The Seto Inland Sea (Seto-Naikai) is considered Japan’s most scenic waterway, a vast emerald sea dotted with some 3,000 islands and islets. Much of it lies protected within the Inland Sea National Park, which stretches from western Honshu to Shikoku. And yet, exactly what does one do with a park that consists mostly of water?
Sure, you can take a cruise among the islands, hounded by a loud speaker that tells you more than you’d ever wish to know about obscure geographical and geological facts and figures, with views of islands skirted by white surf and small fishing villages gliding by, tantalizingly out of reach.
Cycling the Shimanami Kaido
But the best way to explore the Inland Sea National Park is—surprisingly enough—by bike. In fact, you can cycle all the way from Japan’s main island of Honshu to Shikoku, thanks to the Shimanami Kaido, a series of seven bridges that connect six islands on its journey from Hiroshima to Ehime prefectures. Opened in 1999, it offers a dedicated, 50-mile biking trail that runs alongside the highway over bridges but then diverges into the countryside on the islands. Best of all, rental bikes are available at both ends of the route, as well as at terminals along the way. For a leisurely outing, you can cycle for a few hours before ditching your bike at a designated terminal and then catching a bus back. But I’d recommend cycling the entire distance, which you do in about eight hours with stops along the way. Even better, consider making it a two-day adventure, cycling the entire distance one way, spending the night at an inn on either end, and then cycling back the next day. After all, the views are always different depending on which way you’re facing. Bike rentals are 1,000 yen a day, plus a 1,000 yen deposit (which you forfeit if you return your bike to a different terminal from where you got it).
I have to admit, however, that although I’ve cycled the entire length of the Shimanami Kaido, I didn’t do it all at once. First I cycled an hour or so from the Shikoku side shortly after the bike path opened. A few years later I cycled a couple hours from the Hiroshima side. Then, on a trip with my teenage son, we covered the vast middle section in between. In any case, cycling the Shimanami Kaido is a glorious trip, with vistas of the sea from vantage points atop bridges, followed by jaunts through villages, woods, and scenic landscapes. There are many temples, sightseeing spots, restaurants, beaches, and other attractions along the way. Of the several places I’ve biked in Japan, this is by far my favorite.
Sightseeing Highlights
One highlight is certainly Oyamazumi Shrine on Omishima, worshipped in bygone days by samurai. It houses the Shiyoden Treasure Museum, a somewhat neglected-looking building that nonetheless is home to 80% of Japan’s samurai gear designated National Treasures or National Important Cultural Assets. Donated through the centuries by warriors wishing to express gratitude for victorious battle, it’s an astonishing collection of swords, helmets, and armor, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. My son was duly impressed.
And then there’s Kosanji Temple in the port town of Setoda on Ikushijima Island. It dates only from 1936, when a local businessman erected it to honor his mother and then spent the next three decades constructing full-scale replicas of famous Japanese temples and shrines. If you’ve ever wondered what the Hall of Dreams at Horyuji Temple in Nara looks like or missed the chance to snap a shot of the Yomeimon Gate in Nikko, you’ll have your chance here.
Certainly, island-hopping has never been easier. But for those of you with lazy legs, power-assisted bikes are also available. Although my son wouldn’t be caught dead riding one, I have to admit it allowed me to keep up with my son and fully enjoy the ever-changing scenery along the way.
Click here for more information on the Shimanami Kaido.
For some of my other posts about Japan, see Places to Visit between Tokyo and Kyoto, Places to Visit between Kyoto and Hiroshima, Japan’s Top World Heritage Sites
