It is 70 kilometres.
It is not an afternoon
out of Hiroshima.
The Shimanami Kaido runs 70km from Onomichi across six islands to Imabari on Shikoku. It is a full day with an early start and a one-way bike drop-off, or two relaxed days. It does not start in Hiroshima. Almost every page that recommends it to Hiroshima visitors leaves that out.
Ride it if you have a full day with a 07:00 start, or two days and a bed on an island. Do not ride it as an add-on to an Onomichi afternoon, and do not plan it out of Hiroshima — the route begins in Onomichi, which is itself roughly 1h30 away by train, so a same-day return means 3 hours of rail bolted onto 70km of cycling. Bike hire is roughly ¥2,000–3,000 a day across about ten public terminals; both figures are indicative, not verified.
Be blunt about the distance
Answer firstSeventy kilometres is four to eight hours in the saddle depending on who you are, and that is before the trains at either end.
The Shimanami Kaido is a chain of bridges and dedicated cycleway linking Onomichi on the mainland to Imabari on Shikoku, crossing six islands — Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima, Hakatajima and Oshima — in about 70km. A blue line painted on the road surface marks the route the whole way, which is why it is so often described as easy. It is easy to navigate. It is still 70km.
Here is the sentence the rest of the internet leaves out: it does not start in Hiroshima. Getting to the start line is roughly 1h30 on the local JR Sanyo line, or about 55 minutes via the shinkansen to Shin-Onomichi plus a bus. Add the same again coming home and a same-day return from Hiroshima becomes a 13- to 15-hour day of which three hours are spent sitting on trains. That is why the honest recommendation for a Hiroshima-based traveller is either to sleep in Onomichi the night before, or to accept a partial ride.
The realistic shapes are these. One full day: ride out of Onomichi at 07:00, ride the whole thing, drop the bike in Imabari and take a bus or train back — this requires a one-way drop-off, which is not available for every bike type. Two relaxed days: stop overnight on Ikuchijima or Omishima roughly halfway, and the ride stops being an endurance exercise. A partial ride: Onomichi to Ikuchijima and back by ferry, which is around 30km of riding and fits inside a long day from Hiroshima.
One geographic quirk that catches people at kilometre zero: the first crossing, from Onomichi to Mukaishima, is reported to be made by a short passenger ferry rather than by bridge, because the bridge on that channel is not set up for cyclists. We have not verified the current arrangement. Budget a few minutes and a small fare for it, and confirm at the rental terminal when you collect the bike.
Hiroshima is a comfortable, well-run, entirely ordinary mid-size Japanese city. The bomb took the old fabric and the rebuild was practical rather than picturesque. Come for the Peace Park, the island and the food — not for the streetscapes. The mistake almost everyone makes is giving the important part four hours and the ordinary part none.
Four figures before you commit
The numbers that decide itThree of these are indicative and one is a hard fact. We have marked which is which.
The Shimanami Kaido, practically
Plan your visitFour ways to do it, and which one fits your trip
ComparedPick by how many days you have, not by how fit you feel on the day you book.
| Version | Distance | Time | Where you sleep | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full crossing in one day | 70km | 07:00–16:00 riding, plus transfers | Onomichi the night before, Imabari or back in Hiroshima after | WORTH IT |
| Two relaxed days | 70km split roughly in half | Two half-days in the saddle | Ikuchijima or Omishima, mid-route | WORTH IT |
| Onomichi to Ikuchijima and ferry back | ~30km | One long day, feasible from Hiroshima | Hiroshima — no island night needed | DEPENDS |
| Same-day return from Hiroshima, full route | 70km + 3 hours of trains | 13–15 hours door to door | Hiroshima, briefly | SKIP |
| See the islands without riding | 0km | One guided day from Hiroshima | Hiroshima | DEPENDS |
The DEPENDS on the 30km version resolves to yes for anyone who has not ridden 70km in the last year. The DEPENDS on the no-bicycle version resolves to yes if you want the island scenery and have no interest in the cycling — the Onomichi and Ikuchijima guided day and the fast-boat trip under the bridges are the two ways to get it. The SKIP is not a judgement on the route; it is a judgement on doing 70km with three hours of rail wrapped around it.
Six things that decide whether this works
Before you book anythingThe whole one-day plan depends on leaving the bike in Imabari rather than riding back. Drop-off availability depends on the bike type — this is indicative and unverified, and it is the first question to ask the rental terminal. If your bike cannot be dropped one-way, your 70km becomes 140km or a bus with a bicycle problem.
Indicative — confirm with the terminal when bookingA 07:00 start from Onomichi is achievable if you are already in Onomichi. From Hiroshima it means leaving at about 05:00 for a 1h30 train that may not be running that early. This one decision is what separates a good day from a grim one.
Rooms are cheaper than Hiroshima's · add ¥200pp/night prefectural taxThe islands are largely flat and the bridge approach ramps are not — each crossing spirals you up to deck height and back down. There are seven of them. That is where the day's elevation lives, and it is why a flat-sounding 70km takes longer than a flat 70km at home.
Gradients are gentle by design; there are just a lot of themA cyclist toll waiver is reported to run through March 2028. We could not verify it on 4 August 2026. Carry ¥100 coins and treat a free crossing as a bonus rather than a plan.
Unverified — check at the rental terminalThe regional August normals are a mean of 28.5°C, an average daily maximum of 32.8°C and 69% humidity. Bridges have no shade. April–May and October–November are the seasons this route was made for.
September is typhoon season on this coastThis is a commercial fact, not a recommendation: there is no dedicated Shimanami Kaido cycling product bookable through our affiliate links. If you want to ride it, you arrange it yourself with a rental terminal. Anyone implying otherwise is selling you a different trip.
See the honest note in the booking block belowWhat we can honestly link you to — and what we can't
Booking and getting thereWe have no Shimanami Kaido cycling tour to sell you. GetYourGuide does not list a dedicated cycling product for this route, and we are not going to point a bike link at something that is not one. What follows are the two nearest real options: a guided island day that reaches the same islands by road and ferry, and a fast boat that runs under the bridges. Both are good; neither is a bicycle. We do not publish tour prices or ratings because we have not verified them.
The Shimanami Kaido — the questions people actually ask
FAQPage schema pairedCan I cycle the Shimanami Kaido as a day trip from Hiroshima?
Not the full route, sensibly. It is 70km and it starts in Onomichi, roughly 1h30 from Hiroshima Station each way, so the full crossing plus rail is a 13- to 15-hour day. The version that does fit is Onomichi to Ikuchijima and a ferry back, about 30km of riding. For the full route, sleep in Onomichi the night before.
How long does the Shimanami Kaido take to cycle?
Reckon on 6–9 hours door to door for the 70km with stops, or 4–5 hours of moving time for a strong rider who does not stop. Split over two days it is roughly 35km a day, which is a morning each. The bridge approach ramps are where the time goes — there are seven crossings and each one climbs to deck height.
How much does bike rental cost on the Shimanami Kaido?
Roughly ¥2,000–3,000 per day — that is indicative, not verified, and it varies by terminal and bike type, with e-bikes costing more. There are around ten public rental terminals along the route. Confirm the rate and the deposit with the terminal directly; do not budget off a blog figure.
Can I drop the bike off at the other end?
Usually yes, but one-way drop-off availability depends on the bike type, and that is the single most important thing to confirm before you set out. This is indicative and unverified. If your bike cannot be left in Imabari, a one-day crossing turns into a 140km round trip or an awkward bus.
Do cyclists have to pay the bridge tolls?
A toll waiver for cyclists is reported to run through March 2028, and we could not verify it on 4 August 2026. Carry ¥100 coins and assume you might pay. Ask at the rental terminal when you collect the bike — they will know the current position better than any English page.
Where does the Shimanami Kaido actually start?
Onomichi, on the mainland in eastern Hiroshima Prefecture — not Hiroshima city, which is roughly 1h30 away by local train. The first channel crossing, to Mukaishima, is reported to be made by a short passenger ferry rather than by bridge; confirm that at the terminal. Onomichi is a good full day on its own and has its own page here.
Is there a guided cycling tour of the Shimanami Kaido I can book?
Not through us. GetYourGuide has no dedicated Shimanami Kaido cycling product, and we are not going to disguise a road-and-ferry island tour as one. If you want to ride the 70km, book one of the roughly ten public rental terminals directly. If you want the islands without a bicycle, the guided Onomichi and Ikuchijima day and the fast-boat trip under the bridges are the two honest alternatives.
When is the best time to ride it?
April–May and October–November. Avoid July and August, when the regional average daily maximum is 32.8°C with 69% humidity and the bridges offer no shade, and be wary of September, which is typhoon season. June to mid-July is tsuyu, the rainy season, and wet bridge decks with a crosswind are not the day you booked.