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
