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.
Leaving Oshima's Miyakubo Town, I head for the neighboring Hakatajima Island. Known for maritime shipping and shipbuilding, Hakatajima is the smallest island along the Shimanami Kaido. Today I'm going to cycle right around this island.
Between Oshima and Hakata lies the bridge called Hakata-Oshima Ohashi Bridge - but this is just the general name for two separate bridges called Hakatabashi Bridge and Oshima Ohashi Bridge. Hakatabashi is a box girder bridge that links Hakatajima and Michikajima islands, and Oshima Ohashi is a suspension bridge that links Michikajima and Oshima islands. Combined, they form an interesting structure that joins the two types of bridges at the midpoint, Michikajima Island. It's important to be careful where you're riding since bicycles, pedestrians, and motorbikes share the same road on this bridge. Once you come down from the cycling lane, you're on Route 317.
First, I'll head to the Michi-no-Eki, or rest stop, called “Hakata S.C. Park / Marine Oasis Hakata,” about 300 meters ahead. This rest stop has a restroom and a shop, a spacious parking lot, and even a rental cycle station. The beach in front of it is a beautiful, sandy one. There's even a far-off view of the Hakata-Oshima Ohashi Bridge. After taking a break and buying a drink, I'm back on the road!
The first place I head to is Kumago-ko Port. It's a small port on the shore opposite Omishima Island, which is separated from Hakatajima Island by the Hanaguri Strait. Although it's called a port, it's actually no longer being used as one. There was a time when rapid ferries from Imabari operated 6 times a day, but they've been discontinued, and regular service boats are no longer running. There's a beautiful view of Omishimabashi Bridge from here. I really love the view from this nostalgic port, which invokes a longing for days gone by.
And now, on to Hakatajima's famous Mt. Hirakiyama. It's a blossom viewing spot so popular that traffic here is restricted during sakura season. I personally think it's the best cherry blossom spot in the area. The sakura aren't blooming now, but it's truly breathtaking when the summit is covered in cherry blossoms. The steep hill keeps on going and going, so you have to mentally prepare yourself for it. The elevation is only 149 meters, however, so it can be climbed in a relatively short time. It's easier than Oshima's Mt. Kirosan! On the summit is a park - climbing even further up, I found a wooden observation deck.
The scenery from here is truly amazing! It's an incredible 360-degree panorama with clear views of Tatara Ohashi Bridge to the north and Omishimabashi Bridge and Hakata-Oshima Ohashi Bridge to the south. I don't think there's a spot like this anywhere else on earth.
Finally, I depart from Mt. Hirakiyama. Going downhill is easy and enjoyable, but since cars occasionally pass through here, it's important to be careful while cycling.
After about a kilometer I came to Maehama Rest Stop right by the sea. You can see Tatara Ohashi Bridge in the distance from here. Up to this point, there have been a lot of flat roads (besides Mt. Hirakiyama). There are also few people and cars, which makes Hakatajima Island easy to cycle.
In the area called Kitaura, there is a shrine called Kitaura Hachiman Jinja Shrine. Built in the year 673, it's a shrine with a lot of history. Near the torii gate is a turtle-shaped rock known as Aizen Donsu, a god of matchmaking. It's said that you'll have luck in love if you touch it, so I made sure to pat it a lot! At the top of the long stone staircase is the ancient shrine. There's also a theatre on the shrine grounds that was built in the Edo Period and is still in use today.
From here I head full speed down the flat stretch of Route 50. As I get closer to Kinoura, passing cars become more frequent, and I begin to see more pedestrians and cyclists. In Kinoura, the school, post office, police station, Imabari City Hall Hakata Branch, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, and many other major facilities crowd closely together. It's like all of Hakata's shops are gathered here in this one small area. Now that I think about it, I don't believe I saw even a convenience store until this point.
About a kilometer past Hakata Post Office, there's a road that leads to Okiura Beach. I didn't go all the way to Okiura Beach this time, but since there was a nearby port called Oura-ko Port I headed there instead. This port, too, is very tranquil with a lot of character. It's a great spot. Location-wise, it's on the part of the island facing Oshima Island's Miyakubo area. There's a ferry route to Miyakubo via Ushima Island from Oura-ko Port.
I took too many detours, so it got a little late... I had lunch in Arouzu at a shop called Okonomiyaki Tanpopo. (Okonomiyaki is a savory Japanese-style pancake with cabbage and other mix-ins in the batter.) Of course, my post-meal dessert is already a given! It seems like I do nothing but eat… Just a short distance from Tanpopo Okonomiyaki is a shop you absolutely have to visit if you're on Hakatajima island! It's called Patisserie T's Cafe Tamaya. This is a really popular shop where you can eat scrumptious cakes while enjoying the view of the sea. Today, as always, the shop was bustling with many customers. Many cyclists stop here, too. I took advantage of the outdoor terrace seating and had some cake and coffee. Mmmmm~ Pure happiness! Before leaving, I took a photo with the owner and patissier, Mr. Kunisada.
There is a place I'm curious about in Arouzu. It's a ryokan that looks out over the Funaori Seto Strait. Do any of you recognize this place? It was featured in the TV drama "N no tame ni" based on the book by Kanae Minato. In the drama, it was used as Ryokan Sazanami inn, Shinji Naruse's childhood home. But wait… didn't it burn down in the drama? I guess there's no way they would actually burn the real life inn!
On the Funaori Seto Strait, you can get great views from both the Niwatori Kojima Island Viewpoint and the Funaori Seto Viewpoint in Hakatajima island. You can gaze out at the surging currents around the red lighthouse, which marks the eastern side of Funaori Seto Strait, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Inland Sea. I was surprised at the fast current - it looks just like the flow of a river. A few large ships passed by, but it looked like they were barely making any progress forward. After watching those ships for a while, I saw a sightseeing boat approach from the other side. It was actually the boat I had wanted to ride last time when I cycled Oshima Island, but didn't get to because there was no time. What a coincidence! I could tell by watching it that they were going through a really intense current. It looked so fun! Next time I definitely want to take that boat and experience the extreme force of the current for myself. With that thought lingering in my mind, I turned homeward, Hakatajima Island growing distant behind us.
On Hakatajima Island the roads were mostly flat, and without going up Mt. Hirakiyama or Mt. Hokosan, you could probably cycle around the whole island in about two hours. But just doing that would be a waste! If you have time, it's best to take lots of detours and enjoy this quaint island's charms to the fullest.
