The Most Beautiful Cycling Route in the World I Shimanami Kaido I Japan
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 มี.ค. 2019
- Ever wanted to explore the most scenic biking route in the world? The Shimanami Kaido runs through six islands in the south of Japan. It is known for its natural beauty and towering suspension bridges. This video covers the entire route from Onomichi to Imabari and back in two days.
3 years later...this is still one of my favourite videos of this ride. Thank you for doing such a good job in filming
I love hearing that. Thank you!
I did this cycling route when I was 16. Although riding with a heavy backpack wasn't easy, but I can't deny that it's one of the most amazing days in my life, and the view was breathtaking
I totally agree. I can't wait to back to Japan to try it again.
I just completed the Shimanami Kaido. This video is the best I’ve found that captures my experience and it’s 4 years old! Excellent video. It deserves 1M+ views!
How cool! Congratulations on finishing the route. I'd love to make it back there to do it again. Thanks for the kind comment.
I used to live nearby the route.Thank you for taking me back with your video. I cant wait to go back!
That's so cool. I can't imagine actually living there. Must have been great. I'd love to go back as well.
You deserve more likes for this. Thanks for your efforts.
Thank you!
You are superb for filming and introducing the Shimanami Kaido, beautiful and impressible. Thank you!
Thank you! It was an unforgettable trip.
This is the best video about Shimanami Kaido route
Thank you!!!!!! 👊👊👊👊👊
After years with no riding I rode the Shimanami Kaido from Imabari. You've done extremely well, made an excellent video & told it how it really is. Like you, I believe it is absolutely worth it.
Thank you! It was a pleasure to make. I would love to go back and do it again.
Amazing vid..thank you!! My husband and I want to do this route - your video was very inspiring!
Thanks a ton! I appreciate it. You should definitely do the SK. It's an unbelievable experience.
love this video! thanks for the very extensive and thorough vlog about this :)
I appreciate it!
Fabulous ~ great filming and I enjoy your style of documenting. Thanks
Thank you! I appreciate it.
This is a very well put together video. Thank you for your time and effort :)
Thank you!
What a brilliant video!!! I’m researching this fantastic trail for when we travel freely in Japan 🇯🇵. I see this was a few years ago. Are you doing back? Thank you
Thanks! The Shimanami Kaido was one of the best experiences of my life. It's amazing. You'll love it. I'd love to go back one day and do it again. truly an amazing time.
Awesome Video, I'll be doing this trip next year and this was so informative and inspiring. Thanks .
Thanks! You'll love it. One of the best travel experiences I've ever had. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions about the route.
Thank so much , I'll have a few I'm sure ,
Love your vids. Must say its refreshing to stumble on your vlogs (so many vids today are just for the clicks).
Thank you! Glad you are liking them. You probably won't see many of my vids go viral, but that's okay with me, so long as they are helpful/entertaining for some folks.
I’m glad i came across this video. One of the best and informative videos about cycling in Japan. Hope to be able to do this route one day. Cheers!
Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to make. I hope you get to do the route too.
god bless you man, sweet vid
Thank you!
amazing!
Great video thanks
Thanks!
Awesome video.
👍 🚲!
This is shot so well. I wanted to do this in early April of this year, but the corona virus shut travel down. When everything gets better I’ll definitely try this bike route
Thanks. Once COVID-19 calms down you definitely need to do the route. It's beyond beautiful. You'll have a great time.
lovely documentation!
would definitely try when i visit,
tnx and stay safe
Have fun! Thank you!
Nice Video. Been working in imabari and i cycle Imabari - Onomichi - Imabari in 1 day. and its fun.
That's great. I would love to do this route again. Have fun!
Nice video. Enjoyed it very much. BTW, riding with no hands stopped being cool when you hit your 11th birthday ;)
Thank you! It was a pleasure to make. I promise I wasn't doing that to try and look cool! Staying hunched over on a bike for that long can be uncomfortable. It's a good way to break it up.
Amazing! Yours is probably my favourite video for this route.... the spots and shots you chose, info, edits, etc.... very well executed! Hopefully Japan opens up fully by October, would love to cycle here. Was wondering if a non-cyclist but relatively active person like me (I train jiu-jitsu) would find it difficult to finish in a day? Or should I split it up into two?
I'm so glad you liked it! I think that any person of decent fitness could get through it in a day. Especially if you leave early. More than any place I've visited this is one of the places I'd love to go back and visit. It's amazing.
I am planning to ride for first time without planning. But after watching your video. Better thought to plan more and prepare and complete it just as you did both way.... thanks for good one.
Btw: any suggestions and recommendations are welcome. I will be taking my own bike.
@@treasureoflife2266 You'll have a blast! Best counsel I can give is to have a decent bike. It will make the journey more enjoyable. I'll bet like you have a good one. Another thing I'll add is to see Kirosan Observatory (11:27 of the vid). Technically it's not on the exact SK path, but it's absolutely worth seeing. Are you planning on doing both directions in one day? I would suggest doing it over two days so that you can spend time in places like Kosanji Temple, Sunset Beach, Cyclist Sanctuary, etc. I'm jealous. I would love to do this again one day. Have fun!
70km and easy slopes!!! thanks
🚴🚴🚴🚴
Nice video and doumentory from your cycling path through the しまなみかいど I am planning to ride it in Oct 2020! Do you remember which way was the headwind if any? Towards Imabari or Onomichi? Thanks!
Thank you. I don't recall headwind being a factor at all in either direction. I did the route both directions and didn't notice any discernible difference. Have a great time. You'll love it.
Love the video! Could I ask which way you preferred if you had to pick, I'm planning to cycle one way over two days and was wondering whether to start at Imabari or Onomichi?
That's a great question. I preferred the Onomichi to Imabari route simply because I was able to view the sunset from Kirosan observatory panorama. It's also easier to just start in Onomichi since that is the closest place to the airport where you land. However there's great benefit to starting in Imabari, such as seeing a sunset at Sunset beach. If I had to choose I'm picking to start in Onomichi but you really can't go wrong.
Great video. What time of the year did you go? Was it hot?
Thanks. October. It was quite warm, but not terrible. Rained a bit the first day. Second day was totally clear.
Great video, a lot better than some other ones i've watched. What drone did/do you use?
Thank you! I used a Mavic Pro Platinum. Loved that thing. Unfortunately it bit the dust in Scotland. It was a great drone.
Thanks for coming back to me, sorry to hear it's no longer with us!! Looked up drones after watching your video and Mavic was one of the ones i looked at. Fingers crossed, i can finally do this cycle next year!
@@Weare138. Can't go wrong with Mavic. Good luck with your journey. Let me know if you have any other questions I can answer for you.
Great vid man. Do you remember how many hours it takes on your day 1 route? I'm planning to stop for a bit on each island.
Good question. It depends on how often you stop to view/look at sites. As you can see in the video I stopped quite a bit both days and still did it in around 10-12 hours. It also depends on pace. Make sure to get a decent bike.
@@wordslikefire662 Totally a agree with you, make sure you get a decent bike. A road bike is best. If you have the time don't do it in a day, stretch it out, it really is a beautiful part of Japan that you should saviour not rush. It's alway possible to ride one-way or par-way depending on your ability. Whatever, just make sure you do it!
Nice trip. Did you see any campgrounds ?
It was great. I didn't really see any. Doesn't mean they aren't there though.
I'm hoping you or someone can reply - what's the name of the song at 7:25? Great video. I'm doing the ride in 3 weeks!!!
Thanks. You'll have a wonderful time. Enjoy it. I can't remember the name of the song. I got all of the music off TH-cam's music library here: th-cam.com/users/audiolibrary
Super informative and entertaining video. I will be doing the Imabari > Onomichi route in early November split over two days to really soak in the atmosphere. Definitely going to check out the places you mentioned
Thank you! Going over two days really might be the best way to go. You'll have such a fun time and be able to go at your own pace. It's an unbelievably beautiful place. Have fun.
This showed up on my recommended videos again and it brought back some fond memories. I was able to hit a lot of the places you showed and wow it's even more incredible in person. Because I did this in November, there was a lot less daylight than I would have hoped. I'm looking forward to doing this again, maybe spending a bit more time exploring the islands. Also, Onomichi is one hell of a city! I regret not spending more time there.
Those place are biking paradise! Awesome documentary and relaxing video to watch ...How much the bike rent for the whole trip ? Newsub here thanks
Thank you! It is such a wonderful place. My bike rentals were very affordable. I can't remember the exact price, but I don't think it was much more that $10-15 per day.
@@wordslikefire662 Thank you very much
great video, im doing this next week. where did you leave your bags when you were riding? If I go one way to Imabari, is there train/bus/ferry back to Onomachi or Hiroshima? thx
Thanks. You'll absolutely love it! Believe it or not the small grey bag you see in the video is the only piece of luggage I carried for the whole route. However the good news is they have excellent baggage transfer services. They will send your bags from Onomichi to Imabari. It's really affordable and efficient. Once you get to Imabari you can take a train or bus back to Onomichi. They leave often and are affordable.
how far out of the way is that last lookout before the bridge to Imabari? I think I might stay the night on one of the islands and take my time, is getting a hotel on one of the islands easy from what you can tell? thanks for any info, im outta here tomorrow.@@wordslikefire662
@@HawaiiJapan808 Kirosan Observatory is only about a mile or so off the main SK route. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for signs that indicate where you need to turn. It will also be on local maps that you can pick up. It's quite a climb to make it to the top. It will be a brutal ride to get there but it's worth it even if you have to walk your bike. It didn't look like there were many hotels on the islands, at least from what I could tell. Your best chance to get a hotel may be on Ikuchikima Island. I do remember seeing some hostels and rooms for travels near sunset beach. I'm sure there are others. Have a great time!
thanks for info, I cant wait.@@wordslikefire662
Im back, what a great ride! I did it in a day, but missed a lot, I meant to do it in two days and spend the night somewhere but i didnt realize how rural those small islands were and couldn't find a place to stay and no one spoke English and I was losing daylight so I kept going. I stayed at that same hotel by chance(nice hotel and free buffet) Ill try to do it again in 2 months with better planning. @@wordslikefire662
Hi, what mic are you using for the talking clips? Its so clear
I'm actually just using a small red ipod and recording with the voice app. I sync up the audio with the video later during editing. You can see the ipod I'm holding in various parts of the video. For example at the 8:20 mark of the video you can see it.
@@wordslikefire662 the audio pickup is amazing. Your voice comes out really clear despite the ipod moving. Thanks
I am doing this route in October. I wanted to do 3 -2 island is there a ferry that can me back to Onomichi from Ikuchijima ?
I'm not sure about a ferry, there may be. I do know that buses run very frequently along the SK so that may be your best option. Most of the island en route are pretty basic however Ikuchijima is the island with the most touristy things so you may be able to arrange a way to get back to Onomichi from there. I'd try and reach out to the Sunset Beach resort and ask them. I'm sure they could help you, or your hotel in Onomichi if you have one. October is a good time to go. You'll have a great time.
Hey man...great video..I'll do the Shimanami Kaido route in a few months but let me ask you this...how difficult is to reach the Kirosan observatory? I'm a little overweight but I wanna ride up to the top but idk if it's breath taken or not?
Thanks and cheers from Guatemala!
Hey there! Getting to the top of Kirosan was pretty difficult. I'm not proud to admit that I had to walk my bike up the final stretch. You may not be able to ride it up all the way if the weather is super hot or the bike isn't great. However walking it up is much easier and there are drink station vending machines and rest areas along the way so it's totally manageable if you take it slow. Even if it takes you a bit of time to walk up it absolutely worth it. Kirosan may have been the most beautiful part of the route. Don't miss it! Good luck and have a great time!
@@wordslikefire662 Thanks!! I'll take it easy. I'll be there in October so I hope typhoon season is over at the time of my trip so I can have the best views..cheers!!!
@@oscarpaiz79 October is when I went for this video. It was a perfect time in my opinion. You'll love it. Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions.
@@wordslikefire662 Thanks!! I saw the route up to the observatory in Google Maps and it seems a huuuuge road uphill so I think I'll start walking from the base hahaha...how many kilometers do you think are from the base up to the top?
Fantastic Video, I really would like to cycle this route but just one way. Can you stop and stay over night half way though? Can you also get your luggage delivered to the end of the route? I have like 9kg bag that I don’t want to have to cycle with. I plan of doing this towards the end of august so will be too hot for me to do it in one go, would like to split it so it’s like 4/5 hours cycling per day. Can I also rent a bike and drop it off at the end or do I have to return it to the same place?
I'm happy that you liked the video. It's a trip definitely worth doing. Yes, you don't have to do the whole thing in one day. There are some spots that you can stay along the way. A good place to stop would be sunset beach. It's about half way to the end. You can hire a service to take your bags and deliver them to the end of the route. I never used the service but saw advertisements for them around in both Onomichi and Imabari. You don't have to return the bike at the same place you picked it up. It depends on where you rent it but you should be able to use it just like a rental car. Pick up at one spot, drop off at a different one. August will be very hot, but if you make sure you drink enough, protect yourself from the sun, and take enough breaks you'll be fine. Especially since you are breaking it up in two days.
Thank you so much for your guidance!! I just completed the Shinamami Kaido yesterday!! I stayed near sunset beach as you suggested and it was great! I had a fantastic few days and really enjoyed it. Would definitely recommend to your viewers!! The luggage service was easy too the hotels pretty much took care of everything. Thanks again so much!! Another thing ticked off the bucket list! 🫶
@@theopop7 That's so great to hear. I'm glad you had a good time. It's an incredible place. It's awesome that you got to experience it. Well done!
How about a peddle assist bike, do them rent them/swap them when battery runs out?
I didn't ask about a peddle assist bike when I rented mine. Probably the best place to get one would be the U2 Cycle Hotel Bike Shop. It's a really nice shop and they may have the best options there.
ok thx, im on it. never run out of things to see in Japan.
Which period of the year did you ride this? In march? How was the weather like?
I was there in October. Great time to go. A bit hot some days, but overall pretty mild.
What time of the year did you pick to make this travel?
I went in October. Really good time to go since it's not too hot.
Amazing video. Do you mind if I link your video in mine? I did the same route, but your footage is much better.
Hi! I don't mind at all. Feel free to link to it. I'm sure you had a blast. Such a gorgeous place isn't it?
How long did it took to u to complete the route?
I started from Onomichi aronud 9 am and ended up in Imabari around 7 pm. I took many stops for breaks and photo/video. Coming back I left Imabari around 7 and biked backed to Onomichi (again with doing more stops) and eventually arrived around 430-5 pm.
Hi, thanks for your video, we are interested in doing bike trips in Japan, but where can we rent the bikes?
I can't speak for other parts of Japan, but for the Shimanami Kaido you will have no problems renting bikes. There are renting stations along the entire route. You can even rent a bike in one spot, and drop it off at another.
@@wordslikefire662 Thanks for your reply. I notice there are tunnels for Shimannami Kaido, is it safe to cycle inside the tunnels, or should we dismount and push the bike instead?
@@jeffhiew5795 It's very safe. You will be biking with traffic during some parts of the route, but overall you won't have any problems.
@@wordslikefire662 Thanks
Can I ask where did you get a map of the Shimanami Kaido that's in English?
I think I may have bought it online beforehand.
@@wordslikefire662 thanks! I'll want to get one before my trip!
I find it funny when people go on a cycling tour/adventure and don’t seem to know anything about fixing basic bike issues.
If you are going to do something like this know how to adjust your brakes, fix a flat, minor gear indexing, set proper seat height and bring an under saddle bag with a spare tube, tire wrenches, pump, patch kit, and bike multi tool.
I actually did have my trusty tire wrench. I carry that with me everywhere I go. Especially when I go to the market. It's a great tool to test the firmness of mangos. I actually only realized later that it cold be used on bikes. Boy I felt dumb after that!
Please bro I wanna see in the map your trip , please send me it ! I wanna make the same trip !
You can see the same route right here: www.jb-honshi.co.jp/english/shimanamicycling/map_access/index.html
It's 5000 yen ($50USD) to take a car across that damn bridge.
Whoa. I didn't know that.
@@wordslikefire662 Yeah, not cheap... so the residents of the island don't usually travel across there unless they absolutely have to. Here's a breakdown of other costs - www.japan-guide.com/e/e3478.html . BTW great video showcasing the island! :)
No helmet sets a bad example for others. It only takes a 12g hit on the temple to kill you.
I actually did have and wear my helmet for most of the route. You should see that in the video. However admittedly, there were moments where I had it off which isn't ideal.
"Southern Japan" me think not