Cycling Ehime English ver.

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宇和海シーカヤックWhere Sea and Mountains Meetin Quiet Harmony—Riding a Secluded RouteWelcome to Ehime Prefecture, home to the Shimanami Kaido, known worldwide as a sacred destination for cyclists in Japan. Ehime lies on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s main islands, and faces the beautiful Seto Inland Sea. With its mild, gentle climate, the region is comfortable year-round. Here, well-maintained cycling infrastructure is woven into largely untouched natural landscapes, from coastal routes to deep mountain interiors, creating a trove of distinctive cycling experiences.With the majestic Mt. Ishizuchi (1,982 m), the highest peak in western Japan, as a dramatic backdrop, riders can explore the mist-shrouded, mystical ridgeline known as the UFO Line, the otherworldly expanse of the Shikoku Karst, and the fantastical multi-island seascapes of the Shimanami Kaido and Yumeshima Kaido, where hundreds of islands float across the Seto Inland Sea. Along the rias coastline, scattered fishing villages offer evocative coastal scenery. Interwoven with these landscapes are the pilgrimage paths of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, a cultural heritage route, as well as towns that retain the atmosphere of Edo-period castle cities. With every turn of the road, cyclists can quietly encounter Japan’s 2