When we rebooked our Japan trip we extended it by a week. This, and the kids being older, meant we had the time and ability to cycle the Shimanami Kaido. This 76km world class cycling route connects the main island, Honshu, to the island of Shikoku, crossing six small islands in the Seto Inland Sea.
The track begins in Onomichi, so we decided to break our journey from Osaka with a visit at Hemeji Castle, known as White Heron Castle due to it’s white plaster walls. There has been a fort of some description on the site since the 1300s, with the current castle built in 1601.
It was designed for warfare. The main keep is about six stories high and has an excellent outlook for spotting approaching threats. There are almost 1000 gun and arrow slits in the walls, gates with narrow entranceways intended to force attackers into bottlenecks, and stone dropping holes - holes cut into sections of floor that allow defenders to drop stones or fire downwards onto the battlements. Genius! Or so it sounds to me. It wasn’t tested as Hemeji never came under attack. Unusually amongst the historical sites we visited, not only was it not besieged, but it had also not been bombed or burned down.
Today it is the most visited castle in Japan. And we were just four of many visitors, even on a rainy day. Walking along the bailey, which they think housed the ladies in waiting and could easily be repurposed for troops and weaponry, we learned about Princess Sen, another member of the Tokugawa family. She had her fair share of tragedy, losing two husbands and also her only son. The first marriage was an attempt at a family alliance with the Toyotomi clan (remember them from Osaka-Jo?) when she was seven and he ten (I guess they would have imagined a long future together!). The truce didn’t work out and the families were back at war a few years later, resulting in his suicide to protect his honor. It sounds like she chose her second husband, and had a happy marriage living at Hemeji. After the deaths of her son and second husband she gave up on love and became a Buddhist nun.
The main keep is several stories high. We wound up the steep stair cases all the way to the top for the view over Hemeji. There’s a bit of information on the history and some weaponry racks, but otherwise the rooms are fairly bare and what it would have been like as an operating castle is left to the imagination.
On our walk from the station to the castle we stopped for coffee at a cute little cafe and gift shop based around a local cartoonist’s work. It was so good, we stopped on the way back for more. It’s a great shame we can’t remember its name or find any trace of it online. If you’re ever in Himeji, it is about 2/3 of the way down the main street on the right hand side - definitely give it a try.
By the time we arrived in Onomichi it was almost dinner time so we quickly found our hostel. Guesthouse Yado-kari (aka Yadocurly) is a 100 year old house that the owner is slowly doing up as he rents rooms out to travellers. The rooms are a reasonable size, but the hallways are tiny and the stairs narrow and steep. Adrian and I had a sea view, while the kids had the attic, complete with trapdoor! We all wanted a good night’s sleep before beginning two days of cycling, and got it on the comfortable fold out futons.
The next morning we were thrilled to see the sun after all the rain the day before! We were packed and ready to drop our big bags in lockers at the train station before breakfast. The biggest lockers are about $13 a day and easily fit all of our luggage. The system is straightforward - you pay for day one, which ends at 2am, then pay any outstanding amount to open the door when you retrieve your bags. Easy!
We’d looked at e-bikes and fancy bikes, but they needed to be returned to Onomichi and we wanted to drop them off in Imabari, doing the route one-way essentially, so in the end we went manual and basic. It was fine, apart from my seat which kept slowly sinking and one of Eleanor’s handles which slid off from time to time. We collected our bikes and headed straight to the ferry taking us to the beginning of the ride on Mukaishima.
We had a little mishap when Leo, who has become accustomed to being bag free during the days (that’s what mum is for!) arrived on the island without his belongings. He and I raced back to meet the next ferry, but the lovely ticket man hadn’t seen it. We checked our photos and realised he must have left it on the wharf so prepared to catch the ferry back. As we went to step on, a man approached us carrying Leo’s bag. He’d obviously spoken to the ticket man and brought it over for us. The consistent honesty, helpfulness we’ve found here is astounding! Leo was very relieved to have Flat Bear back in his possession and I still feel a rush of gratitude when I think about it.
After the false start we began the ride. Fit cyclists can do it in a day. We did it in two, with an overnight stop at about the mid-point. The track leads across the six islands of Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima (where we stopped for the night), Hakatajima and Oshima, before ending in Imabari on Shikoku. I had two concerns leading into it - questionable fitness and cycling on the road, which I don’t normally love.
Neither wound up being a problem. Over the previous couple of weeks we’d built our travel fitness walking an average of about 12 or 13km a day. In the end, none of us had the terrible muscle aches we’d expected during or in the days after the ride. We did all have a decent case of saddle bum though!
The route was opened in 1999, and was built with cyclists in mind, so the cycle route diverges from the expressway on the islands themselves, and there are clear signs and cycle lanes to keep you on the track. Stay on the blue line and you’ll be fine! The ramps leading up to the bridges are dedicated to bikes or bikes and mopeds, and have fairly gentle inclines. Signs even tell you the incline and distance so you know exactly what to expect. The bridges are modern and have separate cycle lanes alongside or below the road. They range between about 330m and 4km (two connected bridges) in length.
Our accommodation on Omishima was a cyclists hostel not far off the track. It was the perfect place to recuperate, with everything you need for a good night’s rest after a day riding - bike storage, comfy beds, clean warm showers and dinner onsite. We had thought about visiting a local craft beer brewery or shop for lemon products (there’s loads of citrus grown on the islands), but in the end it was drizzling and we were tired so we just spent the late afternoon relaxing.
It was such an amazing experience to cycle across the islands passing through small towns, and the beautiful views of the Seto Inland Sea from the bridges. It is one of the highlights of our trip for me!
We returned our bikes in Imabari at lunchtime and were starving, so set off to find lunch. Adrian and the kids were ahead of me and had trouble finding anything open until a lovely local woman stopped, asked them what they wanted to eat, thought about it for a moment then lead them a few blocks out of her way to a yummy ramen restaurant. Yet another example of kind hearted Japanese folks helping without even being asked.
Originally we’d thought we’d taxi back to Onomichi to collect our bags, but in the end decided to go with the cheaper option of catching the train. We were all happy to spend the extra time sitting on soft seats, even if we still felt like we were on bikes, and there was a moment of discomfort every time we went to sit down! Four trains including a stop back in Onomichi to retrieve our bags and we were headed on to our next stop, Hiroshima.
Himeji Castle and its beautiful, if damp, gardens.
The view from our window at Guesthouse Yadocurly the night before and the morning of our ride. We were so lucky with the weather!
