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Brompton Tour Report – Japan 2025
Five days of riding. 250km across 10 different islands. A guided exploration of the Shimanami Kaido and islands of the Seto Inland Sea that left us wanting more.
Japan’s most popular cycling route, the Shimanami Kaido links Onomichi and Imabari via six islands, six bridges and one short ferry ride. Although it’s possible to ride the direct 70km route in one day, by doing so you’d miss out on SO many local sights and experiences.
Many people will assure you that riding the Shimanami Kaido is easy enough to do by yourself – there’s a blue line that you follow the whole way! Equally, most visitors don’t seem to venture far off the blue line, either due to lack or time or knowledge. To me that seems to be like saying you’ve ‘been to Australia’ but you’ve only spent a few days in Melbourne or Sydney. Sure, that’s visiting Australia, but there is so much more to discover!
Onomichi
A port-town with a long and vibrant history, Onomichi is currently best known for its’ temples, cats and as the start of the Shimanami Kaido. Trains pass through the centre of town, school kids ride to and from school on practical step-through bikes, and tourists walk or ride around in search of the best views and food to share on social media. An additional day or two exploring Onomichi before or after the tour is time well spent.
Tina McCarthy, founder of Wheel Women and our ‘local’ Aussie guide, spends a couple of months each year in Onomichi and exploring the Hiroshima prefecture. Even after 15 years she’s still finding new local gems offering refreshment and fantastic cycling routes.
Most of our tour group only met in person for the first time when we checked into our rooms at U2 Cycle Hotel, a renovated wharf-side warehouse now considered one of the top 5 cycle hotels in the world. We would stay for two nights at the start of our tour, and return for our last night. All tour accommodation was cycle-friendly and rated to at least 4-stars. Each morning our luggage would be collected from our hotel and transported securely and seamlessly to our next hotel; sometimes already waiting in our room! This really is the life!
Day 1
Just like in Melbourne, Springtime weather in Japan can be very changeable; the previous week was warm and pleasant – shorts and t-shirt weather. Today – so cold! The forecast for the coming week wasn’t looking much better. The sun was shining so we layered up and headed out to ride a lap of both Mukaishima & Iwashijima. There’s no bridge from Onomichi to Mukaishima, but the ferry trip across is short – only about 10min – and cheap at ¥110 per person with a bike.
Mukaishima is the first island of the Shimanami Kaido, and one that most visitors probably don’t dedicate much, if any, time to exploring. Only about 7km at it’s widest, our route today skirted the island’s scalloped edges, providing plenty of sea views while avoiding the big hills of the interior. Of the many temples and shrines we passed today, Tina showed us two examples, providing insight into history, traditions and interpretations of their statues and symbols.
Before completing our lap of Mukaishima, we visited Iwashijima. Separated by a narrow channel, we crossed Mukaishima Bridge (aka the ‘Little Red Bridge’) to get there. Much smaller than Mukaishima, completing a lap around the coastline does not take long. In some ways it’s a more relaxing ride; most of the houses are in the centre of this island, creating a more natural/peaceful setting. The waves gently lapping at the sandy beach as we explored the Iwashijima Itsukushima Shrine certainly added to this vibe. Venturing into the centre we marvelled at the hand-hewn tunnel, and the fact that such a narrow road was considered ‘two-way’. Japanese vehicles are remarkably space efficient!
Day 2
Today’s highlight was climbing Shiratakiyama (Mt Shirataki) on Innoshima! At 226.4m it doesn’t sound very high, but the views from the temple and shrine at the top are simply stunning, particularly on a good day – and we were blessed with blue skies! Shiratakiyama and most of this region is important to the Murakami Kaizoku clans. Often referred to as ‘Murakami Pirates’, they became famous for their skills in piloting ships through the treacherous currents between the islands. Tina explained to us their history, and that of the 700 or so carved stone statues (rakan, or arhats) lining the mountaintop as we took in the views and serenity.
Once down, freshly made Hassaku Daifuku (a rice cake/mochi confectionery with a juicy Innoshima hassaku orange segment inside) and donuts were our rewards. Both treats were seriously delicious. The daifuku from this shop are made fresh daily and sell out early; luckily Tina phoned earlier to reserve some for us! For a westerner, the donuts were just as marvellous; melt-in the-mouth perfection.
That wasn’t our only treat for the day, even if it was the most impressive. On Ikuchijima we stoped for ice cream (again, not paying any heed to the cold weather) before enjoying a lunch in Setoda. While in Setoda we also stopped in at Cafe Via Shimanami; a store full of bright cycling jerseys, caps, gloves – and a few snacks. The couple who operate the store are friends of Tina’s and joined us a couple of times on our tour as they also own Bromptons!
Ōkunoshima, aka Rabbit Island, was first on our itinerary today. Only a short ride from WAKKA to the ferry, we lined up with dozens of school children (who had also cycled to the ferry – so awesome to see!) carrying large bags of cabbage leaves and other garden greens. These days rabbits are the big tourist attraction, but this small island has an unsavoury past. During WWII poison gas was manufactured here. A short walking/cycling loop around the island allows visitors plenty of opportunity to view the war-time ruins and bunnies, bunnies and more bunnies!
As we were returning from Okunoshima, Tina received word about a forest of sakura in peak bloom. This was an opportunity too good to pass up! Off we went to Sagishima (one of my favourite islands) to explore the “Hill of a Thousand Cherry Trees”. We were not disappointed. In fact, were were all blown away. Surrounded, enveloped, transported – it was like being in our own anime story as we rode around the forrested hilltop. “Sakura fubuki“, a shower of cherry blossom petals, is a delightful experience made all the more special due to the fleeting period the trees remain in bloom. We were exceptionally fortunate to have this experience.
This night’s accomodation was in Setoda at Yubune; a modern ryokan and our most luxurious hotel on the tour. Spacious rooms and bathrooms – plus complimentary use of their onsen. It’s worth staying two consecutive nights if you can, just to see both amazing mosaics. No photography is permitted, but you can get a glimpse on their website.
Day 4
Shining white bridges and dark green mountains rose up through clouds delivering drizzly rain. The urge to sit indoors where it was warm and dry, drink tea and compose (rather ordinary) haiku was strong, but we had a good ride ahead of us as we were due in Imabari that night – the town at the other end of the Shimanami Kaido. Today wasn’t just our longest day (50km), but as you might expect also featured the most elevation (350m) and the steepest climb of the tour (~10%)… and the best descent!
It was a popular day to be on the Kaido. We ticked off a couple of bridges in quick succession (Omishima Bridge and Hakata-Oshima bridge) and rode by quarries and huge ship building yards. Ōshima tested us with a steep climb (thankfully only the one) before we breezed down to lunch at a tiny takeaway place next to Yoshiumi Rose Park was welcome after a hard climb.
The last bridge of the day was the spectacular Kurushima-Kaikyo. The most famous bridge of the seven along the Shimanami Kaido, and for good reason. Long and high, the Kurushima-Kaikyo is actually three connected suspension bridges, together covering a distance of 4.1km. The views on a clear day are inspiring, and on a cloudy or misty morning are totally surreal. Upon reaching the Imabari end we soon found another icon; the famous wooden Shimanami sign. A photo here is a must-do for anyone completing the Shimanami Kaido.
Day 5
Dawn over Imabari showed only a few clouds. We were up bright and early to board a ferry to Iwagijima. This was the first non-vehicle ferry we used on the tour and I was thankful our bikes fold so neatly; far less chance of being scratched or having external gearing damaged.
Our ferry trip took us past many isolated sandy beaches, huge ship building yards, and harbours protected with concrete breakwaters. Disembarking at Iwagijima, we were met by our Cafe Via Shimanami friends who accompanied us across to Ikinajima. Quiet roads, rolling hills, and more spectacular bridges was perfectly on-theme for the start of our ride – and our last day.
Farewelling Cafe Via Shimanami friends, we boarded a ferry for a very short ride to Innoshima where it was a bit of a surprise to encounter traffic! Yet despite the narrow streets and heavy peak-hour traffic, riding here always felt safer here than in a similar situation back home. Thankfully it wasn’t far to our next destination; Ooyama jinja, a shrine dedicated to bicycles – and ears, amongst other things.
More friends joined us here and rode with us back to Onomichi. The wind had noticeably picked up by now – a headwind for the last 17km ‘home’ wasn’t what anyone would have asked for… or maybe someone accidentally offended a weather god’s statue back at Ooyama jinja! (Oops!)
Recognising the streets and turns we’d taken just days before around Mukaishima meant we were almost done. One more short ferry ride and we were back in Onomichi! Thankfully out of the headwind, but too early to check in, we went on one last Sakura photoshoot. Lining the banks of the Kuribara River for over a kilometre were cherry blossom trees in full bloom. There couldn’t have been a better way to conclude our ride.
And so ended the tour, with everyone’s heads buzzing with the sights, sounds and tastes of everything we’d crammed into the past few days. Some of us went on to enjoy more adventures in Japan, and some of us had to fly home. My top two recommendations for visitors is to take your Brompton if you want to cycle in Japan, and to make time to explore off the beaten track.
With particular thanks to:
- Tina McCarthy of WheelWomen, 2024 winner of the Hiroshima Inbound Tourism Award, for expertly guiding us and giving a taste of how much more there is to discover off the beaten track.
- Andy Heah for contributing to the photos used above
- Our adventurous group members who made the week memorable and fun!
Arigatou gozaimashita!
