Shimanami Kaido Questions

hello,

i plan to travel the Shimanami Kaido with a bike from Imabari to Onomichi and then return to Osaka.

How much time do i need?
where can i rent the bike in Imabari and is it possible to return it in Onomichi?
Where to stay during the trip?
Is it possible to start very early at Imabari and then do it in one day to Onomichi?

Thanks for helping me out
snk-freak

How much time do i need? this totally depends on your cycling experience. It�fs about 80 km and an accumulated ascent of maybe around 600 m. It also depends on the type of bicycle you rent. Racing bike vs manachari.

Here a basic overview: http://www.go-shimanami.jp/download/cycling/cycling_map_en.pdf

where can i rent the bike in Imabari and is it possible to return it in Onomichi? yes. See further information eg here: http://www.go-shimanami.jp/sp/global/english/bicycle/ or in the link above

Where to stay during the trip? in my opinion Omijima is the most reasonable place to stay for a night as it is about midway through. Regarding hotel booking, I recommend Jalan:
https://www.jalan.net/ (An English version exists as well)

Is it possible to start very early at Imabari and then do it in one day to Onomichi? possible yes. Possible for you: ???
You also need to consider the opening time of the bike rental. Ie if you want to start very early, you�fd most likely need to rent the bike the night before.

Here a summary of my experience last year November: https://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/2017/11/part-10-day-48-49-ridi...
I did it in 2 days and with one extra loop on one of the islands. It was a great ride. And I say that after riding 2 months through Japan.

On this page I put together practical information: http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.com/search/label/Shikoku+Planning?m...

Enjoy the ride!

I think we make it like this:

late morning via train from Iya Valley to Imabari (arrive around 3 PM), then rent a bike and drive to Omishima, stay at Omishima, next day drive to Onomichi and return the bike, return via train to Osaka

Do you think that works?

Thanks a lot.

Arrival at 3 pm might be a bit late. Until you get the bike and start riding it�fs going to be close to 16:00. Have a look when it gets dark and how far you think you can reasonably ride in the time you have left between starting the ride and sunset. Then decide on your night location or on an earlier train.
Riding the Shimanami Kaido after dark kind of defeats the purpose I think.
Also consider that dinner in Japan is an early affair.

We can arrive at Imabari at lunchtime or late morning i think. :)

Is it possible to book hotels via booking?

@likebike, tnx for blog link, really useful and interesting reading!