I will introduce the best route for the Shimanami Kaido.

This article was introduced on our old blog in December 2018, but I still hear people saying things like, "I've ridden the same route recently!" or "I'm going to ride there soon!" frequently, so I'm re-posting it here.

Shimanami Kaido Cycling, as introduced on grumpy's YouTube channel.

This is the best day-trip route from central Hiroshima without using a car. If you're planning to cycle the Shimanami Kaido, please use this as a reference. If you need any equipment, you can purchase it at our store.

Woke up at 5:30 AM, left the house around 6:00 AM, and headed from grumpy to Hiroshima Port. It's about a 30-40 minute ride from grumpy to Hiroshima Port.

I bought some "devil's bread" at a convenience store and arrived at Hiroshima Port at 6:40 AM!

I barely made the 6:45 AM ferry. The latter half of this ride ended up being rushed. If you want to enjoy the Shimanami Kaido with plenty of breaks, I recommend taking the first ferry at 5:45 AM.

Setonaikai Kisen Website

http://setonaikaikisen.co.jp/kouro/cruise/

The ferry fare from Hiroshima Port to Matsuyama Port is 3,600 yen (tax included). If you present a Cycle Cruise Pass, the 500 yen (tax included) bicycle fee is waived. In my case, I received it when I purchased the ticket.

Here's a video from departing near Hiroshima Port until boarding the ferry. Please refer to it for how to buy tickets and bring your bike onto the ship.

Enjoyed bread and coffee while watching the sea on the ship, and slept for about two hours. The morning ferry to Matsuyama has dazzling morning sun. It's recommended to sit on the left side in the direction the ferry is moving.

Since the travel time to Matsuyama Port is long, it's a good idea to bring something to keep you entertained, like a book or tablet.

This is irrelevant information, but the Japanese-style toilet on the ferry I rode had better water flow than the Western-style one. If you need to have a bowel movement, the Japanese-style one is recommended.

Arrived at Matsuyama Port around 9:25 AM.

This video explains the bike, equipment, and clothing I prepared for this trip. If you're unsure what to bring, you'll be fine if you take the items introduced in this video.

It's a good idea to have long pants for temperature regulation when packing your bike or spending time on the ferry.

Departing Matsuyama Port, after about 8km, I arrived at Horie Station to start my bike packing.

The bike bag I used this time was the Ostrich Super Quick FIVE.

This bike bag can accommodate bikes with a rear rack and road bikes with a PDW Takeout Basket.

The feature of the Super Quick FIVE is that you can quickly pack your bike by just removing the front wheel.

The train was scheduled to depart at 10:44 AM.

I had to wait for the train for over 30 minutes.
I'm not a patient person, so I thought about cycling all the way to Imabari, but
this time, since the wind was strong, I chose to use the train for bike packing.

The section I traveled by train was from Horie Station to Hatohama Station.

I enjoyed the train ride until near the entrance of the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge, the starting point of the Shimanami Kaido.

The ride took about 1 hour and 20 minutes and cost 760 yen. The train was a single-car, one-man operation, and there was no space to put the bike bag, so I stood in the back the whole time. If you're going to use the train for this section, a compact bike bag (Road 220 Bike Bag) that allows you to remove both the front and rear wheels would be best.

Here's a video showing how to pack a bike using the Super Quick FIVE. If you're considering the Super Quick FIVE bike bag, how about it as an option?

It's 12:20 PM. About 6 hours after leaving home, I finally arrived in Imabari.

At 12:30 PM, feeling anxious about whether I could finish, I started the Shimanami Kaido Cycling. If you want to do a little sightseeing on the Shimanami Kaido, I recommend taking the first ferry.

A video of riding on the 4km long Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge. If it's your first time on the Shimanami Kaido, I highly recommend riding here.

I used two bottles this time. The green insulated Klean Kanteen bottle contained warm tea. This bottle and the PDW bottle cage are a good match and recommended for long rides.

By the way, the blue bottle is a dummy.

If you're having trouble mounting a bottle when a frame bag is attached,
install a Wolf Tooth B-RAD2. It allows you to lower the bottle's position.
For the frame bag, I used APIDURA from the UK.
It has a simple design that matches various bikes. It's very practical, and I've been using it for a long time.

For shoes, considering the ferry and train travel, I chose the GIRO EMPIRE VR90, which is easier to walk in than road shoes.
The VR90 has a carbon sole and is rigid, making it easy to walk in and providing good pedaling efficiency.

The Shimanami Kaido has a blue line on the shoulder of the road indicating the recommended route, allowing you to concentrate on your ride. It's so enjoyable that you might even forget to film.

I returned to Hiroshima Station by JR from Onomichi Station to Mihara Station, and then by Shinkansen from Mihara Station.
If you have energy to spare, I also recommend cycling to Shin-Onomichi Station and then taking the Shinkansen with your bike.

The total cost for this ride, including ferry and train fares, was about 10,000 yen.

Here's a playlist of Shimanami Kaido Cycling Episodes 1-7 👇