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.
In Miyaura-ko Port, there is a large stone torii gate. The first one of the torii gates leading to Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine was built especially for those who enter from the shore and is located at the entranceway to the sea. Since we're already over this way, we'll head to Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine from this gate. The area from around the port all the way along the path to the shrine used to be bustling with business. It's lined with old-time shops and ryokans and has a retro feel to it. Once you pass through, you'll find yourself right in front of Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine.
We decided to have lunch at Yoshikawa, which is right across from Imabari City Hall, Omishima branch. I was really excited about the retro Showa exterior and the nostalgic sound of a "family restaurant." Going in, I was surprised to see that it was more spacious than I had thought. There are also lots of options on the menu. From lighter fare such as udon and ramen to generous western-style set lunches - and for when you want to splurge, donburi rice bowls topped with seafood as well as dishes featuring fish - their repertoire is extensive. This time we ordered the jumbo fried shrimp set lunch for 2,100 yen and the tricolor donburi set lunch for 1,650 yen! The tricolor donburi is rice topped with white squid, yellow-orange sea urchin, and red salmon roe - three colors. Such a treat! It's our reward for cycling so hard. Bon appetit! Or, as we say in Japan, itadakimasu!
One place you absolutely have to visit when you are on Omishima Island is Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine. It's probably the most famous landmark and sightseeing spot on the island.
The symbol of Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine is its towering camphor tree. It's said that this giant tree, which stands right at the front of the shrine grounds, is 2,600 years old. In the neighboring shrine treasury are gathered about 80% of Japan's armor and weaponry. There are so many national treasures and important cultural properties that it's easy to forget about the passing time if you go around looking at them one by one. Many artifacts are on display, including suits of armor belonging to the famous Minamoto brothers, Yoritomo and Yoshitsune; the halberd of Musashibo Benkei, a warrior monk who loyally served Yoshitsune; and other items belonging to famous people of history. I found it very interesting that so many military commanders offered their armaments to Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine. According to the information placard, the deity enshrined here is Oyamazumi no Kami, the older brother of the goddess Amaterasu Omikami. The Emperors of Japan are considered to be direct descendants of hers. This shrine is the "Sochinju," the head shrine of the over 10,000 shrines in Japan dedicated to this deity. Since gods of victory, seafaring, and travelers are enshrined here, from ancient times warriors have prayed and made offerings in this place. We prayed for safe travels on our trip today.
When we drew our fortunes, I got "kichi," good fortune, but poor Kumi-chan got "kyo," bad fortune. What a shock! Apparently the chances of drawing bad luck are pretty high here at Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine. The photographer traveling with us said that he, too, has gotten a "kyo" fortune here before. I guess we don't have to be too worried…!? In Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine, you can buy "o-mamori," or a good luck charm, for your bicycle helmet. It's about 5 centimeters across, and you can stick it right onto your helmet. I bought it right away! Now I won't have to worry about the second half of our trip!
I had heard that there was an amazing power spot near Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine, so I asked someone from the shrine office, who told us that it's right near the shrine exit. Let's go check it out! On our way there, we encountered a sweet and tart fragrance. Apparently it's the scent of mikan blossoms. Right now (in May), you can smell this fragrance all over the island. We headed down a narrow path for about five minutes and arrived at Ikiki no Gomon, "gate of the living tree." Here, the roots of a giant camphor tree have parted to create an opening. It's said that people would pass under the roots to go to the Okuno-inn, an inner sanctuary. This gate feels like a doorway to another dimension. You can sense the immense power of the giant camphor in the solemn, almost divine atmosphere welling up around the area.
Near Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine there is a rest stop, or Michi-no-Eki, called "Mishima," which is a popular spot selling local specialties and gifts. We found a really cute car in that parking lot - it was selling coffee, juices squeezed from local Omishima citrus fruit, sweets, and other items. It's a cafe on wheels! It's here at the Michi-no-Eki every week on Saturday. The lady who owns the cafe moved to Omishima Island as part of a government-sponsored program aiming to revitalize and promote aging communities. The lemonade was so tasty! Since I took our time over lunch, I headed out pretty quickly from here. There are so many things to see in the Miyaura and Oyamazumi Jinja Shrine area. I recommend making time to really enjoy this area.
***As of 2017, the lady who ran the cafe-on-wheels has moved to a permanent location in a cafe called Cointreau. The menu features handmade pizza, bagels, chiffon cake, and other baked goods. You can enjoy coffee and other beverages as well.
Cafe Cointreau
Ehime-ken, Imabari-shi, Omishima-cho Miyaura 3301-1
TEL: 0897-82-0888
Hours: 11:00-17:30
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Going along Route 51 from Miyaura, you can see Omishima Shounen Shizen no Ie on the left. Since the old times, this camp and nature facility has been a place where the local elementary/junior high schoolers go for teambuilding activities. But now it looks a little more like an upscale boarding house!
The road starts uphill again after you pass the Higai Post Office. This time it's a straight slope that's pretty steep. It goes on for about 700 meters. Now that's formidable! At the highest point, the view around suddenly cleared and we could see the sea. It felt wonderful. The real highlight of cycling Omishima Island is that you can always see the sea from somewhere. No matter how tired you become, once you reach the top of the hill, bam! Stretching out before you is the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. It's like it sweeps all your exhaustion away.
From the summit, we zip down the hill and onto a coastal road. The next five kilometers we follow a flat road that runs right along the sea. There's a cycling lane, so it's particularly easy to ride. Tatara Ohashi Bridge has come into view.
There's a rest stop called Michi-no-Eki Tatara Shimanami Koen Park in front of the Omishima Interchange. You can see beautiful views of Tatara Ohashi Bridge from here. Since there's a rent-a-cycle facility here, it's also a good place to rent a bicycle and start cycling Omishima Island. There are quite a few shops and restaurants here as well.
Going around back of the buildings where you can see a clear view of Tatara Ohashi Bridge, we found a monument titled "Cycling no Seichi" (A Cyclist's Mecca). I don't remember seeing this before… It's a curiously shaped object that you can set your bike on. It's also indicated as a photo spot, and you can take a photo with your bike from here with the Tatara Ohashi Bridge in the background.
Leaving Tatara Shimanami Koen Park, we head back to the vicinity of Omishimabashi Bridge. From here on out it's flat roads all the way. On the way back, we discovered a greenhouse. Stopping by, we saw that it belongs to Inoue Ichigo-en strawberry farm. You can pick strawberries here if you make a reservation beforehand. The staff were kind enough to let us take a little tour. The strawberries are suspended in midair! By growing strawberries this way, dirt doesn't get on them, so it's much cleaner. And you don't have to bend over to pick them, so harvesting is a little easier. Today we didn't have time, but next year we'll have to make a reservation and come pick some strawberries!
When we had basically completed our loop around the island and returned to the area in front of Kamiura-ko Port, I remembered that there is a really lovely shop in the nearby Seto area. It looks like we still have a little time before they close, so let's rush over and check it out! Limone was started by the Yamazaki couple who moved here from Tokyo. They grow organic navel oranges, hassaku citrus, iyokan citrus, lemons, and other fruit. Then they use those citrus to make various jams and liqueurs, which they sell in their small shop. The renovated old liquor store housing their shop fits the atmosphere of this area perfectly. There are also tons of stylish knickknacks for sale. In addition to liqueurs and lemonades, they also sell sweets made with limoncello, ice monaka (a round wafer filled with ice cream), and ice brulee. To finish off our journey today, we'll take two ice brulees, please! Mmmmm, you can really get addicted to the tangy sweetness. It has a little liqueur in it, which makes for a complex flavor. It's so delicious. We sure ate a lot again today! Before leaving, we took a picture with the owner, Mrs. Yamazaki. She's a very lovely and fun person!
Well, we have cycled pretty much all the way around Omishima Island today. Heading back to the area around Omishimabashi Bridge, we reached the finish line. Omishima, island of the gods - I had the impression that it was an island steeped in tradition and culture, but now that we've cycled around it, I also feel that there are many new and fun things on the island. The residents have hearts big enough to treasure the old culture and crafts, while also welcoming new things. We met a lot of energetic, forward-looking people who are enjoying island life on this trip.
The route around Omishima Island is about 40 kilometers. The western side of the island has many hills and you need some stamina, but the roads are wide and you can enjoy a lot of variety of scenery - views of the sea, mountain roads, and rural communities. I was also surprised at the large number of filming locations from movies and dramas. It's even more exciting to see the location if it's a film or show you've seen. I really hope you try out this Omishima Island cycling route, where you can enjoy incredible scenery from the seat of your bike.
