Sally’s winning photo - eating salt flavoured soft serve ice creams on the Shimanami kaido.

I’ve just returned from our wonderful 10 day tour of Japan and I keep falling more in love with this beautiful country, the kindness of the people and the perfect roads and infrastructure for cycling - not to mention the onsen and the food!!!

Having run our Shikoku and the Shimanami Kaido tour for the first time in April, I was excited to get back to experience the regions (and cuisine) in a different season. The October tour also had another big difference to WOR tours of the past - 50% of riders (plus another one at the last moment in Osaka…!!) signed up would be joining us on eBikes! Something I was interested to see how it would work.

Neon lights of Dotonbori on night 1 in Osaka

We met in in neon-lit Osaka on a Friday afternoon (well the unofficial start for about half the group was a day early in an Izakaya in Dotonbori fairly late at night - a perfect way to break the ice over a few whiskey highballs and bar snacks…) for bike assembly (nice work Rob and Yoshi) and welcome dinner and briefing over okonomiyaki and takoyaki washed down with local sake and chu-high. Thanks to Yoshi for the ‘briefing’ about the Onsen!

The next morning, we set off for our warm-up ride of Osaka neighbourhoods with Road Bike Rental Japan - visiting Tennoji to see the Tsutenkaku tower and Shitenoji temple, riding through the beautiful grounds of Osaka Castle (with a bit of history of the Samurai), our first (of many) konbini stops and the cycle paths along the Yodo river - the locals out and enjoying the sunny morning with all varieties of weekend sport: baseball, soccer and a few road bike riders, finishing at Shin-Osaka station with plenty of time to purchase Ekiben for the shinkansen ride to Shikoku (plenty of time - oh so we thought, Mark….!!!).

We whizzed along at 300km/hr to Kotohira - our first stop on Shikoku - one of Japan’s 4 larger islands and known for the 88 Temple Pilgrimage and its exceptional natural beauty of mountains and rivers. After an easy morning ride, there were no excuses (ok, well maybe a few) not to climb the 785 steps to visit to Konpira-san, the main shrine tucked in to the forest with stunning views over the countryside. Udon noodles, tempura and celebratory beer and sake for dinner, a treat watching them being pounded and shaped by hand.

We rolled out of Kotohira - rice paddies, farmland and our first stop at a michi-no-eki (roadside station) which would become a popular pit-stop for snacks, lunch, coffee and toilets. Our first climb to the Inohana pass fairly gentle but gave us a chance to test the legs and bikes - the eBikes whizzing past (the whirring sound as they approached behind me and then overtook with a gleeful grin something I would become accustomed to over the Tour). Yoshi filled us up with delicious Japanese treats as we continued to the Iya valley - brilliant blue waters and a narrow gorge, tiny winding roads through forest with view points along the way just superb cycling. The leaves just starting to yellow - autumn delayed due to a warm and late summer. The onsen (a first for many) a real treat along with dinner showcasing Iya specialities a memorable end to our first big day in such a peaceful traditional setting.

After our traditional Japanese breakfast (fuelled up with rice, miso, fish, eggs, pickles) we tackled a steep climb in the rain (well done to those that cycled the extra bit all the way to the top - Mark, Yoshi, Tim and Rob) we meandered along rivers and streams to the Niyodo river - our hotel a quirky delight with a French inspired menu - a day to celebrate (Leise and Jane enjoying some French Champagne!) as many riders had achieved their longest day ever on the bike (>100kms) and the eBike riders were relieved their batteries had lasted the distance!!

The coast awaited the following day - with a visit to Temple 36, Shōryū-ji and rolling ride along the Yokonami Peninsula - beautiful green cliffs tumbling to the blue sea with kites swooping overhead. We feasted on Tuna no tataki in the evening - the region most famous for bonito (skipjack) fishing and we rightfully returned to drinking delicious local sake - except for Graham and Andrew who I noticed favoured red wine! The onsen continued to impress - the views over the ocean incredible. Ged and Brenton finding the onsen a perfect place for post-ride debrief and chill!

The Shimanto river another delight - the smooth bitumen superb and views of the iconic chinkabashi bridges- the road bikes definitely the winner on the flat roads, although I couldn’t hold on to Yoshi’s wheel at close to 40km/hr !! Katsu-don and riverside meandering - watch out for rocks (Jane) and snakes! Interestingly the group spotted between 10 and 20 snakes on this October tour compared to only 1 in April. Izakaya dinner lots of fun (Yoshi, Jane and Mark befriended the locals at the bar, including the “steak” champion of Asia), but I won’t detail the Karaoke bar (what happens on tour, stays on tour…!) except that Geoffrey showed his prowess and leadership!

Rural riding at its best - meandering gently up and downhill through market gardens, rice paddies and chestnut trees (watch out for the chestnuts on the road - it’s chestnut season!) with a visit to the miso brewery where it felt like we were celebrities. Subsequently I’ve made nasu dengaku (miso glazed eggplant) at home with the miso I purchased, bringing back fond memories of the staff waving us in and videoing the group’s arrival. Riding through the rice paddies at this time of year - half harvested - a beautiful patchwork of colour on the landscape.

Two nights in historic Uchiko a welcome rest for some (kudos to those who did the loop ride - and first and only flat tyre of the trip to Geoffrey) and time for rest, shopping, eating and relaxing in our historic inns — and I believe more karaoke?? We enjoyed a sake workshop and tasting (thanks for the help on sake production Geoffrey!) and after a week of a seafood focused diet everyone seemed pretty happy to be feasting on yakiniku (grilled meat) and nama biru (draft beer) - although the hips and knees for some didn’t go so well on the tatami mat floor!

After a slightly delayed train ride we finally reached Imabari - the gateway to the Shimanami Kaido - 70km of spectacular cycling over 6 suspension bridges connecting islands of the seto inland sea. A cyclists dream - we detoured from the main ‘blue line’ route numerous times - firstly to tackle Mt Kiro-san! A challenging 4km climb at close to 9% - the eBikes claiming the KOM/QOM - K’trie’s grin so huge as she zoomed by - I think I decided this eBike gig was working out in the end! The views all day just superb, - coastal cycling at its best and the ‘gateway’ ramps to the bridges a delight of twists and turns. The glowing yellow sky and vibrant colours as the sun began to set a real treat at the end of the day (thanks to the delayed train) - made for some perfect photos.

The moment in the twlight relaxing at Omishima craft brewery after the Shimanami Kaido brought a wonderful feeling of camaradrie as the group relaxed at the end of the ride. Kampai! We stayed at a traditional Ryokan on Omishima, the family just gorgeous looking after our every need (and filling us up with perhaps the best seafood feast of the Tour). The impromptu photo-comp quite contentious with Sally taking out the winning photo (by popular vote!). See the “top 3” below.

Second place - Clare photographing the sweeping descent on the Shimanami Kaido coastal explorer route. Photo by Yoshi. (5 votes)

Clare’s entry to the Photo comp - Post ride beers at Omishima Brewery (2 votes)

Our final day (Happy Birthday Steve - and what a day for a birthday!) continued along the final 4 islands of the Shimanami kaido - a spot of “essential” shopping at Cafe Via Shimanami (I think the Ridley’s spent the most Yen!) with 2 ice cream stops (for local salt-ice cream) perfect on another stunning mid-20 deg C day of island riding. We arrived in Onomichi port and celebrated at the U2 complex with drinks and lunch followed by more food and drinks at our final celebratory dinner and speech night (and birthday cake to celebrate Steve!). I particularly loved K’trie and Sally’s wrap up of the Tour with an ode to the songs and karaoke that had been a feature of the group.

Doesn’t get much better than this. Day 2 on the Shimanami Kaido

What a ride it had been and a wonderful group and connection of new friends in a stunningly beautiful part of the world for cycling - where the culture and people are so helpful and calming, the food incredible and the onsen restorative!

Thanks to our crew - Rob and Yoshi - who looked after us all so well in a calm and friendly way - perhaps the most relaxed crew ever –

o Rob thank you for your calm nature where nothing is a problem and as always managing to get better meals than all of us !

o Yoshi on debut – a perfect fit for the WOR team – ever so helpful with everything from bike box courier to translating and sorting out the little things along the way that could have been lost in translation

A few stats:

- Total distance cycled: 584km

- Total altitude: 5623m

- Mechanicals : 1 puncture (Geoffrey) and 1 slit tyre (Mark) and 1 broken chain (Ged)

- Rain – less than 10kms of riding in the rain (although let’s admit the humidity in the first few days was over 80%)!

A few WOR Tour Firsts:

o 1st tour where karaoke became a thing

o First tour where eBikes outnumbered Road bikes

o First tour with a lot of “newbies” to WOR – hope you come back

o First tour with so many snakes!

Arigato gozaimasu Japan - see you in May 2025 for our next Shikoku Tour (sold out) and October 2025 for our inaugural Kyushu Tour and possibly a second Shikoku tour for the year. Get in touch if you’d like to join the EOI list for our future Japan tours.

Autumn in Japan - Osaka, Shikoku and the Shimanami Kaido

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Autumn in Japan - Osaka, Shikoku and the Shimanami Kaido

Bordeaux to alpe d’huez - a french fairytale

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