Bicycling the Shimanami Kaido
- abe
- Jun 19
- 9 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
I recently went to Japan with the main focus of cycling the Shimanami Kaido. This is a popular cycling route in Japan that connects the islands of Honshu and Shikoku. This has been on my bucket list for a few years ever since I saw the CNN article on this being one of the worlds most incredible bike routes! One of the wworld’sbest?! I had to go then. Since then, I've seen numerous YouTube videos about how to plan it. I felt like most videos I saw were very good at showing the route, showing the scenery and renting the bikes. But I was planning on doing a one-way trip from Onomichi to Imabari. And then, I wanted to go from Imabari to Osaka. I did find a couple places that did one-way bike rentals and I noticed Imabari has a JR station. But how do I get from the Imabari JR Station to Osaka? Depending on the time of day you plan to leave Imabari, Google Maps does show a train from Imabari to Osaka. However, most of the time, Google Maps showed a route where I would have to take the bus, sometimes a combination of bus plus ferry back along the Shimanami Kaido route to Onomichi again. I didn't want to ride the bus or bus and ferry combo because then I had to learn how the bus system worked, how much the bus and ferry cost and had to figure out which ferry went to Onomichi. Plus I wanted to take a different way to Osaka to check out a different scenery. Also, how much faith do I put into Google Maps? I mostly trust it in the States, and if I got stranded in the States (depending on where), I can generally get by. But I did not want to get stranded in Japan solely relying on Google Maps train schedule. I also couldn't find any blog posts or YouTube videos that talked about what I wanted to do, which was to go from Imabari to Osaka.
Also, from what I saw online, I felt my JR Pass wouldn't work on the trains leaving from JR Imabari Station, because the JR Pass only works on certain Shinkansens and it didn't appear the one I needed stopped at Imabari. Japanese websites are so confusing to me! So, I relented to possibly having to figure out the bus and/or bus and ferry system back to Onomichi and then to Osaka. Trying to plan how to get from Imabari to Osaka, at least for me, felt incredibly difficult. It's almost as if there isn't a way to do it and that's why I couldn't find any information on it. I finally had to trust that I will figure it out when I arrived in country. Japan is very safe and the people are generally very hospitable, so I believed that I wouldn't be stranded. And if I did end up being stranded, at least I should be safe.
It wasn't until I ended my ride when I arrived at the JR Imabari Station that the ticket agent said there was a train from Imabari to Osaka. I would transfer at Fukuyama. Thank God I didn't have to end up relying on the bus, because trains are just easier to get by when you're new to a city.
So, hopefully this blog can fill in some gaps that aren't discussed on other sites especially if you plan to go from Imabari to Osaka. And, hopefully by combining what you read here and other websites, it'll help you plan your Shimanami Kaido ride by saving you more time than it took me to plan mine.
So, here’s how I planned my ride on the Shimanami Kaido as well as my thoughts and experiences.
Overview
- **Location**: Onomichi to Imabari
- **Distance**: Approximately 70 kilometers (about 43 miles)
- **Duration**: Typically takes 1-2 days to complete if you do the main route.
-** Thoughts**: I did this in 2 days because what are the chances I'll be back here again? So, take your time and enjoy the scenery. Don't rush through the ride. There's lots to see if you want to ride from Onomichi to Imabari. You can take more days if you plan on doing more climbing and more remote routes.
Route Highlights
-**Ferry**: From Onomichi, you will take a ferry to the first island. It cost 100 yen (at the time of this writing), so bring exact change. The ferry platform is next to U2 Onomichi and somewhat across the street from the Onomichi train station so it's very easy to find. The photo below shows you what it looks like.
- **Bridges**: The bridges and the path up and back down the bridges are amazing! The views were incredible. Once on the bridge, it offered panoramic views of the Seto Inland Sea.
- **Islands**: You cycle through six beautiful islands like Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchi, Ikuchijima, Omishima and Oshima.
- **Local Attractions**: Temples, of course the stunning landscapes, and a couple beaches.
-**Thoughts**: As I mentioned above, there are multiple routes, but stick to the main route unless you plan on either riding for multiple days or would really like a challenge, like climbing. The cycling routes have a blue line you can follow. However, I was told that whether you follow the main route or a more challenging route, they all have a blue line. So, if the blue line you are following makes you do a lot of climbing, then you've probably gone off the main path. The path to enter each bridge all have climbing!
So, you'll also need to pay attention to signage. They're not always very clear on whether you should go straight or turn. Personally, I felt that some signs contradict each other. The signs take a little getting used to. Also, the signs to go onto the bridge can be confusing. It's not like if you see a sign to get on a bridge, the sign is meant to let you know the entrance is coming up. If you see a sign pointing you to a bridge, then turn right away, because that's where the path is. There's no warning! The paths to climb onto the bridge usually aren't very wide, because it's only meant for cyclists and pedestrians. It's probably one car lane wide at most, so it's easy to miss.
Finally, sometimes the blue line will disappear then reappear again. If the blue line disappears for a while, you probably missed your turn.
Preparation Tips
- **Bike Rentals**: There are a few bicycle rental places in both Onomichi and at the Imabari JR Station. When I was looking for bike rentals, I found the various bike rental websites difficult to navigate and confusing, especially because I was looking for one-way rentals. I found that the Giant Store Onomichi does one-way rentals on certain bikes, but their fees increase for one-way rentals. I also don't need a carbon road bike and I'm not bringing my own clipless pedals. A hybrid with flat bars and regular flat pedals provided by the bike shop would have been fine. So, after months of trying to figure this out, I ended up using Wakka. They provide full-service bike rental, transportation support and lodging. Their website was also much easier to use and it was easy to communicate with the staff via email (note: I do not get paid from Wakka. I ended up using them because they seemed to be the easiest to use while planning my trip). When I arrived at Onomichi, I stayed at U2 Onomichi, which I really recommend, and I set a time for Wakka to drop my bike off. Through Wakka, I rented a Specialized e-bike with a flat bar and the bike has a cell phone holder. The rental was cheaper than renting from Giant. Also, U2 Onomichi is a cycling hotel with a cafe, restaurant and shops. A very cool adaptive reuse space. Photos below are the U2 Onomichi cycling hotel.
- **What to Bring**: Water and maybe some snacks. Depending on what time of year you go, possibly sunscreen and waterproof cycling clothes. There are lots of places you can stop off along the way to get snacks and food, so I wouldn't bring too much to eat, unless you're hoping to save money. Through Wakka, if I had any problems with the bike, I can use Line to call them for help. I never had any problems with my bike, so I can't speak to their bike repair support.
- **Accommodation**: Again, I used Wakka for my accommodations at the midway point of my ride. They also carried my bags and had it ready when I arrived at their location. You can a la carte the bike rental and accomodations from Wakka, but I wanted a smooth and hassle-free experience so I bundled the bicycle rental and lodging together. I'm sure I paid a bit extra to have Wakka take care of my bike delivery plus rental, luggage and lodging. But I figured I'm out in the middle of nowhere. The last thing I wanted was to save a few bucks and run into complications. If I were in a big city like Osaka or Tokyo, I would have more options if I wanted to save some money, but not when I'm on some island on a bike for my first time and where most people do not speak English. So, with that said, I ended up staying in Wakka's hostel. They also have private rooms if you prefer not to share with others. I felt fortunate that nobody else was in the hostel with me, so I had the entire place to myself. Wakka also has laundry for 550Yen (at the time of this writing), so it was nice to do some laundry as well.
Safety Considerations
- **Traffic**: While the route is generally safe, you will be riding with traffic. There are lots of sections where you can separate yourself from traffic, but sometimes those sections end and you'll be on the street again. Or there are light poles, pedestrians and overgrown shrubs. However, if you are a slower rider or just want to stop and take pictures, the separated path is a great option. For faster rides, they'll want to stay on the road with drivers. Here is a photo of what I mean by separated path.
Most drivers are considerate, but I did encounter a few drivers passing me closer than what I would like. Thank goodness Japanese cars aren't obnoxiously large like in the U.S, so close passes don't feel as bad. But, there are some industrial areas on the islands, so being passed by one of these trucks still isn't fun.
Once you find the entrance to the bridge, the ride is amazing! They did an awesome job creating a separate path for cyclists to wind up the bridge. Usually, these paths are separated even more between motorcycles and bicycles. Pedestrians sometimes use the same path as bicycles, but sometime they even have their own paths. Going on and off the bridges was probably the best part of the ride in terms of being separated from traffic. For the most part, traffic was sparse until you enter a small town.
- **Weather**: Weather is really difficult to predict since you are probably planning this months in advance. But, I did find out that I was going during what is considered the rainy season. So, a few days before my flight I checked the weather to see if I needed to bring any waterproof cycling clothes. The app on my phone wasn't showing rain, so I chanced it and didn't bring any waterproof gear. On my second day, there was some drizzling in the morning but it cleared up. The sky was mostly cloudy as you can see of the photos, but the views were still amazing.
Conclusion
If your end destination is Imabari, the route to the JR Imabari Station is rather chaotic. It's a bit industrial with lots of traffic and if you're not a seasoned rider, I would stay on the sidewalk. The ride went from calm beautiful scenery to congested busy and sort of unattractive city.
But I'm so glad I got to finally do this ride. I was still nervous up until the day I arrived at Imabari given that I wasn't completely sure how I would make it to Osaka. But the JR ticket staff, not only at Imabari, but at all the stations are a life saver. I told the ticket staff I needed to get to Osaka and as I mentioned in the beginning of this blog, they said I can take the train from Imabari to Fukuyama and then transfer from Fukuyama to Shin-Osaka Station.
I also knew I could easily do about 20miles a day, but still started my day too early. If I can do it over again, I would leave Onomichi around 11am instead of 9:30am. Leaving a bit later from Onomichi would have given me time to have another cup of coffee or some dessert in the morning. Leaving early from Wakka was fine if you need to catch the train or bus and wanted to give yourself a buffer in case anything goes wrong. I hope this helps in giving you my experience planning and riding the Shimanami Kaido. Let me know if you have any questions!
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