Nishi-Seto Expressway (Setouchi Shimanami Kaido)

Before you go

• Sunrise Itoyama at the Imabari end closed all its facilities temporarily on March 31, 2026, for renovation; whether this affects the Imabari Itoyama Rental Cycle terminal there, and whether it has reopened, is unconfirmed, so check before you build a day around it.
• Bikes cannot enter at expressway interchanges, and the Shin-Onomichi Bridge has no bike path while the parallel Onomichi Bridge is narrow and busy, so cross to Mukaishima on the 5-minute ferry by JR Onomichi Station. The ferry takes bikes; pay on board (one way: adults ¥100, children ¥50, bikes ¥10) in coins, because IC transit cards and credit cards are not accepted. Its pier is about a 3-minute walk from JR Onomichi Station, and with no timetable it runs about every 12 minutes, from 6:00 until the last boat from Mukaishima at 22:00.
• Bikes cross the bridges free under "Shimanami Cycling Free" until March 31, 2028, with no paperwork or booking; walkers cross free too, but mopeds and e-scooters pay tolls. On Sunday, October 25, 2026, the route from the Onomichi-Ohashi entrance to Imabari IC closes temporarily for the Cycling Shimanami 2026 event.
• Child-seat bikes are for ages 5 and under and up to 22 kg, and only some terminals lend them. The e-assist ones can run out early even on weekdays; booking is not required but strongly advised, since on long holidays every bike can be gone by about 10:00. For a kids' bike (12 and under), write your child's height in the booking form's notes; the Imabari Station terminal has no kids' bikes. Island terminals do not keep every size, but will have one ready if you book at least 2 days ahead (confirmed by phone, December 2021).
• Rental rates per day: cross or city bikes ¥3,000 for adults and ¥1,000 for children 12 and under; an adult e-assist bike with a child seat ¥4,000. E-assist bikes, child-seat ones included, come only in adult sizes, and no bike trailers are rented for now. Bikes can be dropped off at any of the 10 rental terminals, including Onomichi and Imabari, except e-assist and tandem bikes.
• Every bridge starts with a climb of about 3%, and the descents to local roads are steep, so keep speeds down; walking the bike up is fine. The toughest climb on the route is the Miyakubo Pass (79 m) on Oshima; for one second-grader it was too much, so his parents walked it, pushing his bike and carrying him on the back of a parent's bike. Winds can be strong over the straits. On the Innoshima, Omishima and Hakata-Oshima bridges, bikes share the path with mopeds, single file on the left. A family with a second-grader rode from Onomichi to Sunrise Itoyama in two days, staying overnight on Omishima, at about 6–7 km an hour including breaks, on a snowy day at year-end. The whole route (about 70 km) takes beginners around 10 hours, so consider a beginner course: Onomichi–Mukaishima loop (about 18 km, 2 hours), Imabari–Oshima–Imabari (about 13 km, 1.5 hours), or Setoda on Ikuchijima to Kamiura on Omishima across the Tatara Bridge (about 9 km, 1 hour). The rental rules prohibit riding after dark, and island terminals close at 17:00, so plan to return bikes in daylight; one family who missed their bus back had no bike light and rode dark roads by phone light.
• At a parking area, a father and 4-year-old who stepped out for a "5-minute" walk were gone over 30 minutes with no phone signal (in August 2010); agree on a time and place before anyone wanders off.