Onomichi

Start this tour at Onomichi Station, meet with English Speaking guide here. One of the most unique attractions of Onomichi is the Shimanami Kaido. The route, which passes across bridges and islands of the Seto Inland Sea, is the only land connection between Japan's main island of Honshu and Shikoku that is traversable by cyclists and pedestrians. Along the way there are two particular attractions of interest to visitors: the Hirayama Museum and the unique Kosanji Temple.

The first island is Mukaijima, though it is recommended that you take the short ferry across the channel as the first bridge is quite a way out of town, has no dedicated bike lane, and involves quite a climb to reach. There is not a lot to see on Mukaijima, though there are a few guest houses that offer an alternative to overnighting in Onomichi itself. The bike path soon leaves the main town and reaches the coast with views that open up across the Inland Sea.

Innoshima Bridge

The first bridge that crosses over to Innoshima is a "double-decker," with the bike path on a level underneath the main roadway.

Ikuchijima

The next island, Ikuchijima is reached by the Ikuchi Bridge on which bikes and pedestrians have their own section of the bridge with only a waist height steel fence which allows for great views. This is part of the uniqueness of this bike route because the bridges are quite high so you get unusual views looking down on the surrounding landscape. You can easily spend half a day on Ikuchijima as it is home to several places worth a visit including the fantastic complex of attractions at Kosanji, possibly the most unique temple in Japan. Ikuchijima also has a nice long stretch of white sand beach and a series of modern art sculptures dotted around the island. The iconic Tatara Bridge takes you over to Omishima Island, the largest of the chain along the Shimanami Kaido, and the one most deserving of a diversion off the official bike route.

Omishima Museum of Art

The neighboring island of Omishima has even more art establishments. Most visitors to Omishima will be heading for the Oyamazumi Shrine, whose museum has the greatest collection of historical samurai weaponry and armour in the whole of Japan. Just opposite the entrance to the shrine is a rather distinctive A-frame structure, the Omishima Art Museum. Opened in 1986, the Omishima Art Museum shows a wide range of contemporary Nihonga, Japanese style paintings, of which the museum has already built up a collection of over 1,000 pieces including works by Yukio Umehara, Hatanaka Hikaritoru, Masaru Matsumoto, Shigeki Murata and Chinami Nakajima. Large scale works by Toshio Tabuchi are on permanent display, but the three other galleries have continuously changing temporary exhibitions, often on seasonal themes. For a provincial museum, the exhibits are of quite a high quality and diversity.

Hakata-jima

omishima of Imabari in Ehime on Shikoku. A relatively short ridge connects to Hakatajima, and like Omishima the cycle route passes just along a short part of its coast. Off the cycle route there are parks and beaches, but the island is mostly known for salt production, so such delicacies as Salt Ramen and Salt Ice Cream can be sampled.

Oshima Island

The final island before reaching the mainland of Shikoku is Oshima, "big island", one of hundreds of islands in Japan having the same name. Oshima was another base of the Murakami pirates and there is a small museum dedicated to them here. At the southern end of the island a great viewpoint at the top of 300 meter high Mount Kirosan offers panoramic views and there are two places where short scenic boat trips can be taken. The final bridge over to Shikoku, the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, is perhaps the most impressive, at over six kilometers in length, including the long approaches for bikes, it is actually three connected suspension bridges, the first of its kind in the world, and the views are stupendous.

End of service at Imabari station