Cycling the Shimanami Kaido had been on my Japan wish list for years and this year I finally go to do it. It's a 70km route through the Seto Inland Sea connecting Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture to Imabari in Ehime Prefecture.

The Shimanami Kaido is actually the name of the expressway (motorway), but the expressway was designed with cycling in mind, and is one of Japan's most popular cycling routes. Cyclists only really meet the expressway on the bridges connecting the islands, and even then you are segregated from the traffic.

Traversing the islands between the bridges you diverge from the expressway onto much quieter roads going through towns, passing houses and factories, past mandarin farms, and some huge ship building yards.

Even though the route isn't a segregated cycle path the entire way, I actually really enjoyed this as it gave nice variety to the types of roads and paths you cycle on. I've cycled some dedicated greenway cycle paths in Europe and the parts without nice views can get monotonous. A continuous blue line painted on the road means you don't get lost.

On some of the islands there are multiple routes you can take across, so if you have extra time you can take the longer route which usually takes you by some of the attractions of the island.

One thing I loved about the route was the approaches and descents from the bridges, giving you a chance to see where you're heading next, and where you just came from.

Setochi Lemon Jelly for energy!

We spent the night before setting off in Onomichi. If I had know before arriving that Onomichi was going to be so charming we definitely would have stayed longer! We ended up exploring the city for a few hours in the morning before setting off on our cycle - something that would soon come back to bite me…

Just before leaving I popped into a nice souvenir shop in the station building and picked up a Shimanami cycling cap to remember the journey with, and they had energy gels made with the local lemons so I had to get one of those too!

We collected our bikes very close to the small ferry you use to get to the first island and begin the cycle. I felt in good hands when the bikes we booked turned out to be almost identical to the red Giant Escape I have cycled back home for years.

We set off on a cute ferry that looks like a pagoda. Before setting off remember this is cash only, ¥100 per person + ¥10 per bike and the fare is collected during the journey so you can board and disembark quickly at the first island, Mukaishima.

We split our journey from Onomichi to Imabari into two days, so we just needed to get across three islands to Omishima on Day 1.

One memorable stop off point on the second island was at Innoshima Amenity Park where a giant white dinosaur stands. There were plenty of vending machines for refreshments and a small restaurant.

Owing to the morning we spent pottering around Onomichi, we decided we'd grab a quick konbini lunch instead of sitting down. A few kilometres down the road we stopped at a Lawson for an egg salad sandwich and obligatory Pocari Sweat.

We checked the time, realised we'd need to speed things up to get to our accommodation and set off… when I realised I had a flat tyre. My first ever! Immediately I thought about that morning when I was thinking how amazing it is that I never had a puncture.

Thankfully, the bike rental company had a handy call out service. I phoned up and in half-Japanese, half-English explained the puncture and where we were. They said to wait there and someone would be out with a new bike ASAP.

Refuelling at Lawson! About 5 minutes before I realised I had a puncture…

I went back inside the shop to grab some more snacks for the wait, when I heard a woman trying to ask the staff about buying a phone charger and could she charge her phone there. I offered her my power bank as we had to wait for the bike replacement anyway. She was so grateful and we chatted - she was cycling the route backwards to us (Imabari to Onomichi), having done the 70km the other direction the day before. Her kids were back in Australia watching her live position on her phone because she's on a solo cycling trip to Japan after her partner who she was caring for passed away. Her outlook and attitude was amazing, she seemed to be having such a fantastic adventure. We chatted about the places we'd been so far and favourite konbini onigiri flavours while her phone charged until the replacement bike arrived.

This was the first of a few similar interactions we had with other cyclists along the journey and I really enjoyed our few minutes together. The first time I travelled in Japan alone it was very tricky to get talking to other visitors in cities, but something about getting off the well trodden path and taking part in this activity together seemed to open people up.

The bike arrived and my (not so) trusty Giant Escape disappeared on the back of a kei truck. I took the new bike for a spin around the Lawson car park and realised it was not going to be a smooth ride for the rest of the day. Already under time pressure and having lost time to the puncture, and now with a slightly dodgy bike we really need to get a move on.

We cycled almost non-stop for the last portion, stopping briefly to take some photos before the final bridge as the sun went down.

Our bike rental booking was a little complicated - we were unable to get a two day rental, but we could get two separate bookings for the two days. Realising we weren't going to make it to the rental shop before they closed, we had some more phone calls to make to let them know. Thankfully again nothing was a problem and they just gave us some instructions to lock up outside.

Halfway across the final bridge I was stopped taking some photos when we got a call from our accommodation wondering where we were. We hadn't realised the reception would be closing too at 7pm. We told them everything was okay but they arranged to meet us at the Cyclists Sanctuary at the other side of the bridge, a pit stop where several of the bike companies have a depot. When we got there someone had come in a minivan to pick us up! I felt a little bit like we were being unnecessarily rescued as it was only a 5 minute drive but I also appreciated it after a long day!

To be honest, I had completely forgotten what our accommodation was like from when I booked it so I didn't know what to expect - it was fabulous. From the moment we got there the staff were so friendly and welcoming.

Wakka has a mix of cottages and glamping tents, as well as hostel style dorms. There's a large cafe building and everywhere has great views of the sea and the Tatara bridge we had just cycled over - though we didn't know that yet as it was now very dark.

We had booked a cottage, which had its own bathroom and deck out front. And better yet - we had booked a vegetarian barbecue which was served on our own deck. We had a quick shower in the room and by the time we came back out, the grill was lit outside and someone was there to take our drink order.

We ordered a 'Shimanami' IPA and got warm under the blankets, and then it wasn't all DIY-BBQ as a starter salad arrived. After the starter a huge tray of vegetables arrived - everything local to the islands. We grilled the vegetables and about half way through them a big pan of tofu arrived too. We were pretty exhausted after the stress of the last bit of the cycle so everything was extra delicious. After the feast of vegetables and tofu came a beautifully plated dessert of local blood orange, ice cream and lemon cake.

I felt unbelievably lucky we had found and booked this place and the barbecue because everything felt like a lovely surprise! As the day wasn't all plain sailing it was time for an early night - we wanted to get on the road early for day 2 to leave more time for exploring the islands along the way.

Places visited

🚲 Shimanami Rental Cycle - Bike rental, we picked in Onomichi and returned in Omishimi, but multi-day rental is available too and they have a depot in Imabari. eBikes and tandems also available, and they were fast to rescue me when I got a puncture!

🛍️ Shimagokoro Setoda Onomichi Ekiten - souvenir shop in Onomichi Station building where you can buy Shimanami Kaido cycling jerseys, caps and t-shirts as well as lots of tasty things made from local oranges and lemons!

🏡 Wakka - Gorgeous accommodation half way between Onomichi and Imabari. They also offer all sorts of services for cyclists like bike rental and a taxi service for you and your bike - both on land and sea, they have a water taxi too! Worth stopping for the cafe even if you don't stay a night.

Shimanami Kaido Part 1 - Onomichi to Omishima

Places visited

Shimanami Kaido Part 2 - Omishima to Imabari

Traveling Light in Japan