Category: Shimanami Kaido

I enjoyed this day so much more than the first day! 

During the ride, we encountered few cars, saw marvelous seascapes, and crossed several bridges.

It was, truly, a delightful day!

As we didn’t want to miss our late afternoon series of trains to Osaka, we had a relatively early breakfast at Suminoe Ryokan, following a bit of a tough night sleeping on futons (more on those later!).  Since we had to cycle about 50 km (vs. around 30 km the first day), we left by 8:30, hoping to arrive in Imabari by 3:30, when we had to swap our bikes for our luggage.  With many stops to take photos and without rushing, we arrived two hours early!  Therefore, we even had time to explore Imabari a bit before embarking on our long journey to Osaka.

Day 2’s first bridge:  Tatara Bridge, connecting Ikuchijima and Ōmishima

 

Seto Inland Sea from Tatara Bridge

 

Day 2’s second bridge:  Ōmishima Bridge (Ōmishima-bashi), connecting Ōmishima Island to Hakatajima Island

 

Day 2’s final bridge:  Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge, three interconnected suspension bridges joining Ōshima and Imabari

 

The Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge

 

Imabari and the mountains of Shikoku as viewed from the Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge

 

Ōhama Lighthouse as seen from the Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge

 

Success!

 

Nankōbō Temple in Imabari

 

Nankōbō Temple in Imabari:  Buddhist guardian Niō

One of my favorite adventures was my Barge & Bike trip in August 2022.  Riding an e-bike through the Dutch countryside exhilarated me.

 So when Kayla suggested we tackle the Shimanami Kaidō, a 70 km ride through islands in the Seto Inland Sea, I enthusiastically agreed.  Provided, of course, I could ride an e-bike!

In fact, we both reserved e-bikes and organized a two-day adventure, with luggage transfer to make our journey easier.

On the first morning, we picked up our bikes from Better Bicycles and began following the BLUE LINE marking the trail.

I admit…I was a little disappointed as we began the day passing through traffic, towns, and roads.  I thought we’d be exploring more countryside than city-spaces.  

Our ride began with not a ride but rather a quick ferry crossing from Onomichi to Mukaishima.  Afterwards, it was the BLUE LINE for us!  Fortunately, we arrived in Setoda with plenty of time to walk to Sunset Beach (off-season looks much different than I’m sure it does in season) and the fabulous Kōsan-ji Temple complex.

Our first bridge:  Innoshima Bridge (Innoshima Ōhashi), which connects Mukaishima and Innoshima

 

Our second bridge:  Ikuchi Bridge (Ikuchi-bashi), connecting Innoshima to Ikuchijima

 

With my bike on Ikuchijima Island with Seto Inland Sea in the background

 

Sunset Beach playground on Ikuchijima Island

 

Setoday:  Kōsan-ji Temple, an elaborately decorated Buddhist temple complex built in honor of its founder’s mother

 

Setoda:  Kōsan-ji Temple

 

Senbutsu-dō (Cave of a Thousand Buddhas) at Kōsan-ji Temple — An underground labyrinth filled with Buddhist statues

 

Tower of Light on the Hill of Hope, a white marble sculpture garden at Kōsan-ji Temple

 

Sunset through the Tower of Light

 

Marble framing the sunset