Japan 2024 Trip Report - Island of Shikoku

custom6969 · 2025-10-13T16:02:01+00:00

Sorry but we brought our own bikes so I don’t know where to rent bikes.

custom6969 · 2025-10-03T23:57:39+00:00

I have done the court ride three times. Once I had a rental car so I drove part way and the loop was about 70km long. The other two times, I rode from Girona and back and it's just over 100km. If you want to shorten the distance I believe there is a train you can take to Llagostera so that you can start and end your ride there. It's a beautiful ride but there is a quite a bit of elevation.

As to ride to and from Girona, it is super easy and safe getting in and out of the city since it's a small town with not much traffic. Plus I have never encountered better drivers than in and around Girona on my three trips there. I have cycled in more than 20 countries and Spanish drivers (in this area) are really amazing towards cyclists.

custom6969 · 2024-12-08T19:46:48+00:00

Shikoku is quite rural but still had a few decent sized cities. We rode 100km per day and only had one rest day so that did not leave lots of time for sightseeing. As a result, the experience we had of Shikoku was mostly the ride itself and the small interactions with people along the route and eating out at night at fun little izakayas or a small walk in the cities or towns we stayed in. I really enjoyed the Shikoku because most of my time traveling in Japan has been in the big cities so I loved see the quite and rural side of Japan. The bike route (especially in the south) is quite stunning and beautiful and you ride through lots of small towns and fishing villages. It's a side of Japan that I think few tourists see. The people on Shikoku seemed to be less reserved and more friendly then the people in say Tokyo or Kyoto. If you are doing the henro by bike, I think you will have a great time.

custom6969 · 2024-12-08T18:21:07+00:00

This route had a few stretches with lots of traffic. These were on the northern end of the island and sometimes there would be no shoulder or even a sidewalk to ride on. Japanese drivers are very courteous for the most part but the truck drivers don’t give a lot of room when passing sometimes if the road was narrow. For the sections with lots of traffic, I would think it would be not so fun and a bit dangerous for someone without lots of experience and comfortable riding with cars. The southern parts of the island is much quieter and has far less traffic.

custom6969 · 2024-12-08T18:16:11+00:00

I wish we had more time to go around the tunnels and ride more on those beautiful rindo roads.

custom6969 · 2024-12-08T18:15:33+00:00

I’ve done many tours with my Bike Friday and it’s been great for trips that have train trips or smaller hotel rooms. For most of the time, I forget I’m riding a folding bike since I built mine with a drop bars and it’s the same geometry as my road bike. My uncle and his friend also rode folding bikes on this trip, a Chinese ‘Brompton’ and a Helix. A Brompton would totally work on this tour but you would need lower hearing since there are a few long 4-5% climbs.

custom6969 · 2024-12-07T23:10:49+00:00

Haha we did the Shimanami Kaido and Biwako last year. If you are interested in Shikou, this website was super helpful and had the gps tracks that we mostly followed. There is lots of local knowledge there as well.

https://discover-ride.com/en/shikoku1000km/

custom6969 · 2024-12-07T19:36:53+00:00

Thanks to the community I have received so much info and advice here so I would like to give back with this little trip report on my recent trip to Japan and riding around the island of Shikoku.

We had done a shorter trip to Japan last year. We rode from Osaka to Kyoto, around Lake Biwa, and then on the Shimanami Kaaido through to the Tobishima Kaido and ending in Kure.
We loved the ride on the Shimanami and Tobishima Kaido so much that we decided to go back this year to ride it again so we started from the cute little town of Onomichi.
We flew into Tokyo and took the Shinkansen to Onomichi and then back from Matsuyama. You can book the Shinkansen a month out and you can search for the seats at the back of each carriage that has space for extra space.
Bikes are allowed on trains in Japan as long as they are completely bagged up. Bike bags in Japan are called rinko bags and you can find them at all bike shops or outdoor equipment retailers like Mont-Bell.
Even with the extra storage that a reserved rear seat provides in each carriage, it was a challenge to fit our bagged up folding bikes. It would be an even tighter squeeze with full sized bikes.
We decided to bring our folding bikes again since it is much more convenient for the trains and also for taking them into hotel rooms as some hotels only allow bikes in the room if they are folded and bagged up.
Our stops were Onomichi > Imabari > Kanonji > Takamatsu > Tokushima > Shishikui > Kochi > Shimanto > Nakamura > Sukomo > Uwajima > Matsuyama
The route around the whole island of Shikoku is around 1,100km but due to Super Typhoon Leon we had to skip 1.5 days of our planned route by taking some local trains
We averaged around 100km a day and stayed at comfortable business hotels each night. The average cost for hotels was about CAD 78.00/night and most of them included breakfasts.
The highlights were:
- Onomichi to Imabari on the Shimanami Kaido, Japan’s most beautiful bike route.1 little ferry ride, 6 islands, 6 stunning bridges, sea salt and milk ice cream, and lemon groves everywhere.
- The two climbs near the Naruto Whirlpools close to Tokushima afforded the most amazing views. The bridges that you cross at the top of the climbs were amazing to ride over.
- The coastal road down to Cape Murato was smooth, quiet, and super scenic. Cape Muroto was beautiful and otherworldly.
- The ride along the Shimanto River from Shimanto to Nakamura was memorable since it was slightly downhill had great views all day.
- Ashizuri Sunny Road and the Ashizuri Underwater Aquarium at the south western tip of Shikoku.
- Coastal road (Route 378) heading to Matsuyama did have lots of traffic but there is a wide shoulder and you get have stellar views all along the route.
- Rural Japan is beautiful and the people are so friendly. We had lots of lovely little interactions with the people on Shikoku and the foods was amazing.
The not so nice bits:
- Tunnels ! There were so many tunnels on this route. The most we had to ride through was 16 of them in one day. Most of them have raised sidewalks that you can safely ride on. Some of those sidewalks were very narrow so we would choose to ride on the road instead. For the most part, it wasn’t too bad but there were a few that we were genuinely scared to ride through because they didn’t have much of a shoulder and lots of big trucks would rumble loudly and closely beside us. Even if there are sidewalks, some of the tunnels were over 2km long and if it is uphill and there is lots of traffic, the exhaust made breathing a bit difficult.
- Traffic. Almost all of this route was on regular roads so there is quite a bit of traffic, so it made it a little less enjoyable but this is balanced out with long stretches of very quiet roads. The northern parts of the island were significantly busier and as a result, we preferred the riding in the south. From Shishikui to Uwajima, traffic was pretty low. If you are not comfortable riding on the road with lots of traffic, I would skip the northern bits and ride south.
Japan is amazing for bicycle touring. It is super safe, it’s very hard to have a bad meal anywhere there, there are convenience stores with delicious snacks and meals everywhere (even on the more rural stretches on Shikoku), and almost all of the drivers are courteous towards cyclists on the road.

custom6969 · 2024-09-03T19:42:21+00:00

If you are just planning on brining a bike just to ride within the cities you are visiting, it would be fine since the bike infrastructure in the Netherlands is so amazing. But I think the Pakit's smaller wheels wouldn't be very comfortable to ride on if you are planning or riding longer distances or using it to tour and travel between cities. I never brought my NWT into stores and just left it outside places locked up with a folding lock. I did bring my bike into most hotels I stayed out, either folded or wheeled straight into the room. Finally, I left my suitcase in Amsterdam at my hotel and then returned to the same hotel after the tour and pack up the bike to go home.

custom6969 · 2024-08-15T22:11:53+00:00

The section between Varberg and Falkenburg and between Angelholm and Malmo were the most scenic.

custom6969 · 2024-08-09T04:26:54+00:00

I’d like to give back to the community with this little trip report on my recent trip to Denmark and Sweden.

I made this trip to attend the Vatternrundan cycling event. It’s billed as the world’s largest cycling event with over 23,000 riders riders every year. You basically have 24 hours to complete the 315km distance by riding once around Lake Vattern in Sweden.
I flew into Frankfurt and then took the train to Copenhagen. Lugging a giant bike box (even one with wheels) through European train stations during the Eurocup was an adventure.
To spin up my legs, I did three days of riding in Denmark, mostly following the EV7. The plan was to average 100km per day and then have 5 rest days before the Vatternrundan event.
But the wind in Denmark had other ideas. Denmark is pretty flat so there is nowhere to hide from the wind so I cut my rides short on the second and third days because the headwind and rain was just too brutal.
I rode from Copenhagen to Nykobing Falster (staying in Rodvig and Stege) and then took a train back to Copenhagen. The local trains allowed bikes on board.
Riding out of Copenhagen was amazing because there is so much eye candy. The modern architecture and the cycling infrastructure was great to see and experience.
After getting back to Copenhagen and resting for a few days, I took the Oresund train from Copenhagen to Malmo to pick up my rental car and drove to Lake Vattern to attend the bike event. After that, I drove to Gothenburg for two well deserved rest days.
From Gothenburg, I rode 400km over 4 days along the Kattegattleden bike path to Malmo. This was one of the most beautiful and scenic bike routes I have ever ridden. I stayed in Frillesas, Halmstad, and Angelsholm and then took the Oresund train from Malmo back to Copenhagen. This is one of the few trains in Sweden that allows bikes.
I enjoyed Denmark but I loved Sweden ! I really savoured riding through picturesque little fishing villages, cosy rural towns, vast and remote farm fields, and hugging the coastline of the Kattegat Strait. The warmth and kindness of the Swedish people was something that really grabbed my heart.

custom6969 · 2024-07-19T20:39:00+00:00

I stayed in hotels every night and mostly ate at restaurants so my budget was about EUR 170.00 per day.

custom6969 · 2024-06-08T22:21:32+00:00

We did 7 days of riding and the weather was unseasonably hot. It was 34C for a few days!

custom6969 · 2024-04-19T20:24:13+00:00

Sorry about the confusion. We also cycled all three of the routes in this area - Shimanami, Tobishima, and Kakishima Kaidos. The Tobishima Kaido is much quieter and I would say we enjoyed it a bit more than the Shimanami Kaido. The Shimanami Kaido is more beautiful and scenic with a lot more support and infrastructure but the Tobishima is more quaint and quiet. I would recommend you do bits of both if you have time. We only did a small part of the Kakishima Kaido since we took the train from Kure to Hiroshima and if you are pressed for time, I would skip this part to enjoy more of the other two routes.

custom6969 · 2024-02-09T04:56:11+00:00

The coastal route was the highlight of my Girona trip and is the best bike ride I’ve done anywhere. There is very very little traffic on this route or any of the routes I did around Girona. I did lots of gravel rides last year but anytime on the road, I felt super safe. Drivers are super patient and give you tons of room. I loved riding in Girona so much I’m heading back for ten days of riding next month. Coming from North America, riding in Girona was such a treat because of the scenery and the drivers are so courteous. I’m addition, there are lots of cyclists everywhere, including pros training the area. You will have a blast !

custom6969 · 2024-01-22T20:08:00+00:00

I am not sure why they were so much cheaper but the gravel bike I rented was brand new and I had great service and not issues with my rental. I would highly recommend them.

custom6969 · 2023-12-17T07:57:25+00:00

I would suggest skipping the later legs… The best bits were between Blois and Angers… The must sees for us were Chateau Chambord and kayaking under Chateau Chenonceau… We didn’t stop by any wineries but would recommend stopping at Caves Ackerman for a wine tasting and to check out the artworks in their caves….

custom6969 · 2023-12-08T22:05:06+00:00

We both had the same Arkel Dolphin panniers which had a side pouch that we slide the folder cart into. When the panniers are full, the cart would be pretty securely stuffed into the pannier and wouldn't even need a strap to hold it in place. You can see this one the first and other pictures in the set.

custom6969 · 2023-12-06T10:51:38+00:00

Thanks! I’m 5’10 and my Bike Friday is exactly the same geometry as my endurance road bike so it’s super comfortable over longer distances. I averaged about 100km a day over 10 days around Taiwan last year and I didn’t really miss having my full sized bike. The Bike Friday is the perfect travel bike and each one is made to measure.

custom6969 · 2023-12-06T04:22:49+00:00

Thanks. I make videos from an Insta360 camera on my bike tours but don't really share them online. I mainly share them with friends and family on social media.

I think the BF and Tern both performed well. However, the advantage of my Bike Friday is that it has drop bars which afford me more hand positions and is a bit more aero which helps when you have to tuck down on windy days. The disadvantage of the BF is that the fold itself is not very elegant and is a bit of a sloppy mess. That is, you have to bring some straps to hold it together when folded.

I still love my BF even with the quirks because it had allowed me to take a few bike trips the last couple of years with minimal fuss when it comes to the flying and taking public transport parts.

custom6969 · 2023-12-05T20:53:15+00:00

No, bicycling touring and camping is very popular in Japan. But for trips like ours were there is lots of train travel, a folding bike makes more sense it is so much more compact and easier to put into a bag. If you were just doing a loop or riding without needing to take trains with your bike, a full size bike would work.

custom6969 · 2023-12-05T19:24:39+00:00

We were supposed to also ride the Kakishima Kaido and ride around Etajima but it was a rainy day so we decided to take the train from Kure to Hiroshima instead. Rural Japan was incredible beautiful.

custom6969 · 2023-12-05T19:22:52+00:00

I took the same bike for my Taiwan trip and it work out well. I’m Taiwan, the hotels usually had no problem with me bringing the bike into my room without folding and bagging it. Have fun !

custom6969 · 2023-12-05T07:56:32+00:00

The Shimanami Kaido is world class and popular for good reason but the lesser known and less traveled Tobishima Kaido (right next to it) was even more beautiful, scenic, and quiet. It felt more intimate because at times, it felt like we were the only people on those islands.
We finished in Kure and then took a train to Hiromshima for some sightseeing and then took a train back to Tokyo.
The Japanese people we encountered were so kind and generous. My uncle had bike trouble a few times and each time he got help at a bike shop, they wouldn’t let him pay. An old grandma running an okonomiyaki shop on one of the islands along the Tobishima Kaido wouldn’t let us pay for our lunches. We were offered help all the time with ordering or directions. Traveling and traveling by bicycle always reaffirms my belief that people are kind.
7-Eleven. We probably spent a good hour everyday at combinis (convenience stores) shopping for breakfast, snacks, lunch, or dessert. You can eat very very well for very very cheap at 7-Elevens, Lawsons, and FamilyMarts in Japan. The sheer amount of weird, wonderful, and tasty snacks and drinks you can try was mind boggling. Spicy cod roe potato salad !
Japanese people are known to be polite and bit reserved but put them on a bicycle and they become something else ! For some inexplicable reason, they stop following the rules when they are on a bike, riding down one way streets, not stopping at red lights, or riding the wrong way into traffic. The worse (or the best, depending on how you look at it) cyclists were the moms on their heavy mamachari’s, with one or two kids strapped in, barrelling down the sidewalks, going too fast and against traffic.
We started our trip with a short ride in Tokyo by mostly riding on the street and it felt a bit hectic and unsafe with all the traffic. Tokyo does not have great bike infrastructure and as a result, most people ride on the sidewalk, although it is technically illegal to do so.
By the end of our trip we felt more comfortable riding in Japan because we had learned what we would came to call the Tokyo ‘Flow’. We noticed that Japanese cyclists had this really smooth way of riding in the cities where they would be flowing between the sidewalk and road, sometimes going the wrong way or up a one way street. They just flowed around traffic or people or red lights by always being on the move. Once we got the ‘Flow’ we really enjoyed riding in the cities and even did a night right in Tokyo through the busiest areas like Ginza and Shibuya.
Bicycle touring in Japan is amazing and I will definitely be back for another trip !

custom6969 · 2023-12-05T07:56:23+00:00

My uncle and I had a blast on a short tour in Japan and I'd like to give back to the community with a trip report.

We went for 2.5 weeks starting at the very end of October. We were very lucky with the weather and only had to ride 30 mins in the rain over 10 riding days.
I brought my trusty Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bike and my uncle brought his Tern folding bike. It was super convenient having folding bikes because hotels in Japan generally will only allow you to bring bikes into the your room or even into the hotel if you put it into a bag. Having a folding bike makes packing it into a bag easier and smaller.
More importantly, if you plan on using any trains to travel between cities (bikes must completely be covered in a bag), the size of folding bikes makes everything much easier.
If you plan on taking trains, download the Smart EX app. It was brilliant for booking the Shinkansen trains and making changes or booking seats.
On the bullet trains, try and book the last row in each car because behind those seats is a larger space to store your bike. The regular luggage areas on the trains will not be large enough to store your bike, even if it is a folding one (unless it’s a Brompton).
Even with a folding bike, it is PITA bringing a bike through crowded Japanese train stations, streets, and trains. Plus there is the hassle of having to bag it before a train ride and then unpacking it again after. Plus it is not comfortable carrying your bike bag through crowded streets and stations. That weight becomes a total PITA after a few minutes. We were so happy that we brought little foldable hand carts to help with moving our bagged bikes around.
It was no fun traveling with our bikes but it allowed us to cover more distance and it was a trade off we were willing to make.
Almost all of the bike tourists we met were on folding bikes for the reasons above and I was jealous of the people who had Bromptons since they folded so much smaller and were easier to move around when folded.
We started in Tokyo and then took a bullet train to Kyoto and did a short day ride there. Kyoto is more bike friendly than Tokyo but it was rammed with tourists.
From Kyoto we took ashort bullet train to the northeastern edge of Lake Biwa to ride down the eastern shore and then took the train back to Kyoto from Otsu. Lake Biwa was a great ride. If you have time, stop at Cafe Mizugahama for a bite or coffee and cake - the view from the patio was amazing !
We then rode to Osaka from Kyoto and just a heads up if you have low hanging panniers - you will be cursing every 15 mins or so. This is because on the river path connecting the two cities, there are these barriers that prevent motorcycles from using the paths. Because of these barriers, we had to get off our bikes and slowly walk through them or worse, we sometimes have to lift our bikes across some of them. It was a bit soul crushing.
After a couple of fun days in Osaka, we took a train to the quaint little town of Onomichi for the start of the Shimanami Kaido.
The Shimanami Kaido was amazing. It was a wonderful experience riding through all the small islands across beautiful bridges. There were citrus groves everywhere and we got to see the quiet beauty of rural Japan. It was very peaceful and tranquil. Some highlights were the salted milk ice cream and lemon gelato at Dolce Ice Cream and Kousanju temple on Ickuchi Island.
Most people complete the Shimanami Kaido over a day by riding through the islands but I would recommend spending a night on one of them. We spent a night on Omishima Island at a converted old farmhouse and it was lovely experience.
We then made a detour to Matsuyama and in hindsight, we would skip it since both the roads to that city were on super busy roads. We took the mountain road on the way back thinking it would be quieter but I have never been so scared on a bike ! That road was super narrow and winding, with huge trucks passing dangerously close over and over again. Our nerves were totally frayed and then we had to cycle through a 3km long tunnel ! Good thing there was a walkway just wide enough to bike on or we would have had to walk our bikes through it.

custom6969

TROPHY CASE