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've finally arrived in the city of Onomichi on the main island, Honshu. It's full of people and cars with a busyness befitting a well-known tourist destination. Feeling a little awed by the difference between here and Imabari, we head for our goal, ONOMICHI U2. There's a lot of traffic near Onomichi Station, so it's important to take care while cycling. ONOMICHI U2 is just under a kilometer from the place where the ferry lands. After passing Onomichi Station and continuing on for a bit, we saw the remodeled old-fashioned warehouse coming up on our left.
ONOMICHI U2 is a hotel just for cyclists where you can stay with your bike. There's also a restaurant, shop, gallery, event space, and more in this multipurpose facility. You hear about it a lot these days as the ideal spot for cyclists. Since I've always wanted to come here, I'm really excited! Going inside, you can see the hotel and shop in a fashionable space which capitalizes on its high ceiling. It's a really wonderful space! All the good things I had heard about it are true - it's stylish and cool. So awesome!
We went ahead and had lunch in the restaurant area. The salad and the bread that come as a set with the pasta are served buffet style. You can also order pizza. They were both really tasty. A sauce called "Lemosco," or lemon tabasco, came with the pizza. It was a perfect condiment, with an exquisite balance of sour and spicy. (I actually ended up buying some Lemosco as a souvenir afterward!)
After eating our fill, we explored the inside of the building. we found a shop that sells various sundries and trinkets. Time passed before we knew it as we looked around at all the items. There was also a GIANT brand bicycle shop, which is great for cyclists. It's nice to know that someone there can help you if you have any trouble with your bike.
As you'd expect of a former warehouse, one side of the building faces the sea, and it's furnished with a promenade right along the water. There were lots of people sitting on the benches and sofas having tea. It looked really relaxing! I'd like to spend an entire day off here reading, drinking tea, and feeling refined. Just as I was thinking we should head out (since we had finished lunch and all), I discovered a "cycle-through" counter on the seaward side of the building. You can ride your bike up to it and order juice, sandwiches, and other items. What a great service for cyclists! Since we happened to be there already, we tried out the cycle-through. Then we sat on one of the benches near the water and got to talking… Guess we won't be leaving soon after all!
ONOMICHI U2 was truly a wonderful and pleasant stop. Filled with reluctance, we nonetheless left Onomichi behind us and hit the road once more.
We've come back to Mukaishima Island by ferry. From here, we're going to cycle the remaining half of Mukaishima. There aren't a lot of places to stop by from here on out, however, so it really is pure cycling. Near the Onomichi Marine Youth Center, there is a pass which was pretty exhausting to go through. But once you get past it, the rest of the course is relatively flat.
Back in the Tachibana area, the route turns back into pleasant seaside roads. Apparently, there is a delicious bakery in this area. I wasn't sure if we'd be able to find it, but on the way to Kannonzaki we found a small inlet with a yacht harbor. In front of the harbor, we discovered a small, charming bakery housed in a remodeled warehouse. It's actually pretty easy to find! In the snug interior, loaves of white bread, croissants, bread with toppings such as cheese or meats, sweet bread, and other treats are charmingly lined up in baskets. Since there were many kinds of bread that were already sold out, it's probably best to come a little earlier in the day. There's some eat-in seating on the second floor, where you can also get a cup of coffee for 100 yen. We decided to try some. The shop lady warned us with a laugh, "This coffee isn't premium at all!" But it was actually quite good. The bread was also very tasty… I guess we really did eat our way through this cycling trip!
To tell the truth, I didn't think there would be much on Mukaishima Island. I came here expecting to just enjoy the tranquility that comes with a lack of tourist spots, but we actually ended up having a really fun time. Iwashijima Island was also fantastic. The people we met along the way were truly funny, cheerful and kind. We spent the whole day smiling and laughing. And, of course, eating! I came to really love this island during our trip.
