Shimanami Kaido

In the weeks and months of planning, one place for riding in Japan kept coming up: the Shimanami Kaido. This is the best-marketed cycling route here, with plenty of people taking on the 80 km route through a series of islands and bridges. The infrastructure that surrounds this ride is incredible, with a whole industry having sprung up with rental bikes, maintenance stops, small inns and cafes catering to cyclists. Many end up spending two or more days to explore each of the islands; however, as this was just one section of my much longer route, I powered through, completing the ride in a day. My trusty bike was up for the challenge more than some of the rentals may have been, and soon the kilometers were falling away, though not too quickly to see some of the amazing scenery along the way.

Starting in Imabari, the longest bridge was first up, a three-span suspension bridge. The ride today featured plenty of climbing, but most of it was done on the way up bridges, with wide bike lanes and relatively gradual inclines. The other amazing feature of the route is the constant blue lines painted on the road that make it very easy to follow. Compared to previous days, I got to take in the scenery a bit more with less attention needing to be paid to following the route on my cycling computer.

The route is famous for a good reason, highly recommended as an addition to the normal trips to Japan that mostly feature the cities. The scenery, along with the ability to explore the islands, is complemented by the cycling and tourist infrastructure that made for a great day.

I had been looking forward to this day of riding, and as the bridges were crossed, the sky began to clear as well, helping the kilometers fade away. Somehow, though, I missed listening to my stomach and didn't get the lunch stop that was needed to refuel for the distance. I was pushing forward, with a planned stop at the Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens, meaning that I was faced with a time deadline for the day.

To get from the last of the Islands of the Shimanami Kaido to the main Island of Honshu, I had one last ferry to catch. This one didn't have a timetable to follow; instead, when I got to the pier, I had to hit a switch. This turned on a light to let the ferry know service was needed. Soon, the ferry made its way across the narrow channel. Once on board, I paid the fare of 210 yen (~1.50 USD) to get across. I love that this service still exists to complement the other ferries in the region. Simple passages sometimes need simple solutions, and this seems to make far more sense here than building a bridge.

The final stop of the day was the Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens, highly regarded as one of the best gardens in Japan and featuring an incredible building designed for meditation. A massive hill needed to be climbed to get to the gardens, a perfect metaphor for the ascent to a higher spiritual plane. The climb was well worth it, with the tranquil gardens and meditative space making for a great end to the day.

It felt overwhelming for these two highlights to happen on the same day. It was a lot, but with the route I am taking and the distance each day requires, there was no way else to do it. Both sites are highly recommended for future exploration and trips to Japan!

Day 6

Distance (day) - 99 km

Distance (total) - 510 km

Climbing (day) - 892 m

Climbing (total) - 4254 m

Convenience Stores (day) - 1

Convenience Stores (total) - 8

Tunnels (day) - 5

Tunnels (total) - 33