Cycle the Highlights of Shikoku

Guided Tour

Price from

365,000 JPY

Duration

6 Days | 5 Nights

Level

A 6 day 5 night guided and fully supported cycling tour across Japan’s remotest island. Experience outrageous views, fascinating history, and enchanting culture as you cycle across the Shimanami Kaido, climb into the mountains, journey through cities and small villages, eat outstanding local food, and stay in a mixture of traditional and modern accommodation. This tour takes you on fantastic roads to the best parts of the island – great cycling and great travel!

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Approx 400km

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Meals & Accommodation

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Local Guide

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Fully Supported

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Small Groups

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Popular sightseeing

ABOUT THIS TOUR

Explore Shikoku and the best cycling that Japan has to offer. Unbelievable landscapes, epic bridges, challenging climbs, cinematic seascapes, great accommodation, and stunning local cuisine, this six-day tour takes you through the heart of Shikoku and visits the natural and cultural highlights of the island. It’s perfect for those who love cycling and want to experience the varied beauty of Shikoku, Japan’s best kept secret.

This tour lasts 6 days and 5 nights, with epic cycling and time to enjoy the villages, towns and cities through which we pass. The tour starts in Onomichi, the start of the world-famous Shimanami Kaido. Cycling over the Shimanami Kaido and staying on one of the islands, we leave Honshu behind. On Day 2, we cycle the rest of the Shimanami Kaido and enter Shikoku, making our way to the traditional and culturally important city of Matsuyama. That evening we stay near Dogo Onsen, with opportunities to visit one of the oldest castles and the oldest hot spring in Japan. See the sites, enjoy hot springs, visit local sake distilleries, and much more.

Start of the trip

Onomichi

Day 1

Hakatajima

Day 2

Matsuyama

Day 3

Nakatsu Gorge

Day 4

Kochi

Day 5

Iya Valley

Day 6

Kotohira

Duration: 6 days, 5 nights
Difficulty: 4/5 – Suitable for people who frequently cycle and who don’t hate hills.
Price: 365,000 JPY (click here to see how much this is in other currencies).
Group size: 4-8 guests (the tour needs 4 people to run / Max 12). We can accommodate groups of ANY size. Get in touch if you have a bigger group.

Things to see
Things to eat

Cycle the world famous Shimanami Kaido.
Cycle the best roads on Shikoku.
Visit the oldest hot spring in Japan.
Cycle next to wild gorges and crystal rivers.
Visit the cities of Matsuyama and Kochi, sampling the fascinating culture there.
Cycle through the celebrated Iya Valley.
Visit the famous Konpirasan. A shrine built on the side of a mountain with over 1300 steps.

Exquisite seafood - the seafood in this area is famous throughout Japan. It's among the freshest you can get.
Eat traditional local cuisine famous throughout Japan - opportunities to eat taimeshi, katsuo no tataki, Iya soba, and more.

Cross bike and helmet rental included. We use Giant, Specialised, and Marin bikes.
If you would prefer to rent a road bike (carbon or aluminium), we can make arrangements for you and ensure you bike will be ready for you on Day 1 of your tour. Prices start from 35,000 yen for the duration of the tour. Carbon bikes may be more expensive.
Alternatively, if you bring your own bike, you can send it to us (this can be done at an airport if you are travelling to Japan) and we will bring it to the start of the tour. We can then send it back to you (or send it to your departure airport for you to pick up if you are travelling to Japan).

A fantastic English speaking cycling guide to help you get the most out of your journey. Our local guides are fab.
A support van with snacks and hydration.
Luggage transfer while on the tour

There'll be an experienced mechanic to help with most bike issues you may have. Fingers crossed everything is fine, but good for peace of mind in case.

All fees associated with the tour. For example, the ferry fees on the Shimanami kaido are covered.
Please note, entrance fees to optional locations such as castles, etc. are not included.

Change to an e-bike (subject to availability) for an additional fee - a bit of extra help on those mountain roads!

Six nights at a mixture of Japanese inns and business hotels. We have hand picked the accommodation using our extensive experience of the area. Sea views, mountain inns, hot spring resorts - we've got everything to allow you to experience the best that this area has to offer.

Incredible views and lifelong memories
We'll give you our water bottle as a reminder of your time cycling through hidden Japan.
We also have Hidden Japan Travel cycling jerseys available for purchase. Let us know before your tour if you would like one.

From 365,000 JPY per person based on shared twin room.

There is no fee for single travellers. Single travellers share a room with another group member. If you require a single room, there is a supplement of 50,000 JPY. Please note, it may not always be possible to meet all requests for single rooms.
We need a minimum of 4 to run the tour. Alternatively, we can run a private tour for an additional fee.

After reading the Terms & Conditions, click the Enquire about this Tour button and submit the form.
We will get back to you to with a reservation form.
Once you’ve sent this back to us, we’ll book everything for you and arrange for your payment. We accept credit card and wire transfer.

Please click here for our terms and conditions.

Additional Conditions

be able to cycle 50-80kms per day for 6 consecutive days. There are some long climbs and some steep hills. If that sounds like your idea of fun, this is the tour for you.
have travel insurance. We won’t check this but it is a condition of the tour.

Enquire about this tour

ITINERARY

Day 1: The Shimanami Kaido　

Approx. 67km | 500 ↑ Sea, The Shimanami Kaido | Lunch, Dinner| Japanese hotel

Meet at Onomichi Station in the morning. Onomichi is accessible by bullet train and close to Hiroshima Airport (click here to learn about cheap internal flights if you live outside Japan). Cycle over the world-famous Shimanami Kaido. We’ll cover 5 islands, see spectacular views and explore the culture of the Seto Inland Sea. We’ll stay in a Japanese hotel, located near the sea in a stunning location.

Day 2: Shimanami - Matsuyama

Approx 63 kms | Approx 800m ↑ | The Shimanami Kaido, sea, castles | Breakfast & Lunch| Business hotel

Finish the Shimanami Kaido and head down the coast to historic Matsuyama, the prefectural capital of Ehime. We cycle through the city, looking at the castle, towards the hotel in the Dogo area. Enjoy the famous Dogo Onsen area in the evening.

Day 3: Matsuyama - Nakatsu Gorge

Approx 75 kms | Approx 1200m ↑| In the mountains | Breakfast, lunch & dinner | Japanese hot spring hotel

Cycle through the city of Matsuyama then climb into the mountains on one of our favourite roads. The cycling then follows a picturesque river. Stay in a stunning hotel in a remote gorge.

Day 4: Nakatsu Gorge - Kochi City

66 kms | Total 500m ↑| Mountains & rivers | Breakfast, lunch, & dinner | Business hotel

An optional morning walk in the spectacular Nakatsu Gorge. Then cycle out of the mountains along one of Japan’s most celebrated rivers, with opportunities for impromptu wild swimming to cool off. Reach the city of Kochi and visit a famous street food market.

Day 5: Kochi City - The Iya Valley

Approx 80 kms | Total 1500m ↑ | Mountains & gorge | Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner | Japanese hot spring hotel

Cycle out of the city and up into the celebrated Iya Valley. A challenging climb rewards outrageous landscapes. Cycle down the valley surrounded with terraced rice fields and walk across the famous vine bridges of the Heike warriors. Stay in a traditional Japanese inn. Stunning.

Day 6: The Iya Valley - Konpira Shrine

The final day – Journey out of the Iya Valley along the beautiful Yoshino River. After a final climb, we arrive at the acclaimed Konpira Shrine, a popular area and our final highlight. We relax with a drink and reflect on our six-day journey into hidden Japan. There are train stations nearby that connect with the bullet train. Alternatively, Takamatsu Airport is a few kms away (click here to learn about cheap internal flights if you live outside Japan). Let us know if you require airport transfer or would like us to organise accommodation for the final night. We’re happy to help with that!