Tips and Advice for Biking the Shimanami Kaido – Onomichi to Imabari

Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on October 18, 2024.

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During our travels around Japan, we wanted to get out and experience some days of nature in between visiting bustling cities.

The Shimanami Kaido trail caught our eye as it is one of the most popular cycling routes in Japan and connects several islands together over an approximately 70 kilometer route between Onomichi and Imabari (plus numerous side trails for those who want to explore each island in more depth).

As avid bikers, we knew we had to check out this route. So we booked our dates several weeks in advance, said a little prayer to whatever spirit controls the weather, and made our way to Onomichi to get ready to ride.

Thankfully, we got lucky with mostly great weather for our ride and only had to rush to Imabari quickly in the final legs of our ride before a larger storm came in. So in this one, we thought we’d share more about what you can see when biking from Onomichi to Imabari on the Shimanami Kaido, and give some tips we learned along the way to have a great time!

What You Can See on the Shimanami Kaido

Views from the Bike Ride Between Onomichi and Imabari

The Shimanami Kaido runs approximately 70 kilometers (~45 miles) connecting the cities of Onomichi to Imabari and six islands in the Seto Inland Sea.

When biking across all the islands, you get a wonderful look into life on the islands in virtually every respect. You’ll pass through towns, rural farming areas full of citrus trees (and others), industrial areas (often supporting the fishing industry), shipyards, shrines and statues (we even saw a selection of Easter Island moai built alongside the road for some reason), and many, many coastal views looking out to the sea and nearby islands.

It is the kind of route where, for the most part at least, if you see something interesting off the side of the trail, stop and check it out!

Kosanji Temple

But some shrines and interesting sights, like the Kosanji Temple, are a short detour away and worth planning in advance to detour and see or else you may risk missing a sign. While directions to Onomichi/Imabari are plentiful (more on that in a moment), signs for attractions and detours are oftentimes lacking- so know what you want to see along the route before you go.

Kosanji Temple is worth visiting for about an hour as it is a sprawling complex featuring some of the most ornate and beautiful architecture you’ll likely see in all of Japan. The grounds also feature a walk-through cave with thousands of Buddha statues, as well as the Hill of Hope with a marble-based art installation and stunning views of the surroundings. (Entry tickets required and were roughly 1,400 yen during our 2024 visit.)

Pathways are painted blue.

From there, bikers will do well to plan food stops around your journey, too. Many service stations exist along the islands (think conventional rest areas but primarily targeting bikers) as well as many konbini found every 10-15 minutes along the roads. The islands are known for citrus fruits, and many of these businesses, and others, serve fresh juices, ice creams, candies, and more worth trying.

That said, for those who start with an early departure as we did, we found that many independent shops did not open until 10 am or later, so we missed out on several simply because we pushed our start time early (8 am) to try and reach Imabari before the afternoon rain arrived.

So while you can simply show up and enjoy the ride, keep in mind that some of the best highlights are off the trail- so be sure to plan accordingly with what you want to see!

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Tips for Biking from Onomichi to Imabari

Waiting for the ferry from Onomichi to start the ride.

Before hopping on a bike to ride the Shimanami Kaido, some additional planning is order to ensure you have the best time.

First, while bike rental shops are plentiful, we recommend reserving your bike in advance to ensure you get the type you are looking for. Do you need a bike with a basket, or not? Do you want to pay extra for an e-bike? Or perhaps a smaller bike for a child? Some of these can be limited and are best to be booked in advance to lock in your rental and make things slightly faster at the time of pickup.

Bike trail up to a bridge

Second, many luggage transfer services exist to move your bags between Onomichi and Imabari, or any combination of islands in between. Most hotels in these cities can arrange local transfers (as always, confirm before visiting), and we booked with the transfer service Wakka as we had a good number of bags and wanted to have a private transfer.

It feels very weird to just leave your bags at your hotel and expect them to be at the next one when you arrive, but that is exactly how it works. We never saw a single rep from Wakka, and our bags were transferred, all while we were biking without us dealing with any of it.

Shimanami Kaido views

Third, prepare for the weather. You are biking in between small islands, on the coast of a much larger island nation. Rain, wind, and other conditions can change in a moment’s notice. The day before our late September trip, it was well over 90 °F and miserable. On our day, we had a break in the weather, but 15 minutes of passing rain that we biked through.

While preparing for this could simply be taking the correct clothes with you (sunscreen, rain jacket, etc.), it may also be determining a bail-out point if the weather becomes unfavorable, too. The bike rental service we used, Shimanami Bike Rental, had a few stations along the Shimanami Kaido where we could’ve dropped our bikes off early if we so chose, and highlighted them and the nearby bus stops for us just in case. 

  • A few ferries exist that also would help take you and your bikes between islands if you choose to end early; however, it is worth noting that they are not that frequent and can be a fair bit off the bike trail. If you choose to end your ride early, the bike stations and bus combo is likely a better option to keep in mind.

Fourth, while biking the full, approximately 70 kilometer (~45 mile) distance from Onomichi to Imabari is, admittedly, not too bad despite its length, there are some details to keep in mind. Namely, while the entire trail is marked with a blue line, you may notice that it splits in two for varying ways to travel around the islands. Maps are generally present when these happen, so you can check which way to go.

Likewise, while the grade is generally flat, expect moderate climbs here or there- especially at bridge crossings as they are quite high off the ground/water. If you are afraid of heights, some of these crossings, particularly the last one heading into Imabari, are incredibly long and can be a bit anxiety-inducing. 

You will also be biking on mixed lanes with local traffic for much of the ride. Japanese drivers are, of course, very courteous, but you’ll want to be prepared for the shared lanes. The first island just outside of Onomichi was perhaps the most built-up of the bunch and felt like biking through a proper city. Thankfully, things open up after about 10 minutes- so don’t worry there!

Biking Uphill on the Shimanami Kaido

Fifth, when departing/arriving to Onomichi, you will likely take a quick ferry crossing to begin/end your ride. Be sure to have some yen for the crossing as they only accept cash. For our ride in 2024, it was 100 yen per person and 10 more for a bike- so well under a dollar for the brief crossing. We only note this here because others on our ferry crossing did not even know how much it was, despite boarding and ignoring the very obvious signage.

Finally, there are rest areas throughout the route with infrastructure, toilet facilities, konbini, restaurants, ice cream, and more. Make a day of it and plan to have a meal at one of these. One of the rest areas nearest to Imabari even had a full barbecue restaurant you could order fresh seafood and cook at your table! (We’re really sad to have missed that one as rain was coming in and we had to haul it to Imabari quickly.)

Ultimately, apart from the weather and some hill climbs to cross the bridges, the Shimanami Kaido is not a terribly hard bike route- it is just quite long. At home we could normally bike the distance in about 4 1/2 hours (we do routes of this length somewhat regularly); however, when you throw on frequent stops for attractions, photos, eating, and resting, you’ll do well to plan your day to take about six to ten hours pending how much time you allocate for non-biking experiences. 

For full transparency, we took about 6 1/2 hours for our ride, and had roughly 60-90 minutes of stops along the way to check out temples and eat lunch. That said, if we did not have heavy rains coming our way we would’ve liked to have gone slightly slower, made more stops for more attractions, and had a leisurely lunch at the final rest area before Imabari to name a few. If you do this trail properly, you really should take the entire day.

So, start early, take it easy, and enjoy the beauty of the Shimanami Kaido leisurely for the best experience!

Have you taken a ride on the Shimanami Kaido and have tips to share? Comment below!

About Jeremy

Jeremy from Living the Dream

About the Author: Jeremy is a full-time travel writer based in Pittsburgh and primary author of this site. He has been to 70+ countries on five continents and seeks out new food, adventure activities, and off-the-beaten-path experiences wherever he travels.

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