travel tuesday | cycling the shimanami kaido

It has become increasingly clear to me that my favorite thing about living abroad - and what I miss most about it - is inhibition. Having a finite amount of time in one place means you never stop moving and trying new things.

About a month before I left Japan, I decided to cycle the Shimanami Kaido - the 70 kilometer route that connects two of Japan's main islands - Honshu and Shikoku - by way of six smaller islands in the Seto Inland Sea. A few friends and I picked a weekend, hopped on a train to the start of the route, rented bicycles, and started pedaling.

...without a clue where we were going. At least in the beginning.  

The route starts in Onomichi City on Honshu. We rented bicycles for a nominal cost and grabbed a map. The bike shop owner pointed out which way we should go. To start the route, you have to take a ferry to the first island. We missed the port and rode on for a few miles. We didn't care because we had the day, and all of the Seto Inland Sea was ours.

On the Shimanami Kaido, you cross six small islands: Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima, Hakatajima, and Oshima, before sailing blissfully downhill into Imabari City on Shikoku. There are three cyclist routes, each color-marked: easy, intermediate, advanced.

The scenery is gorgeous - tropical, verdant, mountainous, all in one panoramic view. There are also some funny sights on the islands, like a dinosaur statue.

And replicas of the Easter Island Statues.

And the ever popular Japanese phrase, "Let's enjoy." This is the first only time I ever saw it with a pants down illustration. I really did enjoy.

We didn't train for our bike ride, and I didn't purchase special cycling clothes. There are bicycle ports on all of the six islands you cross on the Shimanami Kaido. If you decide to throw in the towel, you can drop your bike off and take the next ferry across to Imabari. No matter what, we said, we'd finish.

The easy cycling path is the most scenic, as it has you follow the coastlines. The advanced path takes you up and over the mountains. We took the easy path... until we didn't. It was a shock to the system to realize we missed our trail and hopped on another. We shrugged and kept pedaling... up... and up... and up until we finally made it over that mountain.We earned a break.

The route was built in 1999, so all of the bridges are modern and well-kept. There are multiple routes for vehicles to cross over to Shikoku, but the Shimanami Kaido is the only way for pedestrians and cyclists to make the trip. There are designated lanes for cyclists to cross the bridges. Some will tell you that the inclines to the bridges are cyclist-friendly, but only believe them if you're Lance Armstrong.

Crossing the final bridge that leads the way onto Shikoku at sunset is what it is all about. And the journey, too; it's one of my favorite memories in Japan. The last bridge is the longest - it's several miles, and you think it will never end. But when the sun starts to dip below the mountains in the distance, you hope it never will.

if you go... 

bike rentals are inexpensive, 500Yen with a 1000Yen deposit

be at least moderately fit (total: up to 50 miles)

bring cash for small bridge toll fees

read this guide

read my thoughts here, too... 

i wrote about the shimanami-kaido on feminist-san 

my hometown in japan: hikari, yamaguchi