This article is part of our collection of cycling routes and reports for Fukuoka and Kyushu. Explore more rides on our index page—and get out and discover Kyushu
Text and photos by: Tim Muzik / Follow on Strava / Follow on Youtube
Today we’re setting off on a seven-day cycling trip around Shikoku, starting and ending with the Shimanami Kaido.
The Shimanami Kaido needs little introduction. It’s internationally recognized as one of Japan’s most accessible and scenic cycling routes, made up of a series of roads, dedicated bike paths, and bridges that link the main island of Honshu to Shikoku across the Seto Inland Sea, connecting six islands along the way. It also serves as the perfect gateway to Shikoku.
The smallest and least populated of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku, is a top tier cycling destination, known for its quiet mountain roads, winding river gorges, and untouched natural beauty. For anyone looking to explore Japan by bike, a Shikoku trip is not only beautiful, it’s also one of the most approachable multi-day rides you can plan for a Japanese cycling adventure.
Planning the perfect Shikoku trip is one of the most common topics on Japanese cycling forums, our route was built to include a nice blend of inland rivers, coast, and also skip a few sections that we had previously explored. While there are plenty of other great options to consider, we found this to be a fun route that others could replicate.
While not in Kyushu, this route earns a place in this series as it is easily accessed by a 2-3 hour train ride from Hakata station. This journey will be broken into two separate articles, this being the first, which covers days one to three of our trip.
Full Route Overview
Length: 931km
Climbing: 6700m
GPX File
Day 1-3 Overview
Length: 370km
Climbing: 2536m
GPX File
Day 1: The Shimanami Kaido to Niihama
The first day of this trip begins with a blast down the Shimanami Kaido. For most new cyclists and visitors to Japan, the Shimanami Kaido typically means the standard 70 km course, a direct and well-marked route that can easily be completed in an afternoon by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. For more experienced riders, or those with more time, there are hundreds of kilometers of quiet roads and detours that offer a more challenging and interesting ride. As we needed to make distance on this first day, we chose to take the direct route in order to continue on to Niihama, saving the larger route with more climbing for the return journey (route here).
From Onomichi, the best way to access the Shimanami Kaido route is by hopping on the short ferry to Mukaishima Island. The standard route sticks to the west side of the island and, almost immediately, turns into quiet coastal roads with views of Mukaishima Bridge and the first exciting cycle path-equipped bridge of the day: Innoshima Bridge. A good tip for enjoying the journey is to come loaded with some background knowledge of bridge construction as the journey is full of world-class examples to identify.
On the standard route, most of the climbing is found on the approaches and exits from the bridges as you climb cycling paths built to access these crossings.
The bridge from Innoshima to the third island of the day, Ikuchi, has some great lookout points, and is really where the Shimanami Kaido becomes interesting with lots of citrus farms, and citrus themed photo opportunities. After spending more time on the route at the end of this trip, it became one of our favorite islands with lots of interesting restaurants and places to explore.
The 70km route option makes quick work of the next three islands; Ōmishima, Hakatajima, and Ōshima. However, these islands have some of the best climbs and coastal roads to spend more time on, and it’s well worth putting in the energy and time to explore them properly.
The final bridge crossing on the Shimanami Kaido from Ōshima to Shikoku is objectively the most impressive. The 4km-long Kurushima Kaikyō Bridge, which opened in 1999, consists of three connected suspension bridges that, when measured together, form the longest of its type in the world. Of equal fame to cyclists, is the winding bike access to this bridge, which spirals up to the deck 50m above the Kurushima Strait.
Arriving on Shikoku
Once across the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge and now onto the island of Shikoku, there is a visitors center and lookout point with a Shimanami sign…a great photo op. From there we chose to take smaller roads on the coast to get to central Imabari.
Our hotel for the first night was in the town of Niihama, on the way we crossed some beautiful fields full of nanohana with views of the Shikoku mountains behind.
Day 2: Niihama to Tokushima
The next day we woke up to pouring rain, freezing cold, and a forecast that said it would last the entire day. With our next hotel about 145km away in Tokushima, the train was looking awfully tempting. Luckily, the wind was pointed directly in our path of travel so it made the rain and cold much more bearable. We picked up some Lawson rain coats for an extra layer and headed out.
Leaving Niihama we stuck closer to the mountains than the coast to access some of the quieter roads and avoid the national route. The 300m climb over the pass on Route 192 provided a nice warm up as we headed toward the Yoshino River.
Although the rain never really went away, after getting into the valley along the Yoshino River we were happy with our decision to not take the train. Interesting towns, amazing views of the mountains, and a bike path which runs basically the entire length of the river makes this a great section of road, and a good option for those planning their own Shikoku trips.
Tokushima is a perfect destination to include on a Shikoku trip. Small enough to be accessed easily by bike, and full of parks, views, restaurants, and historical sights to take in. Rivers flank the downtown shopping area and help make the town feel connected to nature, while at the same time full of life.
Day 3: Tokushima to Toyo
The next stage of the trip involved a 110km/1000m ride to the southern tip of Shikoku to the town of Toyo. We were pleased to wake up to cold, but clear skies, on a day that ended up being full of classic Shikoku roads along beautiful rivers.
Rather than sticking to the coast we headed inland to follow the Naka and Akamatsu Rivers. While we were met with some pretty intense headwinds for parts of this route the roads were empty, beautiful and a great example of the perfect cycling that Shikoku is known for. This was one of the most enjoyable parts of our Shikoku journey and should not be skipped when route planning the south east side of the island.
The Minami Awa Sunline Road
After 55km of enjoyable river tracing, the route pops out at the town of Minami where it turns into a more coastal experience. Motorized traffic will stick to National Route 55, but luckily this is where the MinamiAwa Sunline road begins. This is a 20km stretch of road that hugs the coast as it ascends and descends the shore line peaks. This is a great option to take as there is no traffic, and some great views to be had at the Observation Decks that line the road.
As we had booked a hotel in Toyo for the night, we met up with the National Route in Mugi and headed another 25km down the coast. This was also an enjoyable section as traffic was manageable and the small town of Kaiyo had some interesting sights to take in on the way through.
Toyo itself is small but a great place to settle down if there are rooms available. There are a few hotels here which cater to surfers who flock to this area for the seasonal waves, and the many long distance walkers ticking off the 88 temple pilgrimage Shikoku is famous for.
This article is part of our collection of cycling routes and reports for Fukuoka and Kyushu. Explore more rides on our index page—and get out and discover Kyushu