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.
Today we'll cross over to Mukaishima Island from Innoshima Island. Mukaishima is the sixth island from Imabari City. The main island, Honshu, is so close! We had planned just to cycle around Mukaishima Island, but since Onomichi is right there, I'll lengthen our course a bit and take the short ferry over.
We arrive at Innoshima Ohashi Bridge after climbing up a gentle slope. The structure of the cycling lane on this bridge is a little different from the other bridges We've seen up to this point. Innoshima Ohashi Bridge is a two-story bridge: cars drive on top of the bridge, and cyclists use the lane beneath them. Since it was my first time riding on this type of road, I was a little surprised! You can't really enjoy the scenery outside, but the cycling lane does almost have a sci-fi feel to it. You can experience a unique feeling akin to cycling inside a giant cargo hold.
There's a Shimanami Cycle Oasis (look for the white banner!) once you come down from the cycling lane. Since it was still early in the morning when we passed it, the gate was closed. I wonder what this place could be? I was curious about it, so I looked it up afterward. Apparently it's a stylish cafe called Tachibana Shokudo. There's even a hot footbath in the yard! I definitely want to go check it out when it's open next time!
The entrance to Innoshima Ohashi Bridge's cycling lane is in an area of Mukaishima Island called Tachibana. Tachibana used to be famous as the town with the longest average life expectancy in Japan. It's a wonderfully quiet place bordered by the calm sea. It's so tranquil that you really feel like you could live to a ripe old age - at least that's the feeling I got. There were a lot of people fishing near the beach. We continued cycling along the sea for a while. There were few cars, and it felt great to cycle while gazing out at the water. After some time, we passed right under Innoshima Bridge, which we just crossed. It's always such an awe-inspiring sight to look up at the bridge from directly below. Along the way, we came upon a rather stuffily named rest stop: "大規模自動車道向島休憩所," Large-Scale Expressway Mukaishima Rest Area. So we took a little break. There's a lookout point here with fantastic views of Innoshima Ohashi Bridge.
After continuing on for about 1 kilometer, we saw a red bridge ahead on our left. This is Mukaishima Ohashi Bridge, which links Mukaishima Island and its neighbor, Iwashijima Island. There's a side road on the right - it looks like you can take it up to the bridge. Since we're right here anyways, we'll check it out. Iwashijima is a little island about 8 kilometers in circumference. Apparently, it's famous for scallions. Since I heard that Itsukushima Jinja Shrine on the western side of the island was used as a film location for the movie Yamato (a well-known WWII film released in 2005), we decided to go take a look. Passing through the island's quiet community, we head for the shore. On the way, we had to pass through two tunnels - the first of which didn't have any concrete support at all! Scraggy rock walls, no lighting, dim and gloomy… It was almost like being in a cavern. It also seemed barely wide enough to allow a car to pass through. What happens if one comes while you're in the tunnel? Feeling nervous, we rode on through. And then at the entrance there was a sign that said "Beware of falling rocks!" Scary! As we exited the second tunnel, Hama no Ura Suidou Tunnel, I saw the sea stretching out before us. It was almost as if we had traveled through time. Near the shore just a short distance away was our goal, Itsukushima Jinja Shrine.
Itsukushima Jinja is a very small shrine, but it's similar in feel to the World Heritage Aki Miyajima Itsukushima Jinja Shrine, with lanterns and a vermilion torii gate standing in the sea… Since the old times, people have been coming to the shrine by boat. The row of lanterns and the place for ritual hand-washing on the beach give the shrine a certain mystique. It's a spectacle almost right out of a legend - although there were lots of people fishing around the shrine, too. There was even a partly drunk can of coffee on top of the ablution basin. Was someone using it as a makeshift table!? Fishing in such a mystical looking place… I couldn't help laughing a little at the incongruity. But it just shows how much the shrine is a part of the people's everyday lives. Iwashijima Island was more interesting than I had imagined. I really recommend stopping by if you have time.
Well then, leaving Iwashijima Island behind, we head toward Mukaihigashi. From this area onward, the cars become more and more numerous, almost enough to make us wonder if the relaxed cycling we were doing up until now was a fluke. There are also a lot of stoplights in addition to all the people, cars, motorbikes, and bicycles. With all of the convenience stores and supermarkets lined up, it looks like we've come to quite a lively area. Since we're planning to cross over to Onomichi by ferry today, we'll head toward the landing area.
There's a place I wanted to stop at in the Kanekichi area. It's a Ramune soda shop called Goto Kosensho that was established in 1916. They bottle Ramune and other beverages in glass bottles, just like the old days. The building itself is wonderfully retro, but even more wonderful are the owner and his wife, a lively and fun couple. Truly charming. They really got into talking and told us a bunch of stories. When they asked us where we were headed and I replied that we were going to cross over to Onomichi by ferry, they told us, "You have to stop at this one shop!" The place they recommended is the nearby Sumida Bakery. We're headed there next.
Sumida Bakery is an old bakery which was also established in 1916. It's famous for a type of twisted, fried bread called "neji-pan." The whole place gives off a retro, Showa-period charm. The lady who runs the store is a really hilarious person! I We were busting up from the beginning to the end of her fast-paced, energetic talk. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. She showed us some pictures of the previous generation including her mother-in-law (who was a bombshell! Apparently she won the "Miss Mukaishima" contest!). She never missed a beat with her spring-loaded, machine-gun talk, right until we were going to leave. She is too funny! First the lady from Goto Kosensho with whom we chatted earlier, and now this bakery owner - I'm so grateful we met so many fantastic people on Mukaishima island! The neji-pan had an old-timey, nostalgic flavor, with the unique chewy texture of the donuts I loved in my childhood. So delicious.
The place where you board the ferry to Onomichi is just a short distance away from Sumida Bakery. Just across from the landing area is a white, retro-looking building. It's part of the remains of the set of the movie "Ashita" ("Goodbye for Tomorrow" in English), one of the films in director Nobuhiko Obayashi's Onomichi Trilogy. In the movie it was the waiting room for Yobikohama-ko Port, but now it's being used as the waiting area for the bus stop. Inside, you can view the props and other items from the movie that are on display.
Finally, we're taking the ferry to Onomichi City! The only ways to get to Onomichi are by this ferry or the bridge. Bicycles are allowed on the bridge, but there's no cycling lane, and there are many cars crossing, so it's kind of dangerous. I don't recommend it. Personally, I think crossing over to Onomichi by ferry is the best option. There are three ferry companies, and their boarding areas are all in different locations, so it's best to just use the most convenient one. This time, we used the nearby Onomichi Ferry company. It costs 100 yen per person and 10 yen per bicycle, so in total 110 yen per cyclist. So cheap! Enjoying the pleasant breeze on deck, we arrived at Onomichi in no time at all.