Shimanami Kaido questions

hi there,

I have had some fantastic feedback from people on this site and hope somebody else may be able to share some advice with regard to my Shimanami Kaido trip.

The detailed info on this site is great, includes bicycle hire terminals, prices etc...

I was hoping someone could suggest how they dealt with such things as luggage. I will be traveling with my son and two suitcases as we travel around japan. we will most likely being coming down from osaka to ride and then nagoya when we finish.

I have allocated 2 days for the ride, so in theory could arrive the night before and stay near one end terminal (leave the lugggage at the hotel).

Im wondering if there are any other better options and if so, what are they? after a long ride, im not that keen doing many hours of traveling. will probably just want a feed, shower and bed :)

p.s do the hire places also hire helmets?

thankyou for all input.
regards
ronnie
sydney

I replied to your other thread but will answer the luggage question here.

I would recommend leaving your luggage either in Okayama (at a hotel or station locker) or Osaka (hotel), depending on where you want to stay after the ride (I'm assuming you'll travel to Nagoya the next day). Just take an small overnight bag with you.

Based on your comments I'd say stay in either Onomichi or Okayama that night. There are coin showers at the Onomichi end so you're covered in that regard if you wanted to then get on a train to Okayama. If Onomichi, pick up you luggage on the way through to Nagoya.

thx again starkerr! there is so much planning and unknown variables. im really enjoying doing it all :) i was hoping to have much of the trip spontaneous and open to adjustments, but with certain parts locked in, it makes it hard.

sounds like you know that area very well :)

regards
ronnie

No problem. I was in the same situation not so long ago. I ended up leaving my bag in Okayama and doing a return trip from Onomichi the same day after finishing the ride. Overall I was traveling south though and didn't mind train rides so that proved the best option for me with the least backtracking.

About the spontaneity, I completely understand where you're coming from. Ultimately I found it best to book all accommodation beforehand and stick as much to the plan as possible - places fill up very quickly during summer. Even in Tokyo I couldn't get a bed one night for what I was willing to pay after a rail pass mix-up.

yeah, that sounds like good advice. im used to traveling in winter where most places it is off season for tourism. it will be different having to compete. im doing the trip with my 19 y.o son
we've never done anything like this with just the 2 of us before. im hoping it will be pretty special.

i havent locked in any accomm in the cities yet apart from when we arrive. iv almost booked in 4 days up at yudanaka, takayama and shirakawago (which wont let us book until march for gassho house - which makes me nervous we might miss out ). these bookings are straight after we arrive. i was thinking of booking about a week in advance before we arive in the city, but yeah, ur comment on booking out vindicates my concerns. i might have to start booking places. many allow u to cancel upto a couple of days beforehand. that will work in case we deviate from our plan. e.g we want to stay in a temple one night, but not sure how to book that... if you cant book it but turn up and it's full, then you're stuck with nothing...
things like that are a bit hard to plan :)

You can always find places with a no-penalty cancellation policy so you have a back-up and also some flexibility to make some changes.

I always book my accommodation ahead because it can be time-consuming, and stressful doing it on the fly.

The two advantages Japan has with regard to the luggage situation are coin lockers, readily available in most stations, as long as your cases aren't too big. I frequently stop off on my way from A to B, stash my bag in a coin locker and doing a bit of sightseeing some point along the way.

The other is takkyubin, or luggage forwarding service. You pack just enough for overnight and sent your big stuff ahead to your next destination. It's usually not same day delivery but great for those one night stops.

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/hotels/hotel-cycle-japan-a-bikethe...

Just came across this when I was doing something else. What a coincidence!

thx so much winter vistor!
the place looks great. im trying to book a room there. there internet booking system is not working so i had to exercise my broken japanese and call. luckily he spoke english lol