Kenta-san's Travel Bookmarks
| 8:00 | Departure from Hotel |
|---|---|
| 11:45 | Break for lunch "Mejika-ya" |
| 13:30 | Kashiwa Island |
| 14:00 | Rest at "Kashiwa Island Tourist Information Center" |
| 16:30 | Arrival at Hotel "Akisawa Hotel" |
DAY 9 is over!
are based on
word of mouth.
Change of itinerary and hit the road!
Start of day 9 from Ushirogawa
Start along the "Ushiro-gawa" River, which flows on the north side of the Shimanto River. After about 1.5 km, the river joins the Shimanto River. Up to this point, there was almost no traffic and we were able to ride comfortably on a clean road surface. Our original plan was to circle Cape Ashizuri, the southernmost point of Shikoku, from Tosashimizu, 30 km away, but we decided to cut out Cape Ashizuri in order to extend our trip to Kashiwa Island, where we had heard a lot of good reviews.
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White sandy beach, blue sea
Oki Coast
Driving on National Route 321, you can look down at the "Oki Coast." The pure white sandy beach gently curves, and people are enjoying surfing and barbecuing.
The presence of Aonori (=green laver or seaweed) steals the spotlight from the udon
Mejika-ya
Because of the change in our itinerary, we also changed our original lunch plan. We had lunch at "Mejika-ya," an udon shop along Route 321. We were a little puzzled by the "Aonori Udon" (green laver udon), which uses an unbelievable amount of Shimanto River green laver.
Otherworldly and suspicious buildings
Coral Museum
Across the street from the Mejika-ya are some suspicious-looking ruins. The signboard read "Coral Museum" in a dilapidated Chinese-style building. It was as if time had stopped, and for a moment I forgot that I was in Japan.
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Breathtaking in its beauty!
Emerald green sea
Kashiwa-jima Island has received many submissions as a recommended spot, and residents in the neighborhood also say that the water near this island is exceptional. There is a bridge from the Shikoku mainland to Kashiwa-jima, but the clarity of the water under this bridge is beyond beautiful. It's very rare to see such emerald green water, so I couldn't help but take a picture of it. It is said that the island is crowded with bathers and divers on weekends, which is understandable.
Bento lunch on a quiet island
Kashiwa Island Tourism Information Center & Micchan Bento
Almost all stores on the island were temporarily closed. We stopped at the Kashiwa Island Tourism Information Center, which was still open, for a rest, and bought lunch at a nearby bento shop. As the name suggests, the "Micchan bento" is a handmade bento made by cafe Micchan's owner. Micchan is inspired by recipes she sees on TV and turns them into her bento the next day. It has a homey and comforting taste and a good quantity for only 400 yen!
Arrival at the inn!
Akisawa Hotel
Arrive at today's lodging, the Akisawa Hotel. Facilities are perfect, with a bicycle room next to the lobby and a laundry inside the hotel. The price is reasonable at 5,000 yen including breakfast.
Save Point (Yakiniku) to gather information for tomorrow
Hyoutan
Since we had been eating fish continuously, we had dinner at a yakiniku restaurant right next to the hotel today. Both the owner and the customers were friendly, and we had a lot of fun together. (When I asked them later, they seemed to think Kenta-san was a university student.) We were able to get some information about the next day's course.
Places we stopped this time
Oki Coast
Mejika-ya
Coral Museum
Kashiwa Island & Kashiwa Island Tourism Information Center
Hyoutan
Where we stayed
Akisawa Hotel
ROUTE
About the Day 9 route
A day touring the southern end of Shikoku from Nakamura, Shimanto City. After joining the Shimanto River along the Go River and crossing the Shimanto Ohashi Bridge, we turned onto Route 321, which runs parallel to the river. Traveling further south, the route turns west from Tosashimizu City. After visiting Kashiwa-jima Island, the route heads north to the goal in Tsukumo City.
Distance traveled: 112 km
Elevation Gain: 895m
Travel time: 8 hours and 30 minutes
Weather : fine
Today's side-trip video
Here's what happened on the other days!
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DAY 1
Matsuyama City - Imabari City Area
Distance travelled: 50km
Day 1 begins with the start of the ride, moving and assembling. After praying for a successful trip at Matsuyama Airport, we set off for Imabari. We enjoyed a nice ride while enjoying local recommendations and B-class gourmet food at a restaurant overlooking the sea, but then we ran into a bike store due to mechanical trouble. Fortunately, it was not a big problem, and we were able to inspect the bike before the long-distance ride started in earnest, so it turned out to be a good first day.
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DAY 2
Imabari City - Kannonji Area
Distance travelled: 103km
Finally, the full day of riding begins in the morning. We'll be touring the manufacturing process of Imabari towels, now a global brand, and taking in the sights of giant old coin sand paintings, while also going on a gastronomic expedition of ramen, melon dessert, and coffee, plus a surprise meeting with a fan, and lots of fun!
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DAY 3
Kannonji - Takamatsu Area
Distance travelled: 83km
Kagawa and Takamatsu are a treasure trove of famous sightseeing spots and gourmet foods, such as Mount Kompira, the Great Seto Bridge, and udon noodles. We changed from cleats to sandals, climbed 1,300 steps to visit the shrine, and rode to get udon for breakfast and lunch. It was a day of riding in Shikoku!
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DAY 4
Takamatsu - Tokushima area
Distance travelled: 96km
Day 4 with the first support rider of this trip, "Carson-kun". Despite the rainy season finally baptizing the day, the riders will head through the Takamatsu-Tokushima area at cruising speed, enjoying exquisite granola, a sumptuous seafood lunch, fashionable sweets, Tokushima ramen, and more.
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DAY 5
Tokushima - Shishikui Area
Distance travelled: 96km
Before we left, I found something wrong with my tires and had to ride the entire day with a time bomb. In addition, rain was forecast, and we thought it was going to be a hard day, but we were lucky to have a great lunch, good road conditions, and the rain held off! We arrived at a guest house with a private beach and toasted our good fortune.
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DAY 6
Shishikui - Kochi Area
Distance travelled: 124km
Finally, the trip is about to turn around. We hit Route 55 and headed for Kochi via the UNESCO-designated Geopark Cape Muroto. The 124-km ride, the longest of the 11-day itinerary, was underway. We rode along the coast in fine weather, but a bulge in the rear tire had been a source of concern since yesterday. We finally made it to the bike store and were relieved!
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DAY 7
Kochi City - Tosa-Kure area
Distance travelled: 74km
We will continue to ride around in the second half of the day with our well-maintained bicycles in great shape. Today's support rider, Saito-san, provided us with a perfect local guide, and we were able to enjoy not only Katsurahama Beach, but also Kochi's largest morning market, a tour of powerful local industries, and a run-through of local delicacies.
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DAY 8
Tosakure - Nakamura Area
Distance travelled: 116km
Today's ride is down the Shimanto River, the longest first-class river in Shikoku. 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 the best yet!
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DAY 9
Nakamura - Otsuki City Area
Distance travelled: 112km
We finally have three days left on our trip. Today, we will change our itinerary completely and head for Kashiwa Island, which has received a lot of recommendations. When we get there, the sea is unbelievably beautiful! We were satisfied with the sudden change in our itinerary and marveled at the unfathomable charms of Shikoku, which we might not be able to fully explore in a single trip around the island.
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DAY 10
Otsuki City - Uwajima City Area
Distance travelled: 62km
Kenta-san has finally reached the end of his trip and returned to Ehime, the prefecture of his departure. Today was the second shortest daily itinerary, but he had plenty of time to enjoy Uwajima's specialties for lunch and dinner, and almost bought a piece of bonito at a roadside station he stopped at along the way. It was a day to get in shape for the last leg of the ride.
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DAY 11
Uwajima City - Matsuyama City Area
Distance travelled: 106km
The last leg of our 11-day cycling tour is finally over. After a hill climb at the beginning of the ride, passing a roadside station that boasts the largest selection of ancient creatures and orange juice in Japan, and an emotive unmanned train station, we finally reached the goal! After getting out of the saddle, we will continue to enjoy Matsuyama City without any worries.