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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Dumbidiot1323 on 2024-03-31 20:12:07.

Welcome (back) to the second part of my November “Journey Down South”! This report will feature my absolute favourite experience in Japan (and perhaps just my life in general) with the famous Shimanami Kaido cycling route that I undertook back in that November!

As always, you can check out my other reports down below.

Part 1| Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Okayama + Kurashiki

After finishing my hike along a portion of the Nakasendo trail, it was time to get the train from Nagoya to Okayama. I had been to Okayama in 2019 already and thus had already checked out the major sights, such as the Koraku-en (one of the top 3 traditional gardens in Japan) and Okayama Castle before, which I passed on this time around. The main reason I had a short stay over here was because I didn’t really know where else to go after my Nagoya stay, truth be told. I revisited Kurashiki, which is famous for its canals and shopping streets featuring a whole lot of denim. I took these two days to just somewhat relax after the big hike beforehand, so I basically just strolled around town, checking out a few shrines along the way. If I were more of a window shopper or just more into shopping in general, I probably would love this place a lot more - but I feel that way about a lot of places in Japan that other people love (for instance: Shimokitazawa in Tokyo).

Not much to report here, I am afraid. If you are ever on your way down south Japan and are looking for like a day or two day trip, Okayama and Kurashiki are probably a good shout but don’t expect anything super special. And apparently Okayama is famous for it’s Horumon, so if you like that, I am sure you can find a good place here somewhere.

Onomichi

After my little break in Okayama, I went ahead to Onomichi, which is a port town closeby and one of the starting points for the aforementioned Shimanami Kaido cycling route. Many people usually take a train from Okayama early in the morning, go to Onomichi and start the cycle there but since I had time and wanted to start as soon as possible on the day of the cycle, I had decided to stay there for one night and check out the small town in peace. And I actually was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There is a designated route to walk along 25 temples, most of which are on the city’s hillside. Of course, most of them are rather small but there are a bunch with multiple buildings as well. I really liked walking along the path and seeing all the different temples and small shrines, although some of them are a bit off the route and lead through small residential areas. On top of that, you can get great views of the port and surroundings of Onomichi. At one of the temples, I found this particular cat just sleeping away. This cat looks almost exactly like my cat, which passed away in 2018. I choose to believe that this is her from another universe and that this was fate :P.

At some point, I went back to my hotel to properly check in and pack my necessary things for the cycle before shipping my large suitcase to my hotel In Hiroshima, where I’d be a few days later. Hotel staff was very helpful with that and forwarding my luggage was super easy (Sakura Hotel Onomichi Ekimae, for anyone who’s interested). Once I did all that, I went back outside and made my way back up the hill to Senkoji temple, which has a park, museum and an observation platform - the latter being completely free. Since this is one of the highest points in the city, it offers the best views as well! Especially around sunset. I probably spent an hour or so up there and just watched the sun slowly disappear behind the faraway mountains, thinking about how “tomorrow”, I’d be cycling around somewhere in the distance. Once the sun was gone, I slowly walked back down to the city, stopping along the way, taking a few pictures of the city at night, with the moon illuminating the town. There’s also a whole lot of cats in Onomichi.

I ended the day with Onomichi’s own version of ramen, although this was certainly one with not as much pork fat on top, but it was incredible. Because I wouldn’t have much time to go for breakfast the day after (and I don’t really eat breakfast in general), I got a few bananas for the cycle. Some sort of pseudo nourishment to have at least something in my stomach before the cycle began!

Shimanami Kaido

And then, the day I awaited for YEARS had arrived. I packed my backpack with all the leftover stuff (laptop, powerbank, chargers, change of clothes, bananas) that I did not send forward to my next hotel and checked out, walking towards the pickup point of my rental e-bike. I will not go into more detail about how the whole bike reserving went since I made a post about it back then. If you are interested in reading what it’s like to do this cycle with pretty much no cycling practice for over a decade, check that out. For this report, I’d like to focus on the actual journey itself!

Once I got my bike, I got onto the ferry that takes you from to Mukaishima, which is the first, small island of the actual cycling route. The weather was AMAZING and I still get shivers when I think back at me on that ferry, watching the sun slowly rise, the hazy morning sky, my trusty steed…It really did feel like I was embarking on some grand journey at that time and it was a dream come true to cycle this route. The first island isn’t that spectacular since you spend a while cycling along cars through the small city but once you hit the proper cycling route (which is always marked by a blue line on the road), you get to enjoy the incredible views around the Seto Inland Sea.

It really feels distinctively different from the rest of Japan. The flora is so much more tropical. I stopped a lot along the route, taking pictures of everything. For the sake of not cluttering up the thread too much, I am posting just a “few” photos but yeah…words can not describe how breathtakingly beautiful this place is. Cycling along the coasts, seeing the bridges, cycling over them, having even better views offered - it’s incredible. It felt very rewarding to cross bridges I’ve seen from afar. Back when I cycled this route, there weren’t too many people doing the same so I had most of the way to myself. Although one person sticks out to me - a woman who walked the route. Now, I don’t know whether she walked the entire thing or just a portiong but certainly did make her way up one of the bridges and those have some killer inclines! We exchanged a few words and “Ganbatte’d” each other every now and then because sometimes she’d catch up with me when I was taking pictures; her pace was astonishing. Every now and then, I’d get some water or snack along the way from one of the konbini, using that time to take more pictures of course.

Around the halfway mark, I took a break at the cyclist sanctuary, which offers seating, food and everything else you’d probably need as a cyclist, I suppose. I was pretty hungry at this point and devoured this curry at what may be the most scenic place I’ve ever eaten at before continuing my journey. These maps were always a nice reminder of how far I was already and how much more I had to go. Honestly, 90% of this cycling route has beautiful sights. After taking this picture, I managed to actually fall over with my bike but didn’t hurt myself in any major way but it was still somewhat funny that I actually fell when trying to get back onto my bike and not while cycling - which I was more concerned about considering how long it had been since I actually rode a bike. Anyway, as I approached the “final stretch” (which was probably still like… 15-20 kilometers), I checked my e-bike’s juice and had more than enough to tackle the part of the cycle that isn’t part of the official route but an absolute must see for me personally: Kirosan Observatory.

This one is located on a mountain, some 300 meters high, near Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, the last bridge I’d cross on…

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