Tour Duration: 3 days
Price: JPY 72,000
Tour start : Onomichi
Experience the breath-taking beauty of the Seto Inland Sea as you journey by bicycle on this three-day adventure. Cycle the Shimanami Kaido from Honshu to Shikoku, stay in traditional Japanese hotels, and eat exceptional local food from the area. Suitable for cyclists of all levels.
Day 1: Leave Onomichi
We’ll meet you at the Onomichi train station on the first morning. We’ll provide you with all the information you need for your trip, including maps, details on the route, and money for the ferries, after you drop off your luggage and pick up your bike. We’ll meet you at the port and take you on a quick journey to the beginning of the tour. Today there are 4 islands. On a little island, you spend your first night in a wonderfully unique hotel decorated in the style of Japan. It’s a tranquil town with winding lanes and old-fashioned homes where locals wave to you as you pass; it’s a world away from Tokyo’s frenetic pace.
Day 2: On the Islands
Day two starts with a traditional breakfast. After leaving your luggage at reception, you’ve got another 35kms ahead of you. Short enough so that you have enough time to get off your bike and truly experience this landscape, but long enough so that there are plenty of places to explore. We enjoy visiting Kosanji and the surrounding street food stalls…but really, you can’t go wrong whatever you decide to do. After three more islands you’ll arrive at your next hotel. This is again a traditional inn with exceptional food just next to the sea. Sitting on the seafront and breathing in the sea air, before a first-class meal and a relaxing bath, that’s how to truly see Japan.
Day 3: Ride to Imabari
After another traditional breakfast and leaving your bags for us to pick up, it’s back on the bike one last time. On the final day you’ve got two islands to explore and the most picturesque bridge of the lot to look forward to…leave at least an extra 30 minutes for photos! After that, Shikoku awaits. Once you arrive on the island, you will head towards Imabari train station where we’ll be waiting with your luggage and a smile. This is a wonderful springboard into Shikoku proper or an easy place from which to return to Honshu (by train to Okayama or boat to Hiroshima). Either way, we’re sure you’ll have special memories of this hidden part of Japan, and a better sense of this fantastic country.
