Tobishima Kaidō
The Tobishima Kaidō is a chain of five islands joined by bridges. Like the better-known Shimanami Kaidō, it’s popular with cyclists. While the Shimanami is arranged north to south between Honshu and Shikoku, the Tobishima runs east to west from Honshū to the middle of the Shimanami. From its westernmost island, ferries run to Ōmishima island and Imabari. The Tobishima Kaidō falls within the municipality of Kure City. The Tobishima is 44 km long, a distance that can be done uninterrupted in a couple of hours by bicycle. It starts in Kure city and crosses five islands, ending at Okamura Port, in the middle of the Inland Sea. From here, unless you cycle back to Kure, you have to take a ferry to Ōmishima or Imabari.
The islands, from west to east are;
- Shimo-Kamagari Island
- Kami-Kamagari Island
- Toyoshima Island
- Ōsaki-Shimojima Island
- Okamura Island
In the town of Sannose on the eastern side of Shimo-Kamagari island, the street of museums including Shōtōen and the Rankaku Museum makes a pleasant afternoon’s diversion. And on Okamura island, the picturesque old port of Mitarai is a very nice place to stroll, and learn about the marine traffic through the Inland Sea that connected the Japanese archipelago through trade.
The Tobishima has only one real hotel, at Kenmin no Hama.
Information
Name in Japanese: とびしま海道
Pronunciation: tobi-shima kai-dō
Address: Kure, Hiroshima prefecture
