Today's ride is down the Shimanto River, Shikoku's longest first-class river. We will ride to a sunken bridge surrounded by mountains and clear water with a break for shiitake mushrooms and a cafe overlooking the Shimanto River! The weather, pleasant route, and spectacular views all combine to make this Shikoku trip fantastically memorable!

Kenta-san's Travel Bookmarks

8:45 Departure from the inn
10:00 Rest at "Shimanto-gou Mizuguruma-ya"
12:20 Lunch at "Toowa Shokudo"
14:30 Nagaoi Chinkabashi Bridge (sunken bridge)
16:00 Take a break at SHADE TREE COFFEE
16:30 Sada Chinkabashi Bridge (sunken bridge)
17:30 Arrival at the hotel "New Royal Hotel Shimanto"

DAY 8 is over!

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are based on
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A morning that begins with community service

Kuresaka

The eighth day begins with a 6km stretch of the Kure Slope immediately after departing the inn. After crossing Nanako Pass, the route heads downhill on National Route 56. Today also began with Tsucchi's community service. (Tsucchi, who tends to get knocked on the uphills, always says he falls behind because he has to do his community service in the middle of the slopes.)

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Recharge our lost energy from the early hill climb

Shimanto-gou Mizuguruma-ya

At the first rest stop, we stopped at the "Shimanto-gou Mizuguruma-ya" for a light meal of puff pie and iced coffee.

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Everlasting spectacular views, smooth roads, and descents

"Best Road Award" nominee for this trip

Beautiful scenery and comfortable roads continue. As an added bonus we had almost an all-day descent which felt like an average incline of about -1%.

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Excellent shiitake mushroom lunch

Toowa Shokudo

I had lunch at the Toowa Shokudo (restaurant) in Shimanto Toowa, a roadside station along the banks of the Shimanto River. We ordered the "Tataki" (chopped raw shiitake mushrooms), which was recommended by word-of-mouth. Kenta-san is actually not fond of shiitake mushrooms, but he was surprised that the taste of shiitake in this dish, wasn't too unusual to me. Tsucchi ordered the "Toowa Kagozen" (1,380 yen), which was the most popular dish in the restaurant and made with plenty of local ingredients. The colorful side dishes, including tataki, were a feast for the eyes!

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Nice and cozy, after-meal coffee

Ochakuri Cafe

I had an after-meal coffee at "Ochakuri Cafe" adjacent to "Otowa Shokudo. Their specialty is Mont Blanc made with chestnuts, a specialty of the Shimanto River area, but it was sold out today. An iced coffee with a view of the Shimanto River, one of the three clearest rivers in Japan, which flows right in front of the store, restores my strength and energy before the second half of the ride!

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Cycle tube found in vending machine

Vending machine in Roadside Station Shimanto Toowa

Perhaps because so many people visit here by bicycle, we also found "cycle tube vending machines" along the Shimanami Kaido.

Nature's power and fear are side by side

Nagaioi sunken bridge

At about 8km from the cafe, turn off the national highway and stop at the Nagaioi Submerged Bridge. This bridge, built in the mountains, allows visitors to feel the mountains approaching from both sides and the Shimanto River running at their feet without the use of handrails. However, the bridge is just wide enough to allow a single car to pass through. It is a frightening thing to be without handrails! As we were shooting, a car approached us. I was terrified that we would have to pass each other on the bridge, but to my surprise, it was a follower. As we talked about our schedule for the next day, he recommended that we make every effort to stop at "Kashiwa Island" . The clarity of the ocean near the island is exceptional, we heard.

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Take a break at a café in the shade of a tree

SHADE TREE COFFEE

Kenta-san was able to stop by the cafe, which is open only twice a week (Sundays and Mondays), at just the right time. A little off Route 441, he saw a small sign at the end of the road. He went ahead and found a wooden café. The counter facing the Shimanto River had a nice atmosphere with a shade of green and the shade of the trees. Coffee was recommended, but it was too hot, so we ordered lemon squash. It was also exceptionally tasty. It was a drink for adults, not too sweet and the bitterness of the lemon peel. We happened to be the only two customers and had the pleasant space all to ourselves, but we heard that this is a very popular restaurant that usually attracts a lot of customers.

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Another sunken bridge to take advantage of the downhill trend

Sada sunken bridge (Imanari bridge)

With the entire day being downhill, we had already covered 110 km in 8 hours of riding. After taking a break at a café, we decided to stop at one more sunken bridge. The second bridge, the Sada sunken bridge, is a little wider than the one at Nagaoi, so we felt more secure.

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Goal!

New Royal Hotel Shimanto & Shokusuitei Motoya

Arrive at today's lodging. Bicycles can be left in the room, and there is a coin-operated laundry conveniently located a 3-minute walk away. Afterwards, we had dinner at a tavern near the hotel, Shokusuitei Motoya. We enjoyed fresh sashimi, as this is a port town, but we were feeling quite tired from today's long ride as we approached the second half of our itinerary. We went to bed early.

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Places we stopped this time

Kuresaka

Shimanto-gou Mizuguruma-ya

Toowa Shokudo

Ochakuri Cafe

Nagaoi Chinkabashi

SHADE TREE COFFEE

Sada Chinkabashi (Imanari Bridge)

Shokusuitei Motoya

Where we stayed

New Royal Hotel Shimanto

View Ride Courses

ROUTE

About the Day 8 route

Today's ride was an inland route. Immediately after the start, a 6km hill climb up Kurezaka (average gradient 4.6%), then mostly downhill along the Shimanto River downstream in the Kubokawa area. The run finishes in Nakamura, located about 10 km from the mouth of the river.
Distance traveled: 116km
Elevation Gain: 645m
Travel time: 8 hours and 45 minutes
Weather: fine

Today's side-trip video

Here's what happened on the other days!