What’s the farthest you’ve traveled by bike so far? Maybe it was the coffee shop two stations away, the office an hour away by train, or perhaps just across the prefectural border. Likely, readers of this article are thinking, “No way, that’s way too close. I can ride much farther than that!” When you get a road bike or any kind of sport bike, there’s this urge to go farther and farther. Before you know it, you’ve broken through the 50km, 100km, and even 200km barriers, and you find yourself thrilled as your world expands with each new distance. So, how about 1000 kilometers? Does that sound like an impossible distance? With 1000 kilometers, you coul […]

“It’s the largest event of its kind in Japan and the only one where participants ride on a highway,” announced Governor Tokihiro Nakamura of Ehime Prefecture. With his opening remarks, the starting horn sounded. Around 1,750 riders set off in waves from the Imabari Highway Interchange (Ehime Prefecture) toward Onomichi City (Hiroshima Prefecture). At the same time, an equal number of riders began their journey from the Mukai Island Interchange in Onomichi, aiming for Imabari. Sunday, October 27, 8:08 AM, under cloudy skies. This joint cycling event between the two prefectures is globally recognized as Japan’s largest cycling event, celebrated for showcasing the natural beauty, tourism resour […]

The Shimanami Kaido isn’t the only bike route in Ehime for serious cyclists and bicycling explorers alike. This weekend we venture south from the entrance to the most famous biking route of the prefecture, in the city of Imabari, to the capital of Matsuyama, ending at the oldest bath house in Japan and possibly the most famous in the world. This route is called the Imabari-Dogo Hamakaze (Sea Breeze) Cycling Road.Although this course is mostly utilitarian, with views of the coast for only about half the way, it is a vital path between many great historical sites, quaint and quirky lunch spots and a good night on the town. Table of Contents 　1. Scouting Expedition and Imabari Castle　2. Lunch a […]

When it comes to cycling across Japan, Ehime prefecture should be part of anybody’s bucket list. From mountain to inland sea, there is plenty to see and do while cruising along one of the multitudes of well-planned routes crisscrossing the island of Shikoku’s northwestern side. First let’s take a ride through one of the most sought-after destinations for cyclists across the world over, the Shimanami Kaido. For hardcore folk, the entire ride is about 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) but for the purposes of this article we’ll only be going as far as the border to Hiroshima prefecture on the Honshu-side of the Setouchi sea, split between two relatively leisurely afternoons. Table of Contents 　1 […]

Have you ever been to Ehime Prefecture? It’s a place known as a cycling paradise. Ehime is blessed with a mild climate overlooking the Seto Inland Sea with a rich natural environment. There are many cycling routes, through sea and mountain, including the Shimanami Kaido, which was selected by CNN as one of the seven best cycling routes in the world. Ehime Prefecture is located in the northwestern part of Shikoku on the Seto Inland Sea side and has the largest population of the four prefectures in Shikoku. It is famous for its production of “mikan” oranges and is surrounded by nature, both ocean and mountain. There are also many historical sites such as Matsuyama Castle and Dogo H […]