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A suspension bridge on the Shimanami Kaidō silhouetted against an orange sunset over the Seto Inland Sea

Sample journey · 8–10 days

Island to island by bike: the Shimanami Kaidō across the Inland Sea

Kurashiki, Onomichi, Ikuchijima, Ōmishima, Hiroshima & Miyajima

Photo: Ray Waller / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

The Shimanami Kaidō, an expressway that links Onomichi on Honshu with Imabari on Shikoku by a chain of bridges, also has its own cycle path, marked by a blue line painted on the tarmac. It crosses six islands of the Seto Inland Sea, past citrus groves, small harbours, boatyards and temples, while the bridges rise high above straits where tidal currents swirl. In our other journeys this route is a single day's episode; here it has three days and two nights on the islands, so there's time to stop.

Before that come the old merchant town of Kurashiki and hilly Onomichi, where a temple path winds between houses above the sea. After it, a boat across the sea to Hiroshima, where the Peace Memorial Park leaves a lasting impression, and a night on Miyajima, when the island belongs to its residents, its deer and a few guests. The journey suits couples and friends who like to keep moving: 10 to 35 km a day by bike, with short climbs, while an e-bike and luggage forwarding put it within reach of people who don't think of themselves as cyclists.

The route

The journey

  1. Osaka
  2. Okayama & Kurashiki
  3. Onomichi
  4. Ikuchijima
  5. Ōmishima
  6. Imabari
  7. Hiroshima
  8. Miyajima
  1. A boatman punting a small wooden boat along the canal in Kurashiki, beneath green trees

    01Days 1–3 · Okayama & Kurashiki

    Willows above the canal

    From Osaka it's about an hour by bullet train to Okayama and another half hour to Kurashiki. Two nights in the old Bikan quarter, where willows line the canal and white-walled storehouses with black tiles recall the days when rice and cotton were loaded here. Early in the morning, before the visitors arrive, the canal reflects the whole street. By day, the Ōhara Museum of Art with its European and Japanese works, a ride in a small boat along the canal, and workshops where cloth is woven and dyed with indigo. On the second day, Okayama's Kōrakuen, one of Japan's three great gardens, with its teahouses and view of the black castle, and, if you like, the jeans street in coastal Kojima, where Japanese denim has its own story.

  2. Onomichi's waterfront and the islands beyond in golden evening light

    02Days 3–4 · Onomichi

    Steps, cats and temples above the sea

    About an hour by train to Onomichi, a hilly port town whose houses and temples climb the slope while ferries and ships pass through the narrow strait below. One night here, perhaps in a restored old house or a small hotel by the water. In the afternoon, the Temple Walk: some two and a half kilometres of stone steps and narrow lanes past more than twenty temples, alleys beloved of cats and small galleries, up to Senkō-ji temple with its view over the strait and the first Shimanami bridge. You can ride down by ropeway. In the evening, Onomichi ramen, soy broth with flecks of pork fat, eaten at a counter. That same evening we collect and try out the hire bikes, and send the main luggage straight on to Hiroshima.

  3. The red and white halls of Kōsan-ji, with sweeping roofs, on Ikuchijima

    03Days 4–6 · Ikuchijima & Ōmishima

    Lemon groves and the island of the gods

    In the morning, a few minutes by ferry across the strait to Mukaishima, and the blue line begins. The first day is about 30 km across Mukaishima and Innoshima to Ikuchijima, with a night in the small port of Setoda. Here the slopes are covered in lemon and mandarin groves, and in the evening it's worth trying lemon cake or local seafood. Next morning, Kōsan-ji, a temple built in the mid-20th century by an industrialist in memory of his mother, copying some of Japan's most famous buildings, and above it Mirai no Oka, a hill of white marble sculpture. Then a short ride over the Tatara Bridge to Ōmishima and a night on the island. On Ōmishima, the Ōyamazumi shrine, which holds a large share of Japan's surviving historic armour, and camphor trees centuries old. Evenings are quiet: a few small restaurants, a fishing harbour and sunset over the islands.

  4. The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, the ruined shell of a building with its steel dome frame

    04Days 6–8 · Imabari & Hiroshima

    The longest bridge, then by boat to Hiroshima

    The last day on the bike is about 30 km across Hakata and Ōshima, with a possible stop at a sea-salt workshop, to the Kurushima-Kaikyō Bridge: a three-span suspension bridge about four kilometres long, beneath which you can watch the tidal currents swirl. In Imabari we return the bikes, and in the afternoon a short train ride to Matsuyama and a fast boat across the Inland Sea to Hiroshima, about an hour and a half among the islands. Two nights in Hiroshima. In the morning, the Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome and the museum; it's a heavy but important day, so we leave the afternoon free. In the evening, Hiroshima okonomiyaki, a layered pancake of cabbage and noodles cooked on a hotplate right in front of you. The next day, Shukkeien garden, the castle or simply rest.

  5. A quiet lane of traditional houses on Miyajima, with the five-storey pagoda rising among the trees at its end

    05Days 8–9 · Miyajima

    The island after the last ferry

    About an hour by train and ferry to Miyajima and a final night on the island. By day it's busy, so we arrive in the afternoon and see the Itsukushima shrine and its famous gate in the water in the evening and early morning, when it's quiet. At high tide the gate stands in the sea; at low tide you can walk out to it across the sand, so we check the tides in advance. In the evening, the shrine lit up and deer wandering calmly through empty lanes. Next morning, by ropeway or on foot up Mount Misen: through forest to the summit, with the whole Inland Sea spread out below, including the islands you cycled across a few days earlier. In the afternoon, back to Hiroshima and the flight home, or the bullet train to Osaka or Tokyo.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    The Shimanami Kaidō by bike

    Three days across six islands and seven bridges, with time to stop and nights on the islands.

  2. 02

    Onomichi's Temple Walk

    Stone steps between houses and temples with views over the strait.

  3. 03

    By boat to Hiroshima

    The Inland Sea seen from the water, a different view from the one on the bridges.

  4. 04

    A night on Miyajima

    The shrine and its gate in the water at dusk and dawn, once the day visitors have gone.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • More gently

    With e-bikes and shorter stages; parts of the route can be covered by local ferries between the islands, or by bus.

  • With the art islands

    From Okayama it's easy to add two nights on Naoshima or Teshima, where contemporary art and architecture are woven into island life.

  • By season

    Spring and autumn are ideal for cycling. Summer is hot and humid, so we ride early in the morning; winter is cooler but often clear and quiet.

  • With Kyoto or Shikoku

    A few days in Kyoto at the start, or from Imabari the journey can continue around Shikoku, to Dōgo Onsen in Matsuyama and the Iya Valley.

Practical considerations

  • The best time to cycle is roughly March to May and October to November. July and August are hot and humid, and typhoons can arrive in late summer and early autumn.
  • There are bike-hire terminals at both ends and on the islands, and you can usually drop off at a different one, but e-bikes are limited and the terms change. We book ahead and check the current arrangements.
  • We suggest forwarding the main luggage straight to Hiroshima; in Japan this is routine and reliable. A small bag for two nights is all you need on the bike.
  • Ferry and fast-boat timetables depend on the season and the weather; we check the route to Hiroshima before you travel and on the ground.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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