Shimanami Kaido is a road that runs from island to island, connecting Onomichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture with Imabari City in Ehime Prefecture.
Because there are also bicycle (including motorized bicycles) and pedestrian tracks provided alongside the controlled-access highway bridges,
it's possible to go to and from all of the islands by bicycle.
Sanyo Expressway Fukuyama-Nishi Interchange ⇒ National Route 2 (approx. 20 minutes) ⇒ Onomichi Ekimae
Iyo-Komatsu Junction ⇒ Imabari-Yunoura Interchange ⇒ National Rote 317 (approx. 30 minutes) ⇒ Sunrise Itoyama
Alongside the controlled-access highway connecting Onomichi City and Imabari City, "Nishi Seto Expressway" (Seto Inland Sea Shimanami Kaido), there are also paths provided for motorized bicycles (electric bicycles of 125cc or less), bicycles, and pedestrians.
[A separate section along the expressway]
In bridge sections where motorized bicycles and ordinary bicycles use the same space (Innoshima Bridge, Ohmishima Bridge, Hakata-Oshima (Ōshima) Bridge), single file and the legal speed limit must be adhered to strictly. In bridge sections where bicycles and pedestrians share the same space (Ikuchi Bridge, Tatara Bridge, Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge), pedestrians must be given the right of way. Also, please be careful of wind, which can be strong on top of the bridge.
The entrances and exits to access the bridge area's bicycle and pedestrian track from the regular road are in different locations than the controlled-access highway interchange. Make sure to check for the sign marking the entrance and exit in order to not get mixed up.
PDF with detailed
Outside of the bridge areas on regular roads, the route for bicycles is marked by a blue line. The distance to destinations such as Onomichi and Imabari are written clearly on the line, so by riding on the line you can be at ease knowing where you are!
On Shin-Onomichi Bridge, which connects Onomichi City with Mukaishima, there is no bicycle and pedestrian track. Also, the pedestrian path on Onomichi Bridge (administered by Hiroshima), which set up parallel to Shin-Onomichi Bridge, is narrow and has heavy traffic volume, so we recommend that cyclists and pedestrians use the ferry instead. There are three ferry routes from Onomichi to Mukaishima: "Ekimae Ferry," "Fukumoto Ferry," and "Onomichi Ferry."
