Onomichi

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After a quick breakfast, we checked-out of our room in central Hiroshima and caught the number 1 streetcar back to Hiroshima station. I had planned our journey to our next destination, Onomichi, using the website www.hyperpedia.com, as per usual. However, as we were running a bit late and had missed the intended trains, we just attended the ticket desk and asked about getting to Onomichi. The person at the ticket desk kindly printed the train times and wrote the English names for the stations, which was fortunate, as for the local trains we required the announcements and station names displayed on the train were in Japanese only so we had to just keep an eye out the window for our station. Finding the correct platform when we changed was also tricky.

We arrived in Onomichi at around midday. Turning left out the station, we walked for about 15 minutes through a long, covered arcade of shops selling either food, gifts or rather dated clothes with a strange mix of classical music meets panpipes in the background, arriving at Onomichi Guesthouse Anago, home for the next 2 nights. This hostel, named after the 'eel' due to its long and narrow layout has an attractive, traditional decor. The staff are friendly and helpful though speak very little English. It has an inviting cafe at the front, inspired by 'travel', with books on various locations dispersed around the room. The menus were only in Japanese and staff were unable to translate any options. We guessed and ended up with a pork sandwich and some curry with rice, both of which were edible, if a bit small and uninspired. I was surprised at the lack of English spoken and on the menus but I guess most customers must be Japanese or foreigners who speak the language, despite the international ambience.

After lunch we took the rope way up to Senko-ji Park, famed for its views over the nearby islands. We were able to gaze out a good distance over the Seto Inland Sea but most of what we could see was relentlessly industrialised. Following narrow, irregular pathways past old houses and ancient temples we weaved our way back down the hill to Onomichi station. From there we visited the bike hire terminal located in the car park next to the Green Hotel to scope out our plan for tomorrow. Weather permitting, we aimed to cycle the 76km of the Shimanami Kaido from Onomichi to Imabari City.

Awoken at six by my alarm, I clambered down from my dorm bunk as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing our co-residents in the mixed dorm. Rucksack packed and ready to go, we had a quick breakfast in the kitchen then walked towards the bicycle rental terminal in Onomichi which opens at seven. By half seven we were equipped with old but functional bikes and helmets, along with an English map which was supplied with the bikes, and a rough understanding of where we were meant to be going. Suze had opted for a commuter bike which allowed her to sit upright and had a basket for the camera. I went for a racing bike as it was the lightest option and I would be strapping the rucksack to the back as a makeshift pannier. Both bikes came with stands, locks and lights.

From the opposite side of the hotel to the bike rental terminal we caught a very short ferry across to Mukaishima Island and the start of the Shimanami Kaido. This famous route is predominantly a motor vehicle highway but has purpose built cycle tracks which are for much of the time completely separate. It connects six of the islands of the Seto Inland Sea with a number of vast, modern suspension, cable stayed and arch bridges. Four of these bridges are more than a kilometre long and one, over four kilometres. Our plan was to cycle the entire 70km route from Onomichi (Honshu) to Itoyama Park (Shikoku) before pedalling on an extra 6km to Imabari City where we could get a coach followed by a local bus back to Onomichi.

The going is predominantly flat on the majority of the islands with the exception of Oshima which has a couple of modest hills. The only other gradient is the rise up to and down from the various bridges or which there are six and vary in height from about 40m to about 75m. Most of the bridges appear above you on the islands and there is a gentle, spiralling ascent to the crossing surface. All require tolls of between 50 and 100 yen. The route is well signposted in English as well as Japanese so the map which comes with the bikes is sufficient to stay on track, despite little detail. There are also blue painted lines on the road to follow the majority of the way, making navigation even easier.

A budget option, given that you lose your 1000 yen deposit if you leave your bike at the end of the route, is to make a round trip by retracing your steps from approx. 35km. Not only does this save you the deposit, but also the bus fare and long journey back, which costs over 2000 yen each. However, if you have the cash to spare, I'd recommend doing the one-way cycle and catching the bus back, or starting from Imbari. The scenery starts out a little disappointing as the land use is predominantly industrial, and it doesn't feel like much has been to protect the natural beauty of the islands. The bridges, however, as pieces of architecture are very impressive. Given the uniformity of the gradients due to frequent man-made obstacles, it felt a bit like being on a cycling machine at the gym, albeit with better views. As the trip progressed we were treated to more pleasant views out over the Seto Inland Sea with a greater amount of undeveloped greenery and even a few beaches, and the view from the final bridge is beautiful.

There are points of cultural interest dispersed along the Shimanami Kaido but as I felt the distance might be quite challenging for Suze, a reluctant cyclist, we pressed on without detour.

With a few breaks, an ambling pace and a small amount of sleeping in the sun we took about eight hours to complete the 76km journey, but I'm sure more serious cyclists might get through it in four to six.

Apologies for the ongoing lack of photos. We have tried to upload, but each time are faced with instructions in Japanese. Afraid of consenting to all of our photos being deleted, we are holding out for a computer that we can safely upload on to. Family and friends at home will be delighted to hear we have just short of a thousand pics to share with you...and we're not even half way there yet!



Lots of love xxx

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