A Walk from Honshu to Shikoku Day1

There was a spell of fine weather last week so I took the opportunity to go for a walk. My route was along the Shimanami kaido, a new 70k road that connects Onomichi in Hiroshima on Honshu with Imabari in Ehime on Shikoku. The road passes through 6 islands via 7 bridges. I spent the morning on the Temple walk in Onomichi, a route that zig-zags up and down the hillside visiting 25 temples and several shrines. From the top of Senkojisan there are fine views down on the town and across the channel to the first of the islands Mukaijima.

The bridge across to Mukaijima doesnt have any sidewalks, so its recommended for cyclists and pedestrians to cross over on one of the frequent ferries. there isnt a lot to see on Mukaijima, and the first part of the route, well marked with blue lines along the road, passes through the built up area but then heads south down the west coast where the views become nicer.

The Innoshima Ohashi is the suspension bridge that connects Mukaijima to Innoshima. It was built in 1983 and is 1.4 kilometers long and  has a main span of 770 meters.

Pedestrians, cyclists, and mopeds travel under the bridge. My plan had been to head up to the top of Mt Shirataki , the highest point on the island, to spend the night and enjoy the views over the Inland Sea at sunset and sunrise, but it was only 3pm so I decided to push on across the middle of the island.

Roughly in the middle of the island is what is the main tourist attraction of the island, the Murakami Suigun Castle. Sometimes called a navy, sometimes pirates, they are best described as privateers who controlled the waterways of the Inland Sea for much of the medieval period. The reconstructed castle houses a museum. Woirth a visit if you are passing by but not worth a special trip unless you are into that kind of thing.

the sun was getting low when I reached the other side of the island and the Ikuchi Bridge that connects Innoshima with Ikuchijima. With a span of 790 meters, this was the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world when it opened in 1991.

I went a few more k once I got to Ikuchijima before I made camp on the sea wall on some waste ground between two small shipbuilding yards.