Cycling across islands while enjoying the beautiful sea and the flesh sea breeze
On your bike seat, get ready to encounter amaizing scenery you will never experience in a car seat.
Toyoshima Ohashi Bridge is a 903-meter bridge, opened to traffic in Novemeber 18th, 2008. Toyoshima Ohashi is said to be the first suspension bridge in Japan that was started being built in the 21st century. With the opening of Toyoshima Ohashi Bridge, all the seven bridge and road network that connects Japan's main island of Honshu and Okamurajima Island (Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture) has become complete, and all the city of Kure was connected by land routes as well.
After getting off Totyoshima Ohashi Bridge, you find a rest area located on the side of Kamikamagarijima Island, where you can enjoy the amazing view of the bridge from down below.
The name of the island originates from the legend of Empress Jingu: On her visit of the island, she dropped her comb and hence all the cattails that covered the ground were mowed in search of the comb. The history of the island seems quite long, as historic landmarks such as salt manufacturing facilities and an ancient tomb were found. It is one of the biggest islands along the Tobishima Kaido, which might be worth spending a whole day in.
Since our goal on this trip is to finish the Tobishima Kaido cycling route, however, we took the cycling route on the south side of Kamikamagarijima Island. There are two tunnels on the island. The first tunnel is Oura Tunnel which is pretty long. Make sure to turn the light on inside the tunnel. The second tunnel is Hara Tunnel where the 2004 movie "Umizaru" was shot. After the tunnel, we continue to take the coastal road. While riding, we come across striking quarry-like views. Even in the same island, some areas are covered with dark colored rocks and others with whitish rocks. The surreal views of the quarries reminds me of popular Studio Ghibli animated films.
Kamagari Ohashi Bridge is a 480-meter truss bridge, a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements usually forming triangular units. It looks much like Toyohama Ohashi Bridge. After getting off Kamagari Ohashi Bridge, we landed on Shimokamagarijima Island and found a historic settlement called Minose. As Shimokamagarijima prospered as the key point of the Seto Inland Sea traffic in the Edo period, Honjin, an officially designated inn for Daimyo (feudal lord) samurais, and Bansho, a guard house, were built there. Korean envoys, Ryukyu missions, and Daimyo from the western Japan stopped over in the island. The sightseeing spots like Hakusetsuro, Shotoen, Rantokaku Art Museum are all located in this area. It would make an enjoyable leisurely ride with the splendid town view!
After leaving Shimokamagarijima island behind, crossing over one more bridge, Aki Nada Ohashi Bridge, will finally bring us to the main island of Honshu. Cyclists and pedestrians are free to cross the bridge. Actually, all the Tobishima Kaido bridges are free of charge for cyclists. With a slight hint of reluctance, we have finished crossing the bridge. The total distance from Okamurajima is about 48 kilometers. We made it!
By the way, there are several ways to go back to Imabari. Each route has its own pros and cons. A ferry taking us straight back to Imabari might be ideal, but unfortunately, there isn’t such a convenient way yet.
No. 1 to No. 3 are rather tough, recommended only for advanced riders. If you want to take ferries, please check the time schedule and plan ahead. The highway bus from Shimokamagarijima Island to Osakishimojima Island is convenient, but the number of the bus services is quite limited. Plus, you need to bring your own bicycle bag. Personally, I feel like the No. 4 is the most realistic route. But please note that the final ferry leaves at 4:15 pm: If you miss this, you will have to wait till the next day.
On our way back to Imabari, we stopped by at the Mitarai we had skipped before. The area has been selected as one of the "Important Preservation Districts for Groups of Historic Buildings" by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and a must-see spot along the Tobishima Kaido. First, we visited Mitarai rest area which also served as Tourist Information Center where we got a tourist map. With this map, we explored the town. One of the spots we visited was the remains of the Wakaebisu-ya, one of the biggest officially sanctioned Chayas (tea houses), supposedly held about 100 yujo, (women of pleasure), at its peak. Visitors can see the inside of the house which exhibited many historic objects. You can easily spend hours by visiting other interesting spots like a watch shop that started its business in 1858, Shichikyoochi Iseki (remains of an old house where seven court nobles stayed on their return to their homeland after being defeated by the Shogunate government), the inn where Tadataka Inoh, the cartographer who completed the first map of Japan, stayed at etc. We felt like we had been transported through time.
Maruseki Cafe is run by a non-local who initially moved to Sekizen village as part of a government-sponsored program aiming to revitalize and promote aging communities. It was a lovely cafe renovated an old Japanese house. Of course it was populated with female customers. Since we came in late, all the pastries and bread were sold out. Desserts like "Purin No Tamago Himekko Pudding" pound cake and shaved ice all looked too good to choose! Everything actually tasted genuine homemade and delicious. We almost forgot that our ferry was departing soon. The cafe is so cozy that you could easily spend hours there.
The Tobishima Kaido has its own appeal different from the Shimanami Kaido. Its delicate and serene beauty would make cyclists stop for a moment to appreciate the view. The cycling route is filled with nostalgic atmosphere and quaint scenery. I strongly recommend you try this course!
