6 most scenic cycling sections on the Shimanami Kaido for first-time riders

2026/1/212026/1/22

Discover 6 of the most scenic cycling sections on the Shimanami Kaido. Coastal routes, island views, and beginner-friendly sections perfect for first-time riders using rental bikes.

Cycling the Shimanami Kaido

A cycling journey through sea and islands

The Shimanami Kaido is a long-distance route that connects Honshu and Shikoku by crossing a chain of islands in the Seto Inland Sea. It is well known because bicycles are allowed to use dedicated cycling paths that are completely separate from the expressway. The area has gained international attention for its high-quality cycling infrastructure, often described as “Japan-quality,” and it is designed so that everyone—from experienced cyclists to first-time cycling travelers—can enjoy a comfortable and rewarding bike trip.

The greatest appeal of the Shimanami Kaido is the beautiful scenery created by the calm waters of the Seto Inland Sea and its many small islands. As you ride, the landscape constantly changes, with views of traditional farming villages and fishing communities unique to these islands. Thanks to this variety, even long-distance cycling never feels monotonous. The route options are also very diverse, ranging from the shortest main route to longer loops that circle individual islands. Depending on your fitness level and interests, you can design a cycling route that suits you very freely.

A journey that is not about famous sightseeing spots

I believe that traveling around the islands of the Shimanami Kaido by bicycle is enjoyable precisely because it is different from a typical trip focused on famous tourist attractions. Along the Shimanami Kaido, you will not find world-famous landmarks such as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Of course, there are well-known shrines, lovely cafés, and good restaurants. However, if your only goal is to visit specific highlights one by one, there is really no need to travel by bicycle, which is slower and requires more effort. In that case, using buses or a car might actually be a more efficient way to get around.

It is often said that a bicycle trip is a journey where the road itself is the destination. I personally love visiting places I have never explored by bike before, and when I think about it more deeply, what I am really seeking are the roads that let me feel the character of a region—quiet farming and fishing villages that are not tourist hotspots, as well as views of the sea, rivers, and lakes. For bicycle travel, moving from one place to another is not just a way to connect sightseeing spots; it is an essential part of the enjoyment itself.

That is why the choice of roads—where you ride and which route you take—is such an important element of cycling.

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Let’s take a detour

Six especially scenic cycling sections

When you visit the Shimanami Kaido and rent a bicycle, it is natural to want to ride through sections with especially beautiful scenery. The shortest main route is the classic choice for riders aiming to complete the entire Shimanami Kaido, and it is very popular. However, beyond this main route, there are actually many sections with outstanding views that are also easy to access, even for beginners. I believe that one of the true pleasures of the Shimanami Kaido is adjusting your itinerary to include outer island routes and discovering scenery that feels uniquely your own.

This time, I have personally selected six scenic sections that are relatively easy to reach for beginners who are cycling the Shimanami Kaido on rental bikes, taking into account factors such as distance and elevation gain. If this is your first visit to the Shimanami Kaido, I recommend using the main route as your base and choosing some of these sections as enjoyable detours that fit your schedule. If you are a repeat visitor and have cycled the Shimanami Kaido before, and if there are still sections here that you have not explored yet, I strongly encourage you to give them a try.

	Scenic Section	Island Area	Approx. Distance
①	Kurushima Kaikyo – Rose Park	Imabari (former city area) / Oshima	12 km
②	Hayakawa – Hakatajima Island	Oshima / Hakatajima	8 km
③	Omishima North Route	Omishima	7 km
④	Tatara Bridge – Setoda	Omishima / Ikuchijima	9 km
⑤	Yumeshima Kaido	Iwagijima / Ikinajima / Sajima / Yugejima	12 km
⑥	Mukaishima South Route	Mukaishima	9 km

*1 km = approximately 0.62 miles

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Details of scenic cycling sections

Now, I would like to introduce in detail the six especially scenic sections of the Shimanami Kaido that I have selected, starting from the Imabari side in Ehime Prefecture. I chose sections that are easy to ride even for beginners, with relatively gentle elevation changes and distances of around 10 km.

① Kurushima Kaikyo – Rose Park

One of the reasons cycling on the Shimanami Kaido feels so special is that you can ride across large bridges that would normally be impossible to cross by bicycle. There are many bridges along the route, but the longest one, the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, is truly a highlight. This bridge spans the Kurushima Strait between the former Imabari city area and Oshima Island. As an iconic symbol of the Shimanami Kaido, the bridge stretches for about 4 km, and cycling across it gives you a powerful sense of “riding over the sea,” with expansive views of the Seto Inland Sea all around you.

Simply crossing the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge is enough to make you feel, “I’ve really arrived on the Shimanami Kaido.” When you ride from the Imabari side to Oshima Island, the main route passes through the roadside station “Yoshiumi Iki-iki-kan” and runs through the center of the island from south to north. However, this main route is not the most scenic option. The outer coastal route on the western side of Oshima, running from the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge to Yoshiumi Rose Park, is a wonderfully pleasant seaside road with no mountain passes to climb. It is such a beautiful route that you may wonder why it is not the main route.

This coastal road lets you feel the Seto Inland Sea up close, and you will likely be surprised by the beauty of the scenery—quiet beaches and the fishing village landscape of Mukuna in Yoshiumi, which feels quintessentially “Setouchi.” Timeless views of the Seto Inland Sea have been preserved here for generations. Along the way, there are several spots where you can take photos with the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge in the background, and one of the unique pleasures of this route is being able to see shipyards, where ships are built, from very close range.

Start Point	End Point
Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge Entrance (Itoyama)	Yoshiumi Rose Park

② Hayakawa – Hakatajima Island

This is a section that even people who have visited the Shimanami Kaido many times may not have ridden very often. The route from the Hayakawa area on the northern side of Oshima to Hakatajima Island is a beautiful seaside section, with continuous scenery that feels quintessentially Seto Inland Sea. If you continue along the western outer coastal route of Oshima from Yoshiumi Rose Park, you will encounter a steep climb called Taura Pass. In that case, it is a perfectly reasonable choice to get off your bike and push it up the hill. On the northern side of Oshima, no matter which route you take, you will need to cross at least one pass of around 60 meters in elevation.

Once you have made it over Taura Pass, the ride that follows—from the Hayakawa area of Miyakubo to the Hakata-Oshima Bridge—is relatively flat and offers excellent seaside scenery. Compared to the Miyakubo Pass on the main route, this section is incomparably more scenic. Across the water, you can see the southern side of Omishima Island, as well as the Omishima Bridge that connects Hakatajima and Omishima. The sand on the beaches here is white, which makes the clarity of the sea especially noticeable.

Oshima is also well known for a premium building stone called Oshima-ishi, and along this route you will find the remains of old quarries as well as active stone workshops scattered throughout the area. This makes the section feel very characteristic of Oshima. The sight of large blocks of Oshima stone stacked high is quite impressive. After that, you cross the Hakata-Oshima Bridge to rejoin the main route and head onto Hakatajima Island. Just after crossing the bridge, you will find the roadside station “Hakata S.C. Park,” a classic rest stop on the Shimanami Kaido. It is a perfect place to take a break and try Hakatajima’s famous salt soft-serve ice cream—a local specialty made with sea salt from the island.

Start Point	End Point
Hayakawa, Miyakubo-cho, Imabari City (Oshima)	Roadside Station Hakata S.C. Park (Hakatajima)

③ Omishima North Route

Omishima is the largest island on the Shimanami Kaido, with a full loop of about 50 km. If you follow the main route, you will ride only about 4 km along the southeastern edge of the island. In fact, the main town of Omishima is on the opposite side, in the Miyaura area, where Oyamazumi Shrine is located. The outer coastal route around Omishima is well known for its beautiful scenery and is especially popular with repeat visitors to the Shimanami Kaido. However, while the southern side of Omishima offers stunning views, it also has frequent ups and downs, which can be quite challenging for beginners.

Compared to the southern side, the northern part of Omishima has far fewer climbs and offers long, flat stretches with excellent scenery. There is a pass at an elevation of about 65 meters in the Himi area of Omishima, but this section was once part of an older Omishima cycling course. Because of that, a dedicated cycling path with gentle gradients has been built, making it relatively easy to climb even for beginners. After crossing this pass, the route from the Sakari area of Kamiura to Inokuchi in Kamiura is a flat, seaside road with almost no elevation change, creating a wonderfully comfortable and enjoyable cycling experience.

If you have some extra time in your schedule, you can take a ferry from Sakari Port along the way to Okunoshima, which is famous as “Rabbit Island.” From this area, you can see the mainland of Hiroshima Prefecture across the water, giving you a real sense of the scale of the Seto Inland Sea. The gradually emerging view of the Tatara Bridge is also truly impressive. There are no shops or cafés along this section, but the calm, crystal-clear sea scenery makes it one of the most beautiful stretches on the entire Shimanami Kaido.

Start Point	End Point
Himi, Omishima-cho, Imabari City (Omishima)	Inokuchi, Kamiura-cho, Imabari City (Omishima)

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④ Tatara ~ Setoda

Among all the bridges on the Shimanami Kaido, the one most often praised for its beauty is the Tatara Bridge, which connects Omishima and Ikuchijima. It is a cable-stayed bridge, characterized by its triangular arrangement of cables. From the bridge deck, I can enjoy views of islands such as Hakatajima, Ikuchijima, and Takanejima, and on clear days I can even see the mountains of mainland Hiroshima Prefecture in the distance. The center of the bridge marks the border between Ehime and Hiroshima prefectures, making it a spot where you can truly feel that you have crossed from Shikoku to Honshu.

The descent toward Ikuchijima after crossing the Tatara Bridge takes you through an orchard area known as Lemon Valley. Setoda in Ikuchijima is said to be the birthplace of domestic lemon cultivation in Japan, and even today it remains the country’s leading area for growing Japanese lemons. Along the cycling path from the Tatara Bridge down to Ikuchijima, you will see not only lemon trees but many different kinds of citrus trees lining both sides of the road. In season, the landscape is filled with yellow and orange fruit. When you think of the Seto Inland Sea, citrus fruits naturally come to mind, and this is a section where I can truly feel the richness of that citrus culture.

The section from the Ikuchijima side of the Tatara Bridge down to Setoda in Setoda Town is another seaside highlight of the Shimanami Kaido. The road follows the coastline closely, allowing me to cycle while constantly feeling the presence of the sea. There are popular swimming beaches along the way, such as Setoda Sunset Beach, and palm-like tropical trees add a resort-like atmosphere to the Seto Inland Sea scenery. Artworks from the island-wide open-air museum project are scattered throughout the area, giving me the feeling that I have arrived at an overseas resort.

Starting point	Ending point
Tatara Bridge entrance (Omishima)	Setoda, Setoda Town, Onomichi City (Ikuchijima)

⑤ Yumeshima Kaido

This route is not part of the main Shimanami Kaido line, but it has recently been gaining attention as a worthwhile detour. To the east of Ikuchijima are four islands—Iwagijima, Ikinajima, Sashima, and Yugejima—each connected by bridges. These islands belong to Kamijima Town in Ochi District, Ehime Prefecture, and are collectively known as the Yumeshima Kaido. Blue guide lines are painted on the roads here as well, making this a scenic cycling route where I can enjoy riding across small, peaceful islands.

From Sunoe Port on the eastern side of Ikuchijima, ferries run to Okogi Port on Iwagijima, which is often used as the starting point for this route. It is also possible to reach Iwagi Port by passenger boat from Imabari Port. In addition, ferries operate from Habu Port on Innoshima to Tateishi Port on Ikinajima, and from Karoto Port on Innoshima to Kamiyuge Port on Yugejima. Because these islands are not connected by bridges to the main Shimanami Kaido islands, ferry services on these routes are surprisingly frequent.

From Iwagijima, I can cross to Ikinajima via the Iwagi Bridge, which opened in 2022. From Ikinajima to Sashima, I cross the Ikina Bridge, and from Sashima to Yugejima, I cross the Yuge Ohashi Bridge. The views from each bridge are wonderful, and the calm seascapes seen from each island are equally beautiful. I also recommend cycling through the narrow backstreets of villages on islands such as Sashima and Yugejima. In Kamijima Town, there is not a single traffic light. This is a course where I can enjoy an even stronger remote-island atmosphere than on the main islands of the Shimanami Kaido.

Start	Finish
Okogi Port (Iwagijima)	Kamiyuge Port (Yugejima)

⑥ The Southern Route of Mukaishima

On the northern side of the Shimanami Kaido, islands such as Innoshima and Mukaishima are known for having more urban areas than people might expect. Innoshima in particular has many narrow roads, and there are quite a few sections where cyclists need to pay close attention to cars and trucks. The northern side of Mukaishima is also a built-up area with schools scattered around and a series of traffic lights. Among these more urban parts of the northern Shimanami Kaido, the most scenic route is the coastal road along the southern side of Mukaishima.

I think Mukaishima is an island that shows completely different faces on its northern and southern sides. In particular, the coastal section from Hishio Beach, past Tachibana Coast, to Michigoe in Mukaishima-cho, Onomichi City follows the shoreline almost the entire way, allowing me to enjoy cycling while taking in classic Seto Inland Sea scenery. The road has gentle curves, and the changing views around each bend make this section especially enjoyable.

The section from the Innoshima Bridge to Michigoe in Mukaishima-cho, Onomichi City is part of the Shimanami Kaido main route, so riders aiming to complete the entire route will often pass through here. For travelers with only half a day to a full day who are planning a short cycling trip that starts and ends in Onomichi, the southern side of Mukaishima offers exactly the kind of photogenic scenery that people imagine when they think of the Shimanami Kaido.

Start Point	End Point
Hishio Beach (Mukaishima)	Michigoe, Mukaishima-cho, Onomichi City (Mukaishima)

Maps you should get in advance

“CycloTourisme Shimanami," which has been active in cycle tourism and regional promotion for nearly 20 years along the Shimanami Kaido, publishes guidebooks and maps. The map is also available in English and is extremely popular as it is the most detailed cycling-specific map in this region.

This product comes with a set of seven maps, each with a fairly detailed map for each island. I believe that getting your hands on this map will change your experience here. It can be purchased on Amazon.co.jp, and you can also buy it locally at Guesthouse CYCLONOIE in front of Imabari Station.

Model course

Aim to Complete the Route in 2 Days

This is a classic and standard model course that starts in Imabari and covers the entire Shimanami Kaido over two days. You might be thinking, “If I’m going to do it, I want to ride all the way from Imabari to Onomichi!” At the same time, if this is your first long-distance cycling trip, it’s natural to feel a bit unsure about whether you can really make it to the end.

For those who want a two-day Shimanami Kaido crossing plan that is beginner-friendly and easy to follow, I introduce a well-balanced itinerary that even a solo beginner cyclist can enjoy by using rental bikes and comfortably complete the full route over two days.

Cycling map

ー Main route
ー Optionally Route
● Scenic Spots
● Restaurants
● Cafe & Shops
● Accommodations
● Rental Bike Terminal

On this page, I introduced six especially scenic sections of the Shimanami Kaido cycling route. I designed these model courses so that even those who are riding a sports bike for the first time, or cycling long distances for the first time, can enjoy the experience without pushing themselves too hard. I hope you will use this as a base when planning your trip. I have also put together more detailed cycling information on this page, so please take a look there as well.