Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
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September 30, 2013 - Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
After being pushed by a Japanese friend that likes cycling, I took a day to cycle across the Shimanami Kaido. And I'm really glad I did. The journey across is quite tough if you're only used to leisurely using a bicycle and there are some rather punishing hills to get up. I left from Onomichi just before 1PM and arrived at Imabari station just before 6PM.
First take the ferry from Onomichi to Mukaishima as recommended by both JP-Guide and the rental station. Cost is 85Yen. Which is different from what the rental station told me: 100Yen. And JPGuide says "around 100Yen".
Taking pictures from this bridge is a pain because the cycling path runs underneath the motorway and is fenced off on both sides.
There's a small rest-stop at a beach once you're down the hill from the first bridge. I parked my bike there to take this picture.
In regards to the bicycle renting: It was relatively unclear just what kind of bikes could be rented in Onomichi. I found that there was a huge amount of bikes when I got there. Ranging from the one in the picture to regular Mamacharis and other types of bikes. But it does largely depend on what types of bikes were brought to or back to the rental station you're starting from.
There's a relatively nice beach called Sunset beach on Ikuchijima which is worth a pitstop. It has facilities like showers, toilets and vending machines so it's a nice place to stop and refresh yourself.
The final bridge is by far the longest. (4.1KM) After that, the course will go on until Imabari station and then terminate rather unexpectedly.
For returning your bikes, instead of going all the way out to Itoyama Sunrise, there's a small return station to the left of the station with limited opening times. I returned my bike at Imabari city hall just two blocks south of the station after a Japanese cyclist kindly offered to take me there when he saw me being lost.
And that was it for the journey. Of course I took a lot more pictures but this'll have to do.
Things that would be useful to know before you go:
The course is clearly marked by a thick blue line that runs on the regular car-lane. The one on the LEFT is the one you should follow (obviously).
There are tolls for all bridges along the way. They are as follows in Yen:
Onnoshima Ohashi: 50
Ikuchi Bashi: 50
Tatara Ohashi: 100
Omishima Bashi: 50
Hakata-Oshima Ohashi: 50
Kurushima-Kaikyou Ohashi: 200.
Note that the toll system is completely "Japanese". What that means is that there are no toll gates or anything like that. There are just small containers alongside the road with a computer voice telling you how much you should throw in. There appeared to be cameras present but those are pretty useless. Whether you throw in 1Yen or the required amount is completely up to you. They merely 'expect' you to do so like a good Japanese. (I accidentally paid 50 Yen instead of 100 at the Tatara bridge for example.) No one will come running to stop you.
A small heads up: Before you enter the bridges, there'll be two roads that lead up to the bridge. One is for cyclists while the other is for light motorcycles/scooters/etc. This is only shown in Japanese and without proper signs at most bridges. Just follow the sign above the road or on the ground which reads bicycle; "Jitensha" (自転車). Difference is mostly that it's easier to stop there and the toll amount is different.
For returning your bike in Imabari, there's no need to go all the way out to Itoyama Sunrise. There's a terminal to the left of Imabari station (limited opening times) and one at the Imabari city hall (two blocks south of Imabari station) where you can return them.
Final thing if you're going back to Honshu (Okayama for example) by train. You'll probably take the Shiokaze Limited Express train. Note that part of the train has Takamatsu as the terminal and not Okayama! (For me cars 4-8 went to Okayama and 1-3 went to Takamatsu.) Announcements are only in Japanese so be aware of this.
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2013/09/30 - Cycling the Shimanami Kaido |
