Shimanami Kaido Access Guide: Getting to Onomichi and Imabari
You’ve booked your bike, you’ve stuffed your packing cube, you’ve planned your stopover and now you’re asking: How do I get to the Shimanami Kaido?
Japan’s famous cycle route runs between Onomichi and Imabari, and most cyclists start at either end. I’ve put together this Shimanami Kaido access guide to help you plan the final detail of your trip.
While there are many different ways to get to and from the main start and end points, I’ll cover the most popular to give you an idea of your options.
Onomichi: Shimanami Kaido Access
Onomichi is the starting point for the majority of cyclists. Sitting on Japan’s main island of Honshu, in the Hiroshima prefecture, the peaceful seaside city is lovely in its own right, and has a lot to offer to cyclists setting off. Cyclists going south from Onomichi also have the wind at their back, making it a slightly easier cycle.
By Rail
Most cycle tourists arrive into Onomichi by rail. Hiroshima is the closest major city, and many will also arrive from Osaka or Kyoto. If you’re travelling on the JR Pass, this is your best mode of transport. Even without it, I’d still recommend rail if possible.
Routes:
Onomichi is served by two railway stations: Shin-Onomichi and Onomichi. Shin-Onomichi, as the name suggests, is served by the Kodama Shinkansen (bullet train) and sits 3km outside of the main town. Onomichi Station, on the other hand, is a JR station for local trains and is right by the ferry port, rental terminals and main shopping street of Onomichi.
Shin-Onomichi is served by trains to and from Tokyo and Hiroshima, so it is an option if you’re travelling on that line, however you’ll need to get a taxi or a bus onward into the main town for bike rentals and accommodation. It’s also worth noting that the only Shinkansen that stops here is the Kodama service, which is a slower service, stopping at every station on the route. For faster trains, you’re better off taking the Hikari or Nozomi trains to Fukuyama, then changing for a train to Onomichi.
Personally, I’d recommend adjusting your route to get into Onomichi JR station – it’s much closer to the centre of everything and as I mentioned, can be quicker. If you’re going this route, you’ll need to first make your way to Fukuyama, and then change for a local train that’ll take you a further 20 minutes.
Your route and length will obviously vary depending on your starting point and your priorities, and I’d recommend using an app like Google Maps to plan out your Shimanami Kaido access. In the meantime, to give you a rough idea:
| From | Route | Time |
| Tokyo | Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Fukuyama. Local train onward to Onomichi. | ~ 4 hours |
| Osaka | Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka Station to Fukuyama. Local train onward to Onomichi. | ~1 hr 35 min |
| Kyoto | Shinkansen from Kyoto Station to Fukuyama. Local train onward to Onomichi. | ~ 1hr 50 min |
| Hiroshima | Local direct train | ~ 1hr 20 min on rapid service, ~1 hr 45 on regular local service |
| Fukuoka | Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Fukuyama. Local train onward to Onomichi. | ~ 2 hours |
Cost Estimate:
I’ve broken down costs of the complete cycle further in my budget breakdown, but to give you an idea of the major hubs to Onomichi:
| To/From | Transit mode | Rough cost |
| Hiroshima | JR Local Sanyo Rail | ¥1,500 – ¥2,000 |
| Hiroshima | Shinkansen to Fukuyama, then local train | ¥3,000 – ¥4,500 |
| Osaka | Shinkansen to Fukuyama, then local train | ¥11,000 – ¥13,000 |
| Kyoto | Shinkansen to Fukuyama, then local train | ¥12,000 – ¥14,500 |
If you have the JR Pass, each of these journeys is covered.
By Air
The closest airport to Onomichi is Hiroshima Airport, which sits about 30km outside of Onomichi. If you’re taking public transport from the Airport, the most reliable option is to take the airport shuttle bus to Fukuyama (about an hour’s drive), and then take the local train onward to Onomichi.
At the time of writing in November 2025, there is a shuttle directly between Hiroshima Airport and Onomichi.
Please note: this is a trial period up until January 31st 2026. If you are travelling after this date, please check the latest information on the website.
Alternatively, there are shared taxis available from the airport, costing about ¥4,000 per person. You’ll need to do that in advance, and again, you can do this via the Onofuku Hiroshima Airport website.
Imabari: Shimanami Kaido Access
Imabari is typically the end point of the Shimanami Kaido, although some cyclists do choose to start here, especially those who have already done the journey the other way round. Imabari sits on the island of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. The city is in Ehime Prefecture, facing the Seto Inland sea.
Cycling from Imabari towards Onomichi typically means you’ll be travelling against the wind, and so many cyclists choose to make this their stopping point.
By Rail
Imabari is served by Imabari JR station, on the Yosan line. If you’ve got the JR Pass, your transport on this line will be covered. The closest city to Imabari is Matsuyama, which is a transport hub with the airport and ferry port.
Routes:
Because of its position, Imabari is not as easy to get to from major transport hubs as Onomichi is, and some routes will require a combo of train and local bus. Naturally, your journey will vary depending on where you’re coming from. To give you an idea of some of the major city routes:
| From | Route | Time |
| Tokyo | Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Fukuyama. Local bus onward to Imabari. | ~ 5-6 hours |
| Tokyo | Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Okayama. Local JR Yosan line onward to Imabari. | ~ 5 hr 30 min |
| Osaka | Shinkansen from Shin-Osaka Station to Fukuyama. Local bus onward to Imabari. | ~3 hours |
| Kyoto | Shinkansen from Kyoto Station to Okayama. Local JR Yosan line onward to Imabari. | ~ 3hr 15 min |
| Hiroshima | Shinkansen from Hiroshima Station to Fukuyama. Local bus onward to Imabari. | ~ 2 hours |
| Fukuoka | Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Fukuyama. Local bus onward to Imabari. | ~ 3 hours |
| Matsuyama | Yosan line express, direct train | ~ 40 min |
Cost Estimate:
I’ve broken down costs of the complete cycle further in my budget breakdown, but to give you an idea of some of the costs to Imabari:
| To/From | Transit mode | Rough cost |
| Hiroshima | Bus | ¥3,800 – ¥4,500 |
| Osaka | Shinkansen, covered by JR Pass | ¥12,000 – ¥14,000 |
| Matsuyama | JR Train | ¥1,200 – ¥1,800 |
By Road
While some of the rail options combine a local bus from Fukuyama, there is also the option of the Highway Bus from Hiroshima. This is a direct route and takes about three hours between Hiroshima and Imabari.
By Air
Matsuyama is the closest airport to Imabari. It’s a small airport, offering flights around Japan and to neighbouring countries such as South Korea and Taiwan.
When I did my own Shimanami Kaido in September, we ended in Imabari and took an onward flight from Matsuyama to Okinawa.
Matsuyama Airport is about 50km from Imabari. We pre-booked a taxi with our hotel as we had an early morning flight and had all our luggage with us. We were advised by the hotel staff to leave a little extra time in case of traffic. The taxi fare is metered and came to about ¥12,000, taking about an hour in total.
Alternatively, and especially if you’ve used luggage forwarding, you can take a bus from Matsuyama airport to the Matsuyama JR station, and take the Yosan express onward to Imabari. The whole journey will cost about ¥3,060 and takes around 1hr 13min.
Getting between Onomichi and Imabari
If you’re planning to close the loop and end up back where you started, you have a couple of options for getting between Onomichi and Imabari:
- Bus from Onomichi Station to Innoshima, change for the bus on to Imabari Station. Takes about an hour and a half to two hours.
- Travel from Onomichi Station to Fukuyama by local rail, take the bus onward to Imabari. Takes about two hours.
- Ferry from Onomichi to Mukai Higashi Bus Stop on Mukaishima Island, then bus onward to Imabari. The ferry is a 5 minute journey, the bus takes an hour, but depending on timings, you could spend awhile waiting on the bus.
Ferries between Onomichi and Imabari
There’s no direct ferry service between the two major towns of the Shimanami Kaido, but if you’re happy to take the scenic route, or are travelling the Shimanami Kaido by foot, you’ll find the latest ferry information here.
You can travel between the islands in the chain by ferry, but if you’re trying to get from one end of the route to the other, the bus from Fukuyama to Imabari is a better, easier option.
Final Thoughts
Planning your Shimanami Kaido access is probably one of your last logistical steps in your journey, and it can naturally feel confusing when there are so many different options.
As you’ll have seen throughout this post, Fukuyama tends to act as the pivot point for transport to and from, and even between, Onomichi and Imabari. Travelling by rail, regardless of where you’re coming from in Japan, aiming for Fukuyama means you’ve got plenty of options for Shimanami Kaido access.
When we planned our trip, we chose to end in Imabari. Because of the easy access to Matsuyama airport, it was the perfect excuse to add in an Okinawa visit after the cycle. Domestic air travel in Japan is incredibly easy, and it meant we could reward ourselves with a couple of days’ relaxation amongst the beautiful blue waters and laid back island vibes in Okinawa.
Whatever route you choose, the moment you get on the bike and find yourself flying over a bridge, the sea air in your hair and islands stretching out in front of you, you’ll know that every minute you spent planning was worth it.
Enjoy the freedom of the bike, and have an incredible journey over the Shimanami Kaido!
This post is part of a series on the Shimanami Kaido. Get the full guide here.
