them. This year, I finally got the chance to cycle across the islands during the golden week break.

The night before, we stayed in Onomichi so we could get up early the next day. We took a boat to the first island called Mukaishima where the rental cycles were. To make the uphill climbs easier we got electric bikes. We set off just after 8am, the first goal was to cross the first bridge and get to Innoshima. All we had to do was follow a blue line on the side of the streets and roads that leads all the way from Onomichi to Imabari. The roads off the route are not as easy to cycle on, so it is recommended that you follow it. On the first two islands we mostly just enjoyed the scenery around us, and thankfully the weather was perfect on that day. Clear blue skies, slightly warm but with a nice breeze. It was ideal.

The next island was the biggest and most eventful of the journey. It is called Ikuchijima. Some people take a boat and set this island as their stating point. Ikuchijima has a lot of shops and places to eat. Soon after reaching the island, we first went to a local gelato shop called Doruche. I had some Setouchi lemon gelato there as it is still on the Hiroshima side, so there are lots of lemon-flavored things to enjoy.  As we continued across the island we reached the main central area. One of the big tourist attractions there is the temple Kousanji. One of the reasons it is popular is because the temple grounds are used like an art museum. There are a lot of unique designs, architecture, statues and things to see there. One area that is popular is a garden made of marble. Many people like to take pictures there. There is also a cave under the temple with thousands of statues. After Kousanji we decided to get lunch. We went to a restaurant next to the port that specializes in lemon dishes. I had a lemon-chicken rice bowl, it was great. Before continuing our cycling, we also got some lemonade nearby.

At this point it was already 2pm and we still had over 35km to cycle. We had to pick up the pace. But this was also when some of the riding pain started. I knew before that the bike seat would start to hurt, but I had no choice but to endure. From this point we focused mainly on riding. We still made several small rest stops on the Ehime side, as there were some nice shops and places to grab something to eat or drink. The last island, Oshima is known for having a big hill climb. Some people say it is better to start from Imabari so you can get the big hill done early. Thankfully we had electric bikes, and it made the climb not as difficult as I expected. After the large hill, there was still the final bridge to cross which took over 30 minutes! All we had left to do was to ride to Imabari station while the sun was setting. We arrived around 6pm, 10 hours after we began our journey.

Later that night, we got on train and went to Matsuyama. I had never been there before, so I wanted to go. We were exhausted from the bike ride but thankfully, we were able to go to Dogo Hot Spring and relax. It was a great way to end a fantastic day. I talked to a lot of NEO students last week about the Shimanami Kaido. A lot said they had been there, but none said they had cycled it. I think if you have the chance, it is an amazing experience that you should not miss!