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.
We start from Omishima Island's Tatara Koen Park and head to Ikuchijima Island. Today we've reached Hiroshima Prefecture's islands at last. Tatara Ohashi Bridge stands out even among the other bridges of the Shimanami Kaido. Personally I think it's quite glamorous, so I'm excited to ride on it! Without further ado, let's go!
Tatara Ohashi Bridge is a 1,480-meter cable-stayed bridge that connects Ehime Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture. At the time it was built, it was the largest-scale cable-stayed bridge in the world. I really felt floored looking at it from up close. And it's beautiful, too! Looking at the whole structure from farther off, it appears as a swan stretching its wings, but from here on top of the bridge, it looks like a beautiful lady standing tall.
An interesting feature has been devised into Tatara Ohashi Bridge. You'll come to a sign that reads "多々羅鳴き龍," Tatara Nakiryu, as you cycle along the bike lane. This nakiryu, or "roaring dragon," is similar to other ones in famous places like Nikko Tosho-gu Shrine and Kyoto's Shokoku-ji Temple. In these buildings, if you stand in the hall facing the dragon on the ceiling and clap your hands or hit some wooden blocks, the sound resonates off the ceiling and the floor, and you can hear the multiple reverberations. This phenomenon has been called "nakiryu" since ancient times because it's as if the dragon on the ceiling is making the echoing roars. The same thing occurs here on Tatara Ohashi Bridge. If you clap your hands or strike the provided wooden blocks while standing below the main tower, you can hear the echoing sounds travel up the tower. You can't do it if you're crossing by car, so you should definitely cycle this bridge and test it out. It was so fun that we ended up trying it many times!
I felt like we had already enjoyed a great time by the time we got off Tatara Ohashi Bridge. Oh, but today our real goal is to cycle around Ikuchijima Island! Yesterday we looked at the cycling map ahead of time. It looks like Ikuchijima Island is pretty flat with few hills. We head right (toward Kosan-ji Temple) after coming down from the bridge. The road is really pleasant and runs along the sea. It's also spacious with few cars - truly easy to cycle.
I feel like Sunset Beach has gotten a lot nicer since I last came here several years ago. There are plenty of rental bicycles available, too. Inside the facility is a shop that sells cycling goods. Venturing out onto the beach, we found really clean white sand and the beautiful sea. There's also a place to try canoeing or sea kayaking here. It looks fun! I would've liked to try it out if we had more time. I wonder if people ever fall out of the boat into the water… If you did fall in, it would be terrible!
As we left Sunset Beach and continued along the seaside road, we saw a small, curiously shaped island. This uninhabited island is called Hyotanjima (Gourd Island), just like its shape. The island is said to be the model for the popular puppet show broadcasted on NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, in the 1960's. An interesting fact is that the border between Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture, actually crosses over the island.
This area between Tatara Ohashi Bridge and Setoda-ko Port is known as the most smooth and pleasant stretch on the Shimanami Kaido. The cycling lane on this seaside road lined with palm trees is painted green, so you don't have to worry about cars as you cycle along. You can imagine you are at a resort in the southern islands as you gaze out at the sea while cycling. Today the weather is great, so there are many cyclists out and about.
You can also see many interesting art objects as you cycle along. They are part of the "Shimagoto Bijutukan"(Islandwide Art Museum) project that installed seventeen contemporary art pieces outside around Ikuchijima Island and Koneshima Island. Each artist chose the spot where they wanted to install their work and turned the inspiration they got from that spot into a sculpture.
As we get closer to the center of Setoda, the number of people and cars increases suddenly. There are even tour buses passing. It feels like we have suddenly entered a tourist area. The yellow bridge in view is Kone Ohashi Bridge, a bridge that links Ikuchijima and Koneshima Islands and is used mostly by island residents for daily life. The bright yellow stands out nicely from the scenery. By the way, Koneshima is an island known for its mikan cultivation. Near Setoda-ko Port is a dignified old ryokan! Shiomachi Shotengai ("Shotengai" means a street lined with many little shops) is a great area with just a dash of retro flair.