Cycling Day 27: Shimanami Kaido
A series of bridges island hopping from Shikoku island to the largest Japanese island of Honshu.
I won't make it all the way today as there will be things to see, but also I had a vegetarian food fail last night - picked up a half-price something described as a kelp broth with rice and egg, but it turned out to have pork cutlet too. It would have gone to waste if not sold and eaten, so I did eat it, but my bowels aren't great this morning - a long time since I've eaten meat, and I'm not used to it any more! I'll be more careful in future!
22 April 2026 - 10:14
22 April 2026 - 10:54
Mishima Shrine
Imabari Castle
Hokke Temple
Loads of small temples in this area!
22 April 2026 - 11:54
Climbing towards the first bridge. They're really high up!
Round and round!
They've given cyclists a nice gentle loop bridge to get up! It's a bit like spaghetti junction!
22 April 2026 - 12:06
Lunch under the wisteria
22 April 2026 - 13:21
2nd bridge
Just coming to the second bridge and I spotted Scott on his recumbent bicycle heading the other way. We stopped for a quick chat and he told me he was going to take a ferry to Osaka from Shikoku island to skip all the cities along the inland sea. He also told me there were dolphins around the island I am just about to cross to.
Apparently this is a 'dolphin farm'
The enclosure look very small 🙁 I could see a couple of dolphins swimming around, but it's not a popular tourist attraction today! I don't know if these dolphins are already kept in the tiny enclosures - it would be pretty cruel if they are!
I did see some jumps and playing with a floating ball from a distance. There was also a big fish that did a couple of jumps out of the sea to my left (not in an enclosure).
22 April 2026 - 14:44
22 April 2026 - 14:58
You can't live off lemons alone!
22 April 2026 - 16:10
22 April 2026 - 16:25
Hostel
The overnight and Thursday weather looked extremely wet so I've opted to stay another couple of nights in a hostel. It's a very swanky one - even has indoor bathrooms 😉 It's a modern building with lots of glass and exceptionally clean. Very quiet too, apart from the dripping rain and a slight wind howl!
Hopefully there will be a couple of nearby sights to see walking out with an umbrella tomorrow!
I'd been missing a few things from my usual diet back home and cobbled together a slightly odd meal from the local supermarket!