Bridges, Onsen, Old haunts, and mountains

Yet another long break between posts, and yet another list type title, inspiration comes slowly even in the most interesting of places it seems but I finally have a little time (and wifi) so felt I should plonk myself in front of the keyboard again.

So, when I last wrote I had made the decision to alter my plan from my initial end to end / full lap route and head back north. After a lovely day off in Matsuyama I dragged myself back onto the bike and headed out into a nasty headwind, with showers forecast, on my way to Imabari to start the famous Shimanai Kaido the following day.

Now morale wasn’t terribly high at this point but after a little break at a well placed ‘Mr. Donut’ involving several confections and a large green tea milkshake I was feeling slightly more human if not a little sluggish with my extra weight taken on board.

The run out of Japanese cities seems to follow a pattern to me now, once you manage to work your way from the centre fighting your way through innumerable traffic lights, you reach the more retail park style areas with their supermarkets, car dealerships, Pachinko Parlours, and blissful Doughnut shops. Once this thins you find the more industrial parts, small factories and garages. Through all these stages there is usually plenty of rivers, streams, ponds and pools all seemingly suitable for habitation by various, fish, fowl and turtle. I still am amazed and delighted when crossing a bridge to look below into the water and see Egret’s, Carp, Terrapin’s, and all kinds of other wildlife in some of the more built up areas. I cant help but wonder how we have lost this abundance of nature back home.

I digress,  once out of the city the wind was thankfully lighter and no longer fighting my progress so I was rolling merrily northward on a mostly flat road, only to feel large spots of rain slowly start to land on me. Quickly throwing my waterproof jacket on I took the cowards option and turned into a local shopping centre, as the shower grew heavier I found a good spot in front of an empty shop. I checked my GPS and saw that the shower was due to pass in 20 minutes so decided to trust the technology and have an impromptu but dry break from riding.

Once the rain finally passed the waterproofs were put away and I got back on the road again, with a small but nasty looking hill looming ahead I scanned my map looking at the route and sure enough I was plotted straight over it. Usually roads in Japan seem to wind up the steeper hills but I can only assume this had received some Roman influence as it shot straight up the hill, causing some confusion among the farmers tending to their Orange trees as a strange sweaty Welshman slowly dragged himself up past them murmuring foul indecipherable words.

Once on the other side the straight road disappeared treating me to a smooth twisty descent and leading me towards to coast. The route itself was nothing special however there were occasional short stretches of road along the shore where I started to get a feel of the coastline and could enjoy the views.

I was joined on the road by an occasional blue line, the start of the Shimanami Kaido route leading from Matsuyama to Imabari then eventually across the many islands and bridges that make up the famous cycling spot.

Another old friend joined me and the waterproofs were dragged out again as the rain started to pour about a mile outside Imabari, I pressed on and reached my hostel for the night before things got too bad.

The next day the weather was looking much better so after a good breakfast and buying some food for the next couple of days I set off towards the Shimanami Kaido, riding towards the coast for a quick view before heading inland again to cross the first bridge.

The initial climb is surprisingly steep and winding, following a dedicated path for Bicycles and Motorbikes 125cc and under, once you reach the top your greeted with a spectacular view over the bay and the bridge stretches out in front of you, the motorbikes are now on a separate path and you can enjoy the ride over the bridge without fear of anything other than other cyclists and pedestrians.

Once on the other side the pattern reverses, sending you back down an enjoyable twisty little descent and onto the coast of the next island. Following the blue line on the roads and paths is simple enough and the satnav had a well earned rest while I simply kept my eyes peeled for the next sign. The islands themselves are beautiful, with a geography beyond anything in my internal reference making the smallest details fascinating  while leading you along to the next little bay or climb.

I had originally planned to spend three to four days exploring the islands but after a few hours riding realised that this may be too much, the Islands are stunning but I think part of the pleasure in experiencing them was from passing through, and watching the scenery slowly roll past.

After two more bridge crossings I was on Omishima Island and could see something called the ‘Cyclists sanctuary’ signposted ahead, this sounded like it may fit me so I followed the signs and arrived at a nice little service station geared for both cars and bicycles.

Not a bad view from the ‘Cyclists sanctuary’ 

After a lovely well priced lunch of pork and egg over rice I was ready to have a rest and enjoy the day, thankfully on the other side of the hill was a small campsite where after a few misunderstandings and some sign language I managed to get a plot for the night so set up my tent overlooking the beach with tomorrows bridge just behind me.

While the campsite may not have had the best facilities I couldn’t fault the neighbours, with a family mart right next door and most importantly a brilliant little onsen just up the road. After a soak in Tatara Onsen and a nice meal watching the sun go down on the beach I settled down for the night resting for tomorrows ride.

The next day after a quick breakfast and another soak (seriously we need Onsen in the UK),  I was soon merrily rolling along the coastal roads enjoying the scenery.  The weather was a little more overcast this day and a little chilly at times out of the sun.

Sadly there isn’t a huge amount to really write about the Shimanami Kaido in my opinion, it’s a beautiful stretch of paths and roads linking some lovely islands together but I think its very much something that needs to be experienced rather than described.  As such I’m certain opinions on this route will vary wildly depending on what each visitor experiences, for my part I enjoyed the ride, the views, the onsen and would gladly do it all over again.

After a nights sleep in a hostel in Mukojima I hopped on the ferry to the mainland, aiming to complete the longest ride of the trip so far and get to Hiroshima for a few days rest to see the city and dodge some bad weather forecast in the coming week.

I had spoken with an Italian cyclist who was touring in the opposite direction to me and he had explained that the route was quite reasonable with only one small hill pass on the way so I was quite optimistic of my chances. After about 20 miles the road started to climb steadily upwards and my chances of completing the fifty odd miles to Hiroshima sank in proportion, with one final climb into Higashihiroshima at around 30 miles I decided to call it a day and ride the remaining 20 the next morning.

The morning arrived with light drizzle and a slow climb, thankfully I hadn’t lost much of the elevation gained from the previous day so my climb was mercifully short and the run into Hiroshima city was a pleasant descent following a river towards the sea, in the last few miles there was one last short sharp climb but thanks to the encouragement of a lovely old lady (who even offered me a ‘genki’ energy drink) I was soon over the other side and into one of my favourite cities in Japan.

I was last in Hiroshima in 2011 in what feels like a different lifetime, the city left a lasting mark on me and I was looking forward to walking the streets and taking it all in again. I dropped my bags off at my capsule hotel and after finding somewhere to park the bike for a few days I wandered into the Peace park to watch the sun go down.

The next day I made the most of the sunny weather and hopped onto the tram to get to Miyajima island, I had never seen the famous Tori gate in the sea and was looking forward to seeing some old temples.  The trams in Hiroshima are great and now that my old Suica pass works on them I could happily hop on them without worrying about working out my fare or having the right change.

The last stop of the number 2 tram left me right outside the ferry port to head over to the island, the tram had been nice and quiet with locals going about their daily routine but once aboard the ferry it soon filled up with tourists experiencing ‘theme park japan’ ignoring the common courtesy that makes Japan such an enjoyable place to be.

The ferry crossing is short but scenic as the passengers dodge and weave for who can get the perfect photo of the island, trying to get that selfie angle just right while ignoring the general surroundings they had paid to visit.

After landing I distanced myself from the ferry terminal and headed towards the temple, keen to see it in the morning before more crowds of people arrived. Thankfully, like Nara, there were hordes of deer roaming the island to distract people so I managed to make good time along the shore and after taking the obligatory photos of the Tori spent a while wandering the temple.

Once I had looked around the temple I fancied a bite to eat so headed into the busier streets to find a little place for dinner, after about twenty minutes I gave up. In most tourist spots you find the prices a little higher but here it was simply ridiculous, a simple curry rice that would cost you ¥500 was nearer to ¥1500… I decided that while I had planned to stay the day it was simply easier to head back to the city and grab something there, a real shame as I would have liked to explore more of the Island.

The remaining few days were spent resting and enjoying Hiroshima, its a lovely city and much more than its name is famous for.   I wont touch on its past here, only to say that the stories I was told and the feelings I experienced in learning about what happened through two of the survivors on my previous visit changed my life and will be a part of me forever. If you can please try to visit the city, and enjoy its atmosphere but also please visit the peace park, and the museum within it as the experience which may not always be pleasant is something that needs to be remembered, especially in recent times with the current taste for Sabre rattling among the various elected,and un-elected representatives of the worlds countries.

The next blog will cover my trip north from Hiroshima,  crossing the country through the mountains, visiting more onsen and finally turning towards Hokkaido. Fingers crossed its a bit sooner this time.