Cyclingサイクリング
Ride the Shimanami route if you cycle at all.
Ride the Shimanami route if you cycle at all.
Japan is a better cycling country than its reputation suggests, and one route in particular is worth planning a trip around. The Shimanami Kaido crosses six islands and their bridges between Honshu and Shikoku on a dedicated cycle path, about seventy kilometres, with hire shops at both ends and gentle gradients on every bridge approach.
Anyone who rides a bicycle at home can do this. The bridges are ramped rather than climbed, the path is separated from traffic, and you can put the bike on a bus or stop at an island for the night. Most people take a whole day; some take two and enjoy it more.
Elsewhere, cities are flat and bicycle-friendly — Kyoto, Kanazawa and Matsue are all better seen from a saddle than from a bus.
Hire at one end and leave it at the other — this is the normal arrangement on the Shimanami, and it saves the return leg.
Helmets are provided with most hire bikes and are strongly advised.
Ride on the left, and on the road or the marked path rather than the pavement where there is a choice.
Best months: April–May and October–November. August is hot enough to spoil it.
Each links to its prefecture.
Seventy kilometres over six islands and their bridges. The best ride in Japan.
A circuit of the largest lake in Japan, flat and doable in stages.
Flat, compact and full of side streets. A bicycle beats a bus here.
Long straight roads through striped farmland, with hire shops at the stations.
Coast roads between beaches, warm enough to ride in winter.
Fishing villages and terraced fields above the sea. Quiet, and hillier than the rest.