Shimanami Kaidō
A chain of islands and bridges across the Seto Inland Sea with a cycle path.
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Shimanami Kaidō
The Shimanami Kaidō is a chain of islands across the Seto Inland Sea, joined by a series of bridges which carry an expressway and cycle paths. The route joins Imabari in Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku, with Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture on Honshu. From the Ehime side, the islands are Ōshima, Hakatajima, Ōmishima, Ikuchijima, Innoshima, and Mukaishima. Each of the islands has its own character and attractions. There are museums, art galleries, craft beer breweries, mountaintop observation decks, and short cruises among the whirlpools that form between the islands. Naruto in Tokushima is justly famous for its whirlpool, but the racing currents around the Shimanami Kaidō are just as dramatic, though lesser known.
There’s a tendency to want to ride the whole Shimanami Kaidō from Imabari to Onomichi, just to say that you’ve done it. This is of course a valid and enjoyable objective. However, unless you stay somewhere along the way, you’ll miss most of the secrets of the islands. So we recommend choosing one or two places to stay, and picking the best means of transport to get there and around. And instead of doing the whole route, we suggest that you spend some time exploring some of the islands. You won’t be disappointed.
The islands of the Shimanami Kaidō are home to various industries including fishing, agriculture, salt manufacture, shipbuilding, and quarrying, which all leave their mark. While the route passes through areas of dramatic natural beauty, it has a very lived-in atmosphere. If you’re looking for an island cycling route traversing more untouched nature, consider the Tobishima Kaidō. For a comparison of the Shimanami and Tobishima routes, see the relevant blog post on our companion site, Setouchi Tours.
We offer multiday, guided tours that include the Shimanami Kaidō, with or without cycling.
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